Issue 6 - North Canton City Schools - sparcc

onY
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their fingertips via the Internet,” according
the PrincetonOne study. “Cable and
satellite television have made hundreds
of television stations available. Cell
phones have connected them instantly to
an array of friends. Technology has made
Generation Y accustomed to getting what it
needs quickly and easily.”
Smith said with the tech-savvy
generation, the millennials must strive for
non-digital communication.
“Technology has its drawbacks,” she
said. “Children can now be anonymous,
which leads to more aggression than a faceto-face
argument. This generation will have
to work harder for relationships.”
Smith said it is important for adults to
look out for the millennial generation.
“Teenagers are still growing and still
need guidance,” she said.
Along with their families, teenagers
have many other influences, including the
media.
“Media is exposing kids to things early,”
Smith said. “Teenage brains aren’t able to
handle mature situations.”
According to a Discovery Fit and Health
article by Molly Edmonds, the functions of
the brain also play a role in why teens act
in certain ways.
“The brain’s remote control is the pre
frontal cortex, a section of the brain that
weighs outcomes, forms judgments and
controls impulses and emotions,” Edmonds
said in her article. “This section of the brain
also helps people understand one another.
The pre frontal cortex is a little immature in
teenagers as compared to adults; it may not
fully develop until [their] mid-20s.”
According to the PrincetonOne study,
another area often associated with the Y
Generation is selfishness.
“Certainly some members of Generation
Y have been convinced that they are the
center of the universe,” it stated.
However, that too is a misconception of
the millennials.
“The majority of Generation Y is not as
selfish as it has been portrayed,” according
to the article.
“The Families and Work Institute
describes Generation Y as more ‘familycentric’
or ‘dual-centric’ (with equal
priorities on both career and family) and
less ‘work-centric’ than other generations,”
it stated. “Gen Y-ers support and believe in
social causes. Generation Y’s goal is not to
simply earn money. Its members want to
contribute at work, in the community and
in the world at large.”
Lastly, many view Generation Y as the
“entitled” generation; they are spoiled.
“Naturally, some Generation Y members
are spoiled,” the study stated. “However,
the majority of Gen Y-ers are not. They
simply have different priorities and view
the world in a different way. They grew up
knowing they were valued and have high
self-esteem.”
All in all, the millennials are the future.
“Now is the time to shed prejudices and
negative feelings about Generation Y, as
its members are the workers of the present
and future,” it stated. “Due to the mass
retirement of Baby Boomers, companies
will ultimately need Gen Y-ers more than
ever before.”
Some students feel those who adhere
to the misconceptions of Generation Y
unfairly stereotype those individuals.
The following articles address some of
these misconceptions. Teens make mistakes
and they learn from them. They’re just kids
being kids. •
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