Top Challenges Young Adults Face: Mental Health & Employment

School

Excel High School**We aren't endorsed by this school

Course

ENGLISH AP ENGLISH

Subject

Communications

Date

Dec 12, 2024

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Title: What I See as the Biggest Challenges Young Adults Face TodayI. Introduction:The general purpose of my speech is to share with you what I see as the biggest challenges young adults face today. Challenges such as mental health, lack of employment, and social media pressure can impede personal growth and success.Thesis Statement:Young adults today battle with mental health issues, employment challenges, and social media pressure. These issues must be addressed for the well-being of our youth.II. Topic Sentence 1: Mental health challenges are drastically increasing among young adults.A. Research shows that in the past 10 years anxiety and depression among young adults have increased by over 63% (Twenge et al., 2019).B. Over half of the young adults don’t have access to mental health care (National Institute of Mental Health, 2022).III. Topic Sentence 2: A lack of employment opportunities poses significant challenges for young adults.A. According to the U.N. World Youth Report, “71 million young people are unemployed, and millions more are in precarious or informal work” (Martin, 2019).B. The rising cost of living is another challenge that the young adults are facing today (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023).IV. Topic Sentence 3: Social media contributes to unrealistic expectations and social judgment among young adults.A. A study by Common Sense Media shows that 35% of teens suffer from body shame on social media. (Rideout & Fox, 2018).B. Constant exposure and pressure to create content on platforms like Instagram and TikTok lead to anxiety and a fear of missing out (FOMO) (Primack et al., 2017).V. Conclusion:In conclusion, young adults are facing mental health struggles, unemployment, and pressure of social media. To solve these issues we need greater awareness, stronger support systems, and proactive policies.

Call to Action:Take the stand with me in advocating for a better mental health service, financial programs education, and responsible social media use. Sources1.National Institute of Mental Health. (2022). Mental health information. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov2.Twenge, J. M., Cooper, A. B., Joiner, T. E., Duffy, M. E., & Binau, S. G. (2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators. Journalof Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), 185–199.3.Rideout, V., & Fox, S. (2018). The common sense census: Media use by tweens and teens. Retrieved from https://www.commonsensemedia.org4.Primack, B. A., Shensa, A., Sidani, J. E., Whaite, E. O., Lin, L. Y., Rosen, D., … & Miller, E. (2017). Social media use and perceived social isolation among young adults in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1), 1-8.5.Martin, M. (2019, February 20). World Youth Report: Addressing the complex challenges facing young people today. United Nations Sustainable Development. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2019/02/world-youth-report/