It was Friday evening. I wrapped up my work, wished my fellow colleagues a happy weekend, had dinner, and started browsing Netflix for something to binge over the weekend. After a few minutes of scrolling, I landed on a show called Adolescence. From the first episode, I expected a crime thriller, but the makers had something else in mind. It had been a while since I’d seen such quality storytelling. Adolescence made me pause, reflect, and left me with thoughts I couldn't ignore. That’s what brought me here to write this.
The show was not just about teen drama, but about the subtle and often invisible struggles of growing up in a world dominated by screens. Watching it made me think: how different is growing up today compared to just a decade ago?
Back then, I had very limited access to the internet. Social media was around, but it hadn't yet taken over every corner of our lives. Facebook was still for casual posts and games. Instagram was just getting started. And TikTok didn’t even exist. Most of my teenage memories are rooted in real, physical moments, playing with friends after school. The digital world was a part of life, not the center of it.
For today's adolescents, social media isn’t just a way to connect, it is the world itself. Bullying no longer stops at the school gate; it continues online and goes way beyond. The pressure to look perfect, to have an exciting life, to be "liked," it’s non-stop.
And it's not just teens. We all feel it. The endless scroll, the curated realities, the constant notifications. Our attention spans are shrinking, our sleep is disrupted, our minds overstimulated and overwhelmed. We’re more connected than ever, but somehow more alone.
As I watched this show and reflected on my own teenage years, one thing became clear. We weren’t meant to grow up like this, measuring ourselves against curated pixels.
Instead of being constantly plugged into a world that never sleeps, I feel the best thing we can all do is step outside. Nature doesn’t ask for likes, and it doesn't judge. It simply exists, patiently offering us space to breathe, to feel, and to be present. And in that, we often rediscover something we’ve lost: empathy.
Let’s not forget that there is a world beyond the screen. That’s where the healing begins.
Comments
Post a Comment