Adolescence is not an easy time. Today’s teens are forced to contend with academic pressures, social media scrutiny, and personal uncertainties. Fostering a healthy sense of self-worth is more crucial than ever. At Maryvale, we believe that confidence and self-esteem are the keys to unlocking resilience and life skills for teenagers and that without positive self-regard, teens face significant mental health risks.
Understanding Self-Esteem
Self-esteem encompasses the beliefs and perceptions people hold about themselves. It's not just about feeling good or confident; it's about recognizing one's inherent value, strengths, and potential. For teenagers, whose identities are still evolving, self-esteem plays a pivotal role in shaping their outlook on life and their ability to cope with challenges. Healthy self-esteem enables teens to bounce back, see themselves in the context of their circumstances, and build meaningful bonds with other people.
Social Media Has a Corrosive Effect on Self-Esteem
In our digital age, social media has become an omnipresent force in teenagers' lives. While it offers avenues for connection and self-expression, it also presents a double-edged sword for self-esteem. Teens who spend hours scrolling will find themselves constantly comparing their appearance, social aptitude, and ‘likeability’ to carefully curated online personas, which often leads to feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. Teens may perceive themselves as falling short of unrealistic beauty standards or lifestyles portrayed online, contributing to a decline in self-esteem. Extensive studies cite a strong correlation between social media use and depression in teens.
Academic Pressures Have a Mental Health Impact
Success at school often serves as a benchmark for self-worth during adolescence. The pressure to excel academically, coupled with expectations from parents and peers, can take a toll on self-esteem. Teens may internalize perceived failures or setbacks as reflections of their worth, leading to increased stress and anxiety.
Peer Relationships can Make or Break Self-Esteem
Peer acceptance and validation are integral to teenagers' sense of self. A healthy, positive social life can bolster teens’ self-esteem, providing a sense of belonging and support. Conversely, experiences of rejection or bullying can erode self-esteem and contribute to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety.
Low Self-Esteem Comes with High Risks
Low self-esteem is closely linked to various mental health challenges among teenagers, such as heightened stress, feelings of hopelessness, and a negative self-image. These factors can contribute to the development of mental health conditions like depression, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders. Parents and caregivers can be on the lookout for a number of signals that their teen has low self-esteem – such as:
- Negative Self-Talk: Pay attention if your teen frequently criticizes themselves or speaks negatively about their skills, appearance, or worth.
- Avoiding Challenges: Teens with low self-esteem may opt out of trying new things or taking on challenges because they fear failure or believe they won't succeed.
- Social Withdrawal: If your teen begins to bow out of social activities, isolates themselves, or expresses feelings of loneliness or unworthiness, it may indicate low self-esteem.
- Perfectionism: While striving for excellence can be healthy, an excessive focus on perfectionism, fear of making mistakes, or being overly self-critical can point to low self-esteem.
- Seeking Approval: Teens with low self-esteem may constantly seek approval or validation from others, relying on external sources to feel good about themselves.
- Difficulty Accepting Compliments: If your teen brushes off compliments or has trouble accepting praise, it could be a sign that they don't believe in their own worth.
- Sensitive to Critique: Teens with low self-esteem may be more sensitive to criticism or rejection, reacting strongly to perceived slights or negative feedback.
- Body Image Issues: Concerns about body image, extreme dieting or exercise behaviors, or a preoccupation with appearance can be indicators of low self-esteem.
- Mood Fluctuations: Keep an eye on changes in your teen's mood, such as increased irritability, sadness, anxiety, or mood swings. These emotional shifts can be linked to low self-esteem.
How To Help Your Teen Build Healthy Self-Esteem
It takes courage to approach one’s mental health and take wellness seriously – and it takes support and positive role modeling. As a parent, you can think of your teen’s self-esteem as a tender thing that needs ongoing care and nurturing. The more you encourage self-reflection, the better you can help your teen develop a deeper understanding of their strengths, values, and goals. Be positive as you remind them to reflect on their achievements and areas of growth, fostering a positive self-concept. Positivity can feel daunting for a teen with self-esteem issues, who may suffer from a negative self-image or engage in negative self-talk. Teach teens to challenge negative self-talk and replace it with affirming compassionate statements. Work with them to practice self-compassion and treat themselves with kindness – especially if you see them become deflated in the aftermath of a perceived failure.
Watching how a teen reacts after a difficult event can give you useful information on how to be proactive with them about self-esteem. Help them to set goals that feel attainable and aligned with their interests and abilities. Celebrate progress and effort, emphasizing the value of perseverance and resilience. As you celebrate these wins, find additional community members to bolster the energy. Foster environments where teens feel valued, accepted, and supported through their friendships and trusted adults.
Social media and pop culture create damaging, unrealistic standards for success in all sorts of areas of a teen’s life – school, work, dating, buying and owning things, having access to a certain type of lifestyle, and, of course, conforming to beauty standards. A survey conducted by the National Eating Disorders Association in the United States found that 65% of young people between 13-17 reported that social media directly impacts their body image and makes them feel inadequate about their own appearance. Further, research from the American Academy of Pediatrics tells us that exposure to images of celebrities and influencers who promote unrealistic beauty standards on social media can contribute to body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem among teenagers. 54% of teenagers surveyed expressed that they feel pressured to look a certain way due to what they see on social media. Help your teen develop a balanced approach to social media consumption. Discuss the curated nature of online content and promote critical thinking skills to prevent them from making negative comparisons.
If your teen suffers from persistent low self-esteem, it may be necessary to get support from mental health professionals. Therapy can provide valuable tools and strategies for improving self-esteem and overall well-being. At Maryvale, we believe in creating holistic ways to support teens’ mental health and work with them to cultivate life skills and community connections. Our community-based approach to mental health helps parents and teens work together to navigate the challenges of adolescence. Together, we can create environments that foster growth, resilience, and well-being for the next generation.
Maryvale is the oldest children’s charity in Los Angeles, CA. Since 1856, Maryvale’s San Gabriel Valley location has been committed to the needs of underserved children and families, offering services such as mental health services, community-based services, early education services, wraparound services, teen and family services, and after-school programming.
From our Rosemead and Duarte campuses, our senior leadership team seeks to foster hope, empowerment, and change for vulnerable children and families. Maryvale’s staff includes numerous MSW, MAEd, LMFT, and MBA qualified members uniquely qualified to deliver a continuum of services designed to help families in need grow and stay together. Maryvale is a 501(c)(3) charity organization and is accredited by the Council on Accreditation and has earned a Guidestar Seal of Transparency.
