Band 4+: In some countries, young people have become richer, healthier, and live longer, but they are less happy. What causes? What can be done to address this situation?

In several countries, it is argued that the younger generation now is living in a fulfilled lives with more wealth, health to live longer but less happiness. There are a few main reasons which cause the issues and also some solutions that suggested to improve the situation.

The cause of this matter is following with the development of the technology and the change of lifestyle in the new generation. Firstly, a fast increase in the number of smart devices which helps people to complete any task remotely. Especially after the pandemic time, many companies now are allowed their employees to work from home. Hence, the youngsters spend most of their time indoor to work, study or entertain. They even prefer to communicate with their family members, friends or other acquaintance by phone or via different social media channels. Consequently, that leads to an inactive lifestyle with less outdoor activities or real-life social connections, which are the main source of generating the positivity of their feeling. The next reason is that, many misleading advertisements or posts on social media now that cause the peers pressure. Most of social accounts now tend to post more about their wealth, in-shape body and other achievements. Some young people see it as their motivation, while others might feel that they are not good as their peers and have more negative feelings that cause mental health issues.

To tackle this problem, a few solutions must be actioned from both the government and each individual. The authority not only should invest in more advertisements to raise their youngsters’ awareness about mental health, but also provide free of charge programs for them to participate in to learn how to self-care. Additionally, their parents should encourage their children to exercise more and create the face-to-face moments to strengthen the family relationship and to help with their mental health. As individual, each young person has the responsibility to take care of their physical and mental health as well as avoid spending exceeded time indoor on the smart devices.

In summary, it is undeniable that the young people now feel less happy even though they have more materials now to support with their lives. Some solutions are mentioned above which should be actioned as soon as possible to enhance the qualify of life in the next generations.