22nd January 2026 | By: Veola Noronha
Remember being a teenager? Whether you were thriving, drowning, or riding a pendulum oscillating between the two, it’s probably not a phase you’ve forgotten. Being a teen feels like being the biggest and smallest thing in the universe at the same time. Every win feels indomitable, and every setback feels like the end of the world.
Today’s young people are living through that same chaos, but with challenges most of us have long forgotten from our own teen years. Social media, mediocre representation in the media, and one global crisis after another, leave them with the pressure to “have it all figured out”- while still discovering who they are.
In India, over 50% of the population is under the age of 25. How teenagers think and feel isn’t just a personal issue; they are the future of the country, and their wellbeing has real consequences for society. Yet, despite this significance, so many teens still feel fundamentally misunderstood.
This article explores what teenagers today are up against- from the state of the world to the realities of biology- and how adults can support them without dismissing their lived experience.
There is no shortage of teenagers depicted in popular movies, shows, books, or songs. Teen characters tend to be the go-to for drama and entertainment. Perhaps that’s why most representations of them have to do with dramatic extremes- reckless parties, dangerous risks, and “spiralling” emotions- that many of us start treating as the whole truth.
That leaves actual teen struggles looking overdramatic or exaggerated, instead of real and layered. It teaches adults and caregivers to minimise what teens feel, and teaches teens to doubt what they know about themselves. What's worse is that these portrayals turn serious problems into trends. It is so common now to see drugs, alcohol, sex, body image issues, anxiety, and depression all get packaged into aesthetics- something to pose rather than take seriously or get help for.
Teenhood can start to feel like a performance instead of a time for growth. It is not such a stretch of the imagination that teens start wondering if they need to be that dramatic, that broken, or that messy just to be seen as “normal teens.”
Teens don’t need representation repackaged as glamorised chaos. They instead need space to be who they are, and grow into who they want to be, whatever that may be.
The world in recent years has seemed to be flowing from one crisis to the next with barely any breathing room. This is already hard enough for adults to cope with, let alone teenagers. Young people are having to grow up expecting stability and progress, while living in a reality that feels anything but stable.
Housing feels impossible, cost of living keeps climbing, and everyone knows someone who’s struggling to get a job that matches their degree.
And all of this is happening while the world outside screams chaos: political uncertainty, climate disasters, global conflict, and constant news of instability. Teens don’t need to fully understand the chaos- they feel it anyway, through the conversations they overhear and in the headlines they see every day.
Teens today are growing up with adult-sized expectations without the adult-sized power to change anything.
Through all of this, teenagers are forced to navigate their bodies and minds in unfamiliar and intense ways. Erik Erikson called this age the “Identity vs. Role Confusion” stage of psychosocial development- a time when teens are figuring out who they are and where they belong. The rapid hormonal changes and brain development cause adolescents to experience heightened emotions, intense social comparison, stronger reward sensitivity, developing impulse control and growing empathy, all while developing their own sense of self.
The stats around this are worrying. Nearly 10% of India’s population has a mental disorder, with anxiety affecting 22% of the youth and depression around 20% of adolescents in urban areas. A 2024 study by the Indian Psychiatric Society found that around 40% of teenagers report stress and anxiety as their main concerns. The UNICEF State of the World’s Children Report (2021) found that one in seven adolescents aged 10 to 19 is living with a diagnosed mental health condition. It is highly likely that the real numbers are higher in India, due to cases of mental health being taboo or going unreported. Substance use as well affects about 15%, which often makes everything else harder to cope with.
We know that teens are juggling complex internal and external pressures. Adults can make a real difference by simply offering a safe space for them to talk and feel without judgement.
One of the simplest ways adults can support teens is by trying to remember how intense everything felt at that age- and then adding the reality that today’s teens are doing it while living through social media and everything- good, bad, and ugly- that comes with it. They don’t need adults to panic with them, but they do need adults to listen to them, offer hope, and take real action where possible.
If you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or like you’re constantly supposed to be doing better, know this: You are not weak. You are simply responding to a world that is asking for a lot while guaranteeing too little.
There’s no handbook for growing up in a world this overwhelming. But there are ways to navigate it without dismissing your experiences or pretending you’re fine when you’re not.
Nobody has it all figured out at 15, 20, or even 40. Your story is still unfolding, and you’re allowed to take your time with each chapter.
Keep moving at your own pace, and always remember, in the words of John Green:“There is hope, even when your brain tells you there isn't.”
At Meet Your Therapist, our child and teen psychologists in Bangalore work closely with teenagers facing anxiety, academic stress, and emotional overwhelm. Therapy for Teenagers in Bangalore - Whatsapp 7991724987
Meet Your Therapist offers evidence-based teen counseling with experienced child psychologists in Bangalore. Online & in-clinic sessions available.