To wonder whether the increase in teen anxiety is the result of

[ivegotmyteddybear]

Fewer sah parents and more nursery when small?

I'm genuinely NOT being goady. It's an opinion I hold, and would like it to be challenged.

Why don't you tell us more about your theory before a grim SAHM-v- WOHM war breaks out. Just so we can be sure you're not being goady.

I’m sure social media and the 24/7 input plays a role. When I was unhappy at school I would get home and that’s it. No class whatsapp pinging constantly, no Snapchat, no scrolling on Instagram seeing people’s perfect lives

Yes social media is probably more likely.

I just worry about attachment etc etc when they go off to nursery at 1 year old for 50 hours a week.

I'm trying to decide what to do myself

I think not, no, basically modern life is rubbish is my view.

Too much pressure, too much social media, too much homework, too little nature/outdoors directly affecting kids.

Then parents - too much poverty, too much work, too much housing insecurity etc etc.

No.
Social media is more of an issue IMO.

@ChameleonClara

I think not, no, basically modern life is rubbish is my view.

Too much pressure, too much social media, too much homework, too little nature/outdoors directly affecting kids.

Then parents - too much poverty, too much work, too much housing insecurity etc etc.

Housework was surely worse before?

I didn't say housework - I said homework, as in school work done at home.

@ChameleonClara

I didn't say housework - I said homework, as in school work done at home.

Ah sorry. Yes I agree with that

I would be interested to hear more about your theory.

I think it has more to do with social media, I agree with DaisyDreaming, no opportunity to switch off from it.

I'd say it's more social media, society's rubbish approach to mental health, and broken political and education systems.

No, i work in this area and there's no correlation between having working parents and anxiety.

It's perfectly possible to have a strong attachment with working parents and attachment difficulties with sah parents.

Also anxiety is not predominantly linked with attachment problems.

I think it’s more the increased academic pressure from a young age and the social media exposure from a young age. I do also think, in some cases, people are encouraged to talk about feelings constantly and almost encouraged to give in to anxiety rather than getting on with life. Not in every case, obviously.

I agree that social media is probably more to blame.

No. Raised awareness of mental health is probably the largest factor. What can now be diagnosed as X, Y or Z was previously just written off as 'bad behaviour'.

@mumto2teenagers

I would be interested to hear more about your theory.

I think it has more to do with social media, I agree with DaisyDreaming, no opportunity to switch off from it.

My very incomplete theory is more of a musing. Happy to be wrong

I think its more social media and the Internet. I love the Internet but hate it too!

This thread is probably not going to go well.
It made me a bit pissed off the suggestion, because I worked, that may make my child more prone to anxiety. I’d imagine we’d be more anxious without my wage, because we wouldn’t have our home.
Social media, being online all the time, the online bullying will be a huge cause.
Going to nursery before school gave Ds a good grounding and allowed him to be more confident with different dc.
I bet men never have this conversation though. Why do women judge each other’s parenting decisions?

Nursery happens about ten years before the teenage stage. Much more relevant and immediate causes are social media, digital footprints that mean your teenage mistakes follow you round indefinitely, academic pressure, high uni fees meaning it's essential to find a job straight out of uni, massive student debt and the constant pressure to "present your best life". I would say any nursery experience a decade before all this has absolutely zero effect. Also, don't assume nursery is a worse option than being at home with mum every day.

In my view it’s Social media - 24/7 aspect, seeing ‘perfect’ people/lives, you can see what you are missing out on. School pressure. In past it was accepted some people weren’t academic and leaving at 16 to get a job was perfectly acceptable now everyone is pushed to achieve academically.

I would say a contributing factor is worsening diets (more and more refined/ convenience foods) and affected gut health for many, google link between gut health and anxiety as it often has a part.

DS is prone to anxiety and I’ve seen a good improvement since he’s on probiotics . He’s on a good diet anyway on the whole (I think things like lentils and veg are important to feed the good bacteria and low sugar )

How about 24/7 access to social media, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok?

Unrealistic expectations of life, pressure to post, pressure to look a certain way, pressure to do certain things and have certain things! Even more pressure to be more liked and more popular than before. Likes, retweets, comments.

Kids these are fed a lifestyle which is often unachievable and believe being Insta famous solves all their problems.

SAH parents vs working parents? Seriously? Is the idea of working parents (and by parents you clearly mean mums) new in your world?

No, I don't think it has anything to do with that tbh.

I worked ft from when my dd was 6 months old. At 15, she has better mental health than most of her peers, including many who had SAH parents. I think there are lots of reasons for this - innate personality, stable family background, good self esteem, well developed coping strategies etc. I think parental mental health probably plays a significant part too - I know my own mother's unhappiness about being a SAHM had a major impact on my own wellbeing as a teenager.

I do think that the quality of family relationships plays a part, but I don't believe that SAHP/WOHP makes any difference to the quality of relationships at all. SAHPs are not better parents and don't have closer bonds/attachments with their dc.

I actually think your initial premise is flawed in any case. I'm not convinced that there is necessarily an increase in teen anxiety and other mental health issues. I think those issues were always there, but they just weren't talked about.

I don’t think it’s nursery in isolation, but the way people have to live to get by. It’s stressful living in a household where both parents work full time. Always being on a schedule with little time just to be. Parents are stressed and that transfers to their kids.

Social media/bullshit media is absolutely the reason for the rise in anxiety in teens and young adults, not because their parents went out to work when they were too young to know about it.

Honestly, I can't see how you came to your theory, when social media has had a part in negatively influencing everyone's lives.

The less we mindlessly consume (food, media, phones, Snapchat, Tik tok, alcohol), the healthier our minds are.

Constant testing in schools. Very dull teaching to test; less time to properly play in school any more; social media; less children allowed out with friends evenings, weekends, holidays. Less time in nature; over involved parents, but also stressed out less emotion ally available phone zombie parents .... mix until everyone is miserable. Something like that.