Hidden Youth

The rise of hidden youth has raised concern in our society, but it seems that our society has done not enough to correct the situation. Write an article discussing the causes of the trend and what our community can do to help them integrate into society.

These days, there has been a new problem emerging in most societies. Hidden youths, who often close themselves off from the world, are more commonly found in every community. This has sparked off a wide public concern and anxiety. People wonder what factors have caused youngsters to behave like this and how far the consequences will be on society. Many parents and educationalists have prompted the government to get at the root of the matter and find ways to reach out to these youngsters. In the following, I am going to give reasons for this phenomenon and suggest some solutions for it.

The technological advance is the driving force behind the phenomenon. It is the development of the internet that allows youngsters to do anything interesting without the need of others. In fact, the functions performed by the internet are so versatile that they include playing online games, enjoying movies, surfing websites, chatting on message boards, and sharing in social networking system. Worse still, they can assume an entirely different identity and hide behind to make fun of something. As a result, it is more likely for youngsters to immerse themselves in the virtual world and shun all friends in reality.

Hidden youth has also to do with social pressure. It especially holds true for our society which is built upon elitism. The general public has been advocating that academic excellence is the only key to success, disregarding varying caliber of students. As a result, those who fail to excel in their studies are pushed to the backdrop and are blinded to their potential and strengths. What makes matters worse is that teen hermits have comparatively low esteem and introverted personality. They might see themselves as losers who deserve no recognition from society. Therefore, they turn to something which helps them get their    mind off the bleak reality.

Someone might claim that society places not enough focus on this issue. In fact, spotting unusual behavior in youths can prevent healthy youngsters from turning into hermits. Would-be hermits do exhibit some common characteristics long before they take refuge in their ‘shells’. For example, they spend hours idling in their room, and refuse to go out and socialize. Parents should take notice of these signs with more caution, rather than dismissing them as ordinary youth behavior. If the situation swirls out of control, parents should cast aside their fear of embarrassment and seek help from professionals.

Although hidden youth seems to be an individual matter, it does create an unhealthy and unfavorable social atmosphere. Worse still, the speed of worsening is far beyond our expectation, so that it is necessary for the government to take prompt actions to rectify the situation. We also cannot simply lay the responsibility at others’ door. As part of community, each of us should show more concern to youngsters around us.