Voices of Gen Z Study on Youth Happiness in association with Dr Lisa Damour. 

Together with Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation, Dr Lisa Damour has released results of a poll of teens and their parents. The poll delves into the emotional complexity of teenagers, their happiness status, their unique coping strategies, and how they want adults to support them when they are upset. Conducted in March 2024, the poll surveyed 1,675 American families, including both a tween/teen (ages 10-18) and a parent from each household.  

According to their findings, most young people experience happiness on a daily basis but many also feel stress, anxiety and a “need to be perfect”.

If you'd like to know more please read: Gen Zers to Their Parents: When We Are Upset, Just Listen (gallup.com). Following on from this, this week our Student Head of Wellbeing, Addie Voight, asked our ākonga/ students, in an anonymous survey, what they wished their parents/caregivers/adults in their lives knew.

Kia ora koutou,

Thank you to all those who responded to the survey. We have collated the responses, and I have summarised the main themes below. This might encourage some reflection and consideration, and maybe a movie night or two!

Themes

• There is a strong desire for more family activities. Well over 35% of students suggested that they would like to spend more time with their family. This might be unexpected as parents often think we don’t want to spend time with them because they might be embarrassing or not ‘cool’. And of course, we may not admit to our friends that we enjoy spending time with our family.

• Another common theme was that students need alone time, and for this to be respected by parents without creating conflict or being called ‘lazy.’ Life can be overwhelming sometimes, and parents aren’t always aware of everything that we have on in our lives. Sometimes it can be difficult to share what we have been up to. Having some space and quiet time can help us reset.

• School and life are stressful. Intermediate and high school years involve a lot of changes that can cause stress. There can be a lot of pressure to do well at school, and in sports/other extra-curricular activities. It was really clear from the survey that students want their parents to know about this stress. This stress can be presented as anger and grumpiness, and this was also a message made clear. In fact, sometimes we don’t even know why we’re grumpy. Sometimes we just are. Being a teenager is hard.

• Students also really want their parents to know that they are trying their best in everything they do, that they are making the most of their opportunities, are well-behaved and often doing well. And they appreciate the sacrifices their parents are making for them. 

• Phone issues were raised in the survey. Students felt it was unfair that they were pulled up for spending too much time on their phones when they felt their parents also spent a lot of time on their phones. It’s always as soon as you have your one minute phone break from studying when your parents decide to walk in. 

Tips

• Some family activities may include family movie nights (popular), board game nights, cooking and baking, or even a craft or family project such as working in the garage.

• To give teenagers space encourage open communication, involve them in decision-making, and support their interests. Establish clear boundaries, model healthy behaviours, and trust them to make their own decisions. Show us that you're available and interested, but let us take the lead in managing our own space and independence.

From the survey, I also had some really cool suggestions for future topics for this column, so I will take these ideas on and integrate them into my upcoming columns. Watch this space!

Digital Wellbeing of Our Students: How to Secure Snapchat

As part of our ongoing efforts to ensure the digital safety and wellbeing of our students, we are pleased to introduce the fourth resource in our digital wellbeing series:

Digital Wellbeing of Our Students: How to Secure Snapchat.

Why Secure Snapchat Accounts?

Securing Snapchat accounts is crucial for teenage girls for several reasons:

1. Privacy Protection: By adjusting privacy settings, you can ensure that your child's location, stories, and contact information are only shared with trusted friends, reducing the risk of exposure to unknown individuals.

2. Controlled Interactions: Snapchat's settings allow you to block unwanted interactions, prevent random users from adding your child as a friend, and manage who can comment on their stories, helping to maintain a safer online environment.

3. Safety from Unwanted Exposure: Features like "Ghost Mode" and restricting visibility in "Quick Add" help protect your child from being easily located or added by strangers, providing an extra layer of security.

4. Family Oversight: The Snapchat Family Centre offers additional parental controls, enabling you to monitor who your child is interacting with on Snapchat and manage content visibility. This tool is an excellent way to stay involved in your child's digital life while respecting their privacy.

We recommend reading the guidelines so that you are aware of what you can do to secure your child's Snapchat account. By taking these steps, you can help ensure that their social media experience is safer, more private, and better suited to their well-being.

You can access the guide, 'How to Secure Snapchat' here.

For additional information and support, please reach out to Owen Flattery, Head of Digital Transformation and Innovation o.flattery@rangiruru.school.nz