Is Society Putting too much Religious Pressure on Young Teens Today?

Is Society Putting too much Religious Pressure on Young Teens Today?

By Charles Reed

Cyber-bullying is commonly discussed, how teens have used social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and even Blogger negatively to degrade peers. While all of this has happened and is very serious, society has forgotten an age-old issue that has caused more suicides and teen runaways than cyber-bullying ever has. "I ran away when I was seventeen," author EC Stilson said in an interview. "It was mainly because of religious expectations that were too high. I felt like I could never be good enough. People don't realize what a big issue this is today. I recently heard about two teen suicides in Northern Utah that were due to these same problems."
                In April of 2012, Wayman Publishing released Stilson's memoir about what events led to her becoming a homeless street musician. The audiobook is expected to be released sometime in June of 2013. Stilson's book talks about a time, thirteen years ago, when her world spiraled out of control. And although much has changed for teens within the last decade—with the boom of iPhones, iPads and other technologies—the root of teen pressure is still the same. Is society as a whole putting too much pressure on teens? Expecting them to be better, more religious, or smarter than past generations?
                Stilson's memoir, Bible Girl & the Bad Boy describes how Stilson went from being a pious Christian to a runaway. It talks about how the adults around her made poor choices when they should have stuck by her and offered some guidance. "I hope my memoir will help teens and adults alike," Stilson said. "I want teenagers to know that they aren't alone in feeling overwhelmed. We've all been there, even the adults who seem to have forgotten."

This is a prevalent issue today. So often adults put too much pressure on teens. Whether that pressure involves religion, work, or excessive studies, maybe it's time to give these kids a little slack. Offer support and understanding instead of too many expectations. Teens are already getting enough stress from peers, let alone from the adults in their lives as well.