The Crisis of Youth in 2025
Youth is facing an unprecedented crisis. A recent study commissioned by the United Nations has confirmed what many of us have sensed: being young in 2025 is a profoundly disheartening experience. You might assume that feelings of angst are a universal aspect of growing up, but that doesn’t capture the full scope of today’s reality. Until roughly a decade ago, happiness typically followed a reassuring U-shaped curve over the course of a lifetime. In the past, young adults could expect to feel carefree and optimistic, experience a dip in happiness during the demanding years of middle age, and then enjoy a resurgence of joy in their later years.
However, the narrative has shifted dramatically. Nowadays, being young is often synonymous with feelings of discontent and despair. According to the findings, the older we become, the happier we tend to feel. So, here’s a silver lining: with life satisfaction on the rise as we age, at least we can look forward to better days ahead.
It’s not hard to theorize about the myriad factors contributing to the disillusionment of today’s youth. They are stepping into adulthood at a time when the planet grapples with severe climate challenges. With skyrocketing housing markets and economic instability, many young people find themselves unable to achieve the milestones of maturity that previous generations regarded as standard.
Moreover, the explosion of smartphones and social media has led to relentless comparisons with others, amplifying feelings of inadequacy without the grounding influence of face-to-face social interactions. It’s a potent mix of pressures, exacerbated by the fact that today’s youth are engaging in less sex, consuming less alcohol, and generally enjoying fewer leisure activities than any preceding generation. With traditional outlets for stress relief and enjoyment fading away, is it any wonder that feelings of misery prevail?
It’s crucial to recognize that the world has always been fraught with challenges. Our ancestors faced wars, natural disasters, and mortality at rates that would boggle the mind of today’s youth. Dictatorships, prejudice, and economic turmoil are not new phenomena. While it may offer scant comfort, I find it helpful to remind myself that whatever struggles I face—whether personal or as a global citizen—are echoes of challenges that have existed throughout history.
The Immersion in Discontent
What has shifted, in my view, is not the severity of the problems but rather the extent to which we are immersed in them. Life is undeniably daunting, yet where previous generations had no choice but to confront their realities, today’s youth often seek refuge in the escapism of smartphones or the comfort of familiar childhood routines. This may provide temporary relief, but it ultimately lacks the fulfillment that comes from engaging with life’s complexities.
Fortunately, as the years pass, life nudges individuals toward greater participation in the world around them. The older you get, the more likely you are to cultivate experiences and relationships that root you in reality—whether that’s through building a career, raising children, or navigating personal tragedies that compel you to reassess your life’s trajectory. While none of these experiences are novel or groundbreaking, they have historically provided a framework for individuals to derive meaning from their existence.
Traditions and religious practices have long offered ways to frame life’s significant moments. Yet even if those structures feel irrelevant to some, the essence of those experiences remains compelling. A child’s birth is a marvel, regardless of whether it comes with a religious ceremony; love can be profoundly beautiful without a church wedding.
Meaning is not inherently tied to specific experiences; rather, it is generated from within, shaped by the individual’s perception of those experiences. If one desires a life imbued with significance, it is essential to actively engage with the world and fill life with rich experiences. This current generation, often seen living with their parents well into adulthood and obsessively pursuing youthfulness through various means, seems almost instinctively resistant to the natural process of aging. Ironically, this quest for perpetual youth may be contributing to their unhappiness.
Thus, the solution, though it may seem counterintuitive, is straightforward: embrace the process of growing up! While the world may appear chaotic, there is one certainty all living beings can rely on: aging. Even as society in 2025 may seem designed to keep young people in a prolonged state of adolescence, time is an unstoppable force that affects us all, whether we welcome it or not. Sooner or later, life will insistently intervene, compelling each individual to engage in the journey of living.
