In these modern times, globalization is present in our everyday lives, especially for teenagers. They are growing up in a hyperconnected world, where being exposed to huge amounts of trends, new technologies or ideas is completely standardized.
At first sight, this may appear harmless, but have you ever wondered how this new concept is changing teenagers’ lives?

A large part of our identity is defined by the culture we grow up with. For instance, a child born in Spain might not act or think the same as one born in Nigeria. Nevertheless, now that the whole planet is in touch, it’s way easier to learn about other cultures, which obviously, is not negative. However, the popularization there is making teens forget their own culture. Nowadays, minors are feeling disconnected to the traditions of their country, and they are scared of being criticized if they don’t do what is considered to be “cool”.

It is clear that worldwide development allows interconnectivity, which lets the teens play an online game, use social media, streaming platforms, etc.
Due to this, children nowadays stay plugged in for a considerable amount of hours, which can directly lead to issues like not going out, or speaking with inappropriate adult words, cyber bullying, problems with addiction or accidentally speaking to ruthless people like scammers or criminals.

After all, globalization can be a double edged sword.
As the world becomes increasingly connected, there are certain drawbacks for kids that can’t get overlooked. Because, are we sure that they are really prepared to deal with all these sudden changes?

Cristina Romero – 4ºESO