Young People Today: Who Shapes Who We Are?
The three Pew Research articles made me think about an important question: Who decides what young people are supposed to be like today? I think young people make their own choices, but those choices are also influenced by family, school, culture, technology, and social media.
One thing that stood out to me was the change in attitudes toward marriage. Pew found that 67% of 12th graders in 2023 said they would likely get married someday, compared with 80% in 1993. The change was even bigger for girls, from 83% to 61%. I think this shows how ideas about the future are changing. Young women today may have different goals and may want to focus on education, careers, or independence before marriage. I can connect this to my own experiences because I have seen people my age think about their future in many different ways instead of following one expected path.
The other two readings connect to this idea because they show how technology and social media are also shaping young people. The cellphone article made me think about how important phones have become in students' daily lives. In contrast, the article about influencers shows that young people can now get information from people online instead of only from parents, teachers, or traditional sources.
References:
Hatfield, J., Ramones, S. H., Silver, L., & Jackson, A. (2026, June 9). As Trump turns 80, who are the oldest – and youngest – current world leaders? Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/06/09/as-trump-turns-80-who-are-the-oldest-and-youngest-current-world-leaders/.
Kent, D. (2025, November 14). 12Th grade girls are less likely than boys to say they want to get married someday. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2025/11/14/12th-grade-girls-are-less-likely-than-boys-to-say-they-want-to-get-married-someday/.
Support grows for school cellphone bans. (2026, July 30). Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/newsletter/internet-science-and-tech/support-grows-for-school-cellphone-bans/.
That is such an interesting statistic that 67% of 12th grade girls in 2023 said they would like to get married compared to 80% in 1993. Maybe this also relates to the reason why more women today achieve a bachelor's degree compared to men. Through the increase of women role models in movies, shows, and social media, it has allowed young girls to dream of being an entrepreneur, a doctor instead of taking the traditional path of getting married. This makes me wonder what do 12th grade boys think about marriage? I also wonder how this data changes or stays the same in another part of world.
ReplyDeleteI also thought the statistic about 67% of 12th-grade girls wanting to get married was really interesting, especially compared to 80% in 1993. I think this could be connected to how more women are focusing on education and careers before marriage. We can also see something similar happening in India. According to India’s All India Survey on Higher Education, the number of women enrolled in higher education increased from about 1.57 crore in 2014-15 to 2.07 crore in 2021-22, which is a 32% increase. This shows that more Indian women are going to college and getting opportunities to focus on their education and careers. I think having more female role models, such as women who are doctors, business owners, teachers, and other professionals, can also encourage young girls to think about their future beyond just marriage. At the same time, I think marriage is still important to many women, but it may not be their first priority anymore.
DeleteAs I read this, another interesting point that came to my mind was the idea of “influence.” We make choices based on how we think, but the way we think is also shaped by the people, information, and environments around us. This made me think about how much the sources of influence have changed across generations. Today, young people can be exposed to people, cultures, careers, and ideas that their parents may not have had access to when they were growing up. In some ways, this can give young people more opportunities to develop their own thoughts, creativity, and identities because they can see that there are many different ways to live and think. They can compare different perspectives, experiment with ideas, and construct their own understanding rather than relying only on the perspectives they encounter at home or in their immediate community.
ReplyDeleteYes, I feel like technology and society can expand what literacy means. Young people are not only learning from books, teachers, or parents; they are constantly interpreting information, perspectives, images, and ideas from a much wider social and digital world. At the same time, I wonder if having more sources of influence also creates more expectations.
This is a very interesting statistic, as all the other percentages point to social media having a negative influence. It reminded me of the social media I grew up with, ignoring the negatives, and how it encouraged me and many others to be free to express ourselves. Being able to see others live a successful life by following their goals is a great message to send and there are countless influencers who use their platform for good. My only question with this is how do we make sure students are consuming age appropriate influencers who want others to succeed, rather than influencers that make a living by putting others down?
ReplyDeleteI read the same article regarding marriage. I think young people each generation kind of re-write what it means to have a fulfilling life. If we look at individuals prior to the 20th century, marriage was seen as a must especially for women. As the 20th century progressed, women gained more agency in their lives and now in the 20th century if someone doesn't wanna get married that´s their choice and is respected. So basically what im saying is young people examines social norms and decide what to keep and what to toss or the very least alter.
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