Popularity And Adolescence – I’m A Mom
During adolescence, young people have to face many physical and emotional changes. It is a stage that is not always simple, as the opinion of others becomes very important to them. Therefore, popularity and adolescence are two closely linked concepts.
Generally, young people at this stage seek the approval of their group of friends and want to please at any price. Popularity becomes the center of concern.
To be popular, they use various strategies ranging from taking care of their physical appearance and developing social skills to having the best technology.
However, in some cases, this obsession with being popular can be dangerous. The extreme desire to have many friends or to have more likes on social networks can lead teenagers to adopt risky behaviors.
What does popularity mean to teens
For today’s teenagers, being popular mostly means having lots of friends and feeling loved. However, the concept of “many friends” today is very different from the concept of a few years ago.
Some time ago, having a group of six or seven good friends was enough. Friends are currently counted by thousands on social media.
Teenage popularity is achieved in different ways. Some boys become popular because they have great social skills, good humor and are considered cute. Others, in turn, because they are self-assured, good students, good sportsmen or have a physique that pleases others.
Teenagers who are popular have a lot of power over the rest of the group. What they do or don’t do, how they dress and who their friends are are factors that greatly influence the behavior of others.
The consequence of all this is that a negative comment on social media about someone less popular can cause a lot of pressure.
Why is teenage popularity so important?
During adolescence, the opinion of others becomes very important. Young people need to feel part of a group. For that, they need to get approval from others.
Most teenagers seek popularity to feel more confident. In fact, the growth stage is often accompanied by a feeling of insecurity, both physical and personal.
To counteract this feeling that generates so many doubts, they seek to be accepted. Thus, they have the illusion that they need to have many friends and a good physical image.
Young people want to dress in fashion and look like others are considered cool, or even set trends. They want others to see them as a role model, someone who is popular and who has become influential in the group.
The dangers of obsessing with popularity
As long as popularity is based on intellectual, social or sporting skills, it is a positive motivation for young people. Having many friends and learning to relate can be very useful for the future life.
However, if the popularity is based mainly on physical and superficial aspects, such as the clothes they wear or the cell phone they have, several problems can arise. The first is that the relationships provided by this behavior are very superficial and temporary.
Another downside is that teenagers may want to be someone they are not to seek acceptance. Some even repress their emotions if they feel they are not pleasing to others.
In more extreme cases, these children can adopt inappropriate behaviors and even put their physical and emotional well-being at risk. This is the case, for example, with exhibitionist behaviors on social networks or making fun of the weakest just so others find it funny.
the role of parents
Parents can help teenagers better channel their insecurities. This can help keep the desire for popularity from getting out of hand. Therefore, it is important to reinforce teenagers’ self-esteem and help them to have healthy friendship relationships.
Some hobbies , such as sports teams or music groups, are ideal for creating direct relationships based on deeper bonds.
Furthermore, you need to talk to young people about the importance of caring for relationships with real friends, those that last a lifetime.
In conclusion, it can be said that the concepts of popularity and adolescence can be complementary and positive. However, there are also some developmental risks for young people that should be considered.
