What do adults misunderstand about young people

There are over 1.8 billion young people worldwide. That's 1.8 billion voices that need to be heard, that can make a difference, and that need to be respected.

So on International Youth Day, we invited some adolescents from the Children's Board to share some of their ideas with us. Adults often have the wrong opinion about the younger generations, so we asked the adolescents to tell us their version about all these myths!

Adults believe that younger generations

… are way too sensitive

"Adults think we're too sensitive, we complain too much, and that any joke can hurt us. But what actually happens is the complete opposite, we are more resilient, we can easily and openly identify the problems we face and we understand that asking for help from those around us is a sign of maturity, and not a sign of weakness. It's ok to be sad and it's totally ok to ask for help!” says Alex, 18.

… have no respect

"For many adults, the fact that we want to express our opinion is considered a lack of respect. However, our point of view is as important as the opinion of an adult, regardless of the situation, as long as we express it in a polite way", says Denisa, 14 years old.

...waste time on social media

"Adults think we only hang out online. Personally, I love sports and walking around the city, I always try to take at least 10,000 steps every day. But, the phone is also stealing from me a lot of time, I can't lie. But what are young people doing on their phones? If I'm not talking to friends, I usually play sudoku, especially while I am in the train, and if I'm bored, I have a folder with medical-related apps. In this way I can't feel alone!", says Ilinca, 18.

…  do everything in a hurry

"Adults think that we, adolescents, do everything on the run and superficially. But it's not like that, because we carefully inform ourselves about political ideology, philosophy, psychology, morality, everything that influences us as individuals and as components of a society", says Maria, 17.

... doesn't appreciate national culture

""Young people no longer appreciate culture". Maybe I'm not a very good dancer, but... honestly? Mihaela Runceanu is my favorite singer, I love Alina Manolache's documentaries, and I always take my camera on film if I'm going for a walk in little Paris or Transylvania," says Dragoș, 16.

… don't care about anything

""You're young, you can't understand". It's important for us to feel listened to, treated seriously, not to constantly bump into the age barrier. When adults think we don't understand certain concepts or situations, the greatest thing they can do is to give us an explanation. The interest in society or in various fields is formed along the way. "You are too young/too inexperienced to have an opinion/to assimilate certain information". How do you know?! Challenge us! Help us express our opinions, passions, educate ourselves. But above all, please, talk to us. We will try to understand," says Oana, 17 years old.

… have no worries at all

"Very often adults don't realize that children can be tired too. Sometimes they believe that young people have no worries and they have much more energy that helps them overcome their problems. Thus, some children and young people end up exceeding their limits trying to solve their problems, as well as their duties creating a state of continuous fatigue, which should not have been present at this age", says Daria, 16 years old.