The state of the American teenager

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Worrying about “kids these days” is a concern as old as time. And while previous generations have always worried about young people, there are real concerns with today’s youth that should be addressed. 

From the dislocating effects of the pandemic that occurred during crucial years of their academic and social development to the yet-to-be fully understood effects of widespread smartphone usage, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned.

Recently, we polled a nationally representative sample of teenagers. They told us some worrying things.

Fifty-five percent of teens said most or all of their classmates use cellphones in class. (iStock)

First, there are few problems in education more pressing than the wave of chronic absenteeism sweeping across the nation. According to Nat Malkus at the American Enterprise Institute, the number of students who missed more than 10% of the school year rose from 15% to 28% of students from 2018 to 2022. A recent Pew survey of teachers showed 92% saying that chronic absenteeism was a problem among students who attend their school.

WHAT’S GOING ON WITH AMERICA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS? ENROLLMENT DROPS AND CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM TELL A DRAMATIC TALE

When asked as part of our survey, 13% of teens said they have already missed more than 15 days of school, putting them into the “chronically absent” category. This was higher for female students (16%), students in rural schools (17%), and LGBTQ students (18%)

Why might this be? Other survey questions point to answers.

Sixty-four percent of teens agreed with the statement that school is “boring,” including 69% of Black teens. We asked

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