With a divisive and decisive election on the rise, a plethora of striking issues have come to the forefront of importance for Americans with a new demographic making it to the polls—Generation Z. Teenagers worldwide are using social media to raise their voices on vital issues, mobilizing new voters and changing the direction of the 2024 election.
But what issues are teenagers fighting for?
Addressing Systemic Racial Division
According to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, in a 2023 survey, 53% of over 13,000 teens “identified racial justice as the top social issue they care about.”
Even though the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests began in the summer of 2020, the fight for ending police brutality and systemic racism has not ceased. In fact, it has become even more prevalent, with teens taking to popular social media platforms such as Instagram. Many have made posts to help educate and diversify the audiences’ worldview.
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Globalteenactivists, a Minnesota non-profit organization with 39.3 thousand followers and over 350 posts on Instagram, has helped victims of police brutality such as Justin Teigen, who was pulled over by Saint Paul Police and brutally beaten in a dumpster.
They made posts organizing press conferences in Minnesota to stand against the cruelty of his devastating case with his mourning family. Mobilizing rallies under prevalent hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter and #EndPoliceViolence has shed light on victims suffering from similar circumstances.
Accounts such as this, coupled with the influx of teens protesting nationwide with movements such as BLM, have had their fair share of fostering change, showcasing youth involvement in social issues and bringing equality at the forefront of young American minds.
A “Femininomenon”
As young Americans propel themselves toward a prejudice-free world, they are unrelenting in their pursuit of women’s rights. With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, originally making abortion a constitutional right, teens have upped the ante in their urgency to create safe spaces for women and fellow teenage girls who may not have access to proper care.
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The Youth Abortion Support Collective (YouthASC) is “a national network of young people committed to supporting young people who need abortion care and connecting each other with information and resources.” YouthASC has created an online page with links to find local abortion clinics and guides to understand abortion funds. The national network also promotes safe apps such as Euki to access information about reproductive and sexual health and rights without requiring personal data.
The pro-choice movement is also reaching wider audiences. Hadley Duvall, a senior at Midway University, led pro-choice advocacy on her conservative campus. Duvall contributed to huge changes in Kentucky by connecting to her unlikely audience. By sharing her teen pregnancy that resulted from sexual abuse in an abortion rights ad, Duvall helped elect a pro-choice governor to win reelection.
As Duvall puts it, "My favorite thing to say is I'm really just pro-minding your business.”
Fighting Climate Change
Alongside the youth's push for emphasis on racial division and feminism in America, teens are raising awareness of preserving the Earth's crumbling environment.
Influential teen Kevin J. Patel grew up with health issues stemming from poor air quality in a Los Angeles neighborhood. As a result, he founded One Up Action—a youth-led organization that supports marginalized people of color fighting against the steady destruction of the environment.
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Gen Z is quickly making their voices heard not only locally but at important landmark lawsuits as well. A youth-led group in Montana successfully fought for the first U.S. ruling that states that it is unconstitutional for states to not consider climate change when approving fossil fuel projects.
According to a study covering ten countries published in the Lancet, the World Economic Forum stated, “Around 70% of people aged 16–25 are extremely worried or very worried about the climate.” This teen issue isn’t just American, but global.
Mental Health & Mental Help
Perhaps what poses as the most bipartisan issue is teen mental health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that one in seven 10- to 19-year-olds experiences a mental disorder, with suicide becoming the fourth leading cause of death among young adults. Many teens have taken to social platforms to raise awareness on not only the challenges young students face but also the lack of resources schools provide.
Mind4Youth is one of the largest youth-led mental health nonprofits working to make more resources accessible to all. It has founded 25 chapters around the nation to aid local communities while also creating a volunteer program to maintain and garner over ten thousand volunteers since its founding.
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Furthermore, Act Out is a national network of young people working to protect queer and trans youth from hate crimes, organizing walkouts, protests, and rallies. Nationwide, they are tackling anti-LGBTQ+ legislation to make American schools safer.
Teens have been creating change on a smaller level too. The increasing number of schools with Gender-Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) has provided safer spaces to LGBTQ+ students lacking support at home.
The Gay, Lesbian, & Straight Education Network (GLSEN) reported that students are more likely to feel safer in schools with GSAs, changing student life and student safety positively.
Get Hands-On
So, how can you help?
To get involved, many organizations written above and many others found online or locally provide volunteer opportunities to help teens. Writing letters to local and state politicians to further support environmental, mental health, and equality causes is also pivotal to large scale change. Initiating clubs at school to create safe spaces and joining Green Teams to help with pollution in nearby parks are more ways to join the network of civically engaged teens who are making big changes in little steps everyday.
