C.What are the teenagers of 2022 like? What desires and role models do they have, what are the fears, the vulnerabilities, the needs of these boys and girls in their third pandemic summer? What has really changed? Just read the first results of the2022 edition of the national survey on “Habits and lifestyles of adolescents living in Italy” carried out annually by Adolescence Laboratory And IARD research institute to realize that something (a lot) has changed. And, above all, try to grasp a key to understanding that helps adults (parents, teachers and anyone who accompanies them in their growth) to understand them a little more. «Getting to know adolescents, also through research – he says Paolo Paroni, President of ITER network – IARD Institute – it is an indispensable starting point for planning interventions and policies aimed at guaranteeing the new generations a social context in which to live adapted to their needs and theirs future goals. And this is precisely the objective of the ITER Network which proposes concrete and measurable interventions in favor of young people, to be implemented also by exploiting the funds that will come from the Recovery Fund ».
What is the “non-place of” Adolescents
He talks about changes and how it is necessary to accompany boys and girls in this middle age Maurizio Tucci, President of Laboratorio Adolescenza and author of the book “Adolescence does not place“, the proceeds of which will fully finance the research of Laboratorio Adolescenza. “We must take into account the change in eating habits since the pandemic. You eat “on demand” when and if you feel like it, there is no longer the time for lunch and dinner. On the physical aspect they are greatly influenced by the comparison of the peer group which now becomes daily once the lockdown is over. And then also influenced by abstract social media models. THE males would like to be taller, while for the females continue the usual stereotype of weight, everyone would like to lose weight.
The fear of gaining weight
According to the survey, 58% of adolescents (69.4% of females) claim that in the two years of the pandemic they ate inappropriately (too much, too little, unregulatedly …) and 37% complain of having increased by weight. But beyond this somewhat objective aspect, 27% (35.4% of females) “see themselves” fatter than the average of their friends. And most importantly, 50.5% (60.7%) of girls are not satisfied with their physical appearance in general.
In 2020 (data collected before the outbreak of the pandemic) the dissatisfaction with their physical appearance concerned 31% of males (today it is 39%) and 55.4% of females (today it is 60.7%). Percentages of “dissatisfied” that in the year of lockdowns and “limited sociality” had decreased (27% males and 50.1% females). “During the pandemic, research participants ate more and generally gained weight.
Obesity has doubled with the pandemic
The data of the Pandemic Obesity: the body mass index doubled as a result of the pandemic “, explains Marina Picca, a family pediatrician with great experience in adolescence and a member of the Adolescent Laboratory. «Which also concerns the Italian boys. The concern is that theobesity affects the state of health favoring tumors, diabetes, neurological disorders. Isolation, fear, anxiety, change in habits have induced these changes in adolescents (and not only). The females see themselves fatter and are not satisfied with their physical appearancethey would like to be thinner. The risk is that they try to lose weight through DIY, without the advice of a nutritionist, adopting a harmful diet on their own. In addition, psychological distress increased, increased access to the emergency room, requests for help. It is essential to understand the warning signs that come from children and to contact specialist centers », warns the expert.
The body of adolescents
We all had some models as teenagers. But why is the attraction so strong and pervasive today? Is it just because there is an extra tool like the Internet? He talks about it Fulvio Scaparro, psychologist and psychotherapist, referent of the psychological area of the Adolescent Laboratory and founder ofGeA Association (Ancòra Parents) “It cannot be said that adolescence is no longer what it once was. But that’s a mistake because adolescence is an age group. There are fundamentals of adolescence that are not changeable. The body is subject to constant changes from childhood to old age. We have been hammered over time with “mens sana in corpore sano”, but Juvenal meant that the divinity had to ask for a healthy body and a strong mind to face life. This however, the body often causes anxiety. At least until we discover the spirit. Boys and girls today would stay in the bathroom for a long time if the family organization allowed it. But kids need it to get to know each other, to explore, touch, make faces in the mirror, reflect. It is a moment that must be left to live, without pressure ».
TO influence the relationship with your bodyand therefore also with food, the role of influencer, fashion blogger, fashion, advertising. This is true for 59.1% of males and even 77.6% of girls. And conditioning increases with age, going from 63.5% among junior high school students to 70.1% in high school. Evidence that worries but cannot surprise if we consider that 76.1% say they have spent much more time on social media than in past years.
Girls and boys: differences in approach to life
And what are the differences between males and females in terms of social meaning and the future? He talks about it Alessandra Marazzani, founder of PsicheMilano, responsible for the services and clinical activities proposed in the study, collaborates with the Besta Institute, the San Raffaele, Niguarda and Fatebenefratelli Hospitals. “The girls have a sense of commitment, urgency and involvement greater than the boys. They proved this during the survey we carried out in schools. They live the various situations in a more immersive way. It is a fact that confirms that girls are fully committed. It does not mean that the boys in general do not commit themselves, but it is a characteristic that emerges from the survey ».
The most confident males in the future
“Instead i guys have a sense of greater confidence in their future, they are inside their life with a gaze that is not only immersive but also long-term that they capture with less concern. This leads to greater optimism about the future. For example, travel is important to them because it is fun. They have a greater lightness in dealing with their own life, perhaps because they are aware that there are so many variables in life that one has to “stay inside” as one can and how one can manage. Faced with difficulties, males appear better equipped and less anxious about having to deal with variables that they cannot control ”, concludes the expert.
The will of the journey
From the research it emerges strongly that the desire to travel (more feminine than masculine) has not been affected by pandemic and war. Indeed she is strengthened and full of enthusiasm. Study trips abroad remain a highly sought-after goal for boys and girls. So he tells Raffaele Pirola of Interculture: «There are many young people who want or choose around the age of 16 to go to study abroad for 6 months or a year. After the pandemic, against all odds, there was a boom of questions: in 2021 we received over 7,000 applications », explains the expert. THE boys then reacted to the closures and the lockdown with a great desire to explore themselves, others and places. However, at the same time, the number of those who do not wish to have this experience in the future also grows. It could be an alarm bell to follow more closely to understand the experiences of these young people.
Adolescents and Pandemic: more conflicts with parents
«From the direct professional experience and the activity of GeA we record how these two years of pandemic – and therefore often of forced coexistence during lockdowns – we have done greatly increase conflicts between parents and between parents and children And this has crushed teenagers even more in their social world “, explains Fulvio Scaparro. “Consequently too the weight of influencers and specialized bloggers as role models (which was still present even before the pandemic) was emphasized. It is difficult to imagine that, despite the resumption of a socially normal life, this influence, which has now entered their daily life, can diminish ».
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