Nowadays many teenagers find the simplest way to spend time together is by spending money. When kids go out without any plans most often the only thing that comes to mind is to “go get food.” Not only do they spend time getting food, but kids will also spend money for shopping, finding fun things to buy when there is nothing to do, and with all these things, wasting money on gas. This can create a problem for young teens because they may not have a job, or be given money by their parents to spend on these activities. If teenagers do not have the money to spend on these activities, then they may end up not going, and shutting themselves away from their friends.
Coming into 2023, it has become more popular to go get food with friends. Not only is this seen with teens; who may have recently gotten their license or who have had it for a while, set the trend for even younger generations. In past years several middle school aged kids would spend time with friends at each other’s houses or go to a fun activity. There is nothing wrong with getting food or shopping with friends, and these activities should be encouraged. However, doing these activities can create an unhealthy lifestyle, and can build up a struggle to find fun in the simple things. It is crucial for young kids and teens to spend time with friends and enjoy the little experiences they share, because it is necessary to create a healthy mindset for growing up. Spending money while being social creates a mindset that it is a necessity to spend money in order to be happy, and it can leave people spending money for no reason just to find simple pleasure.
The new culture of not building real friendships can create a struggle for kids and young teens to make real connections with friends or be able to insert themselves into potential friend groups. Not everyone has an equal ability to spend money every time they are with their friends. This can lead to many kids pulling themselves out of friend groups and can lead some friends to cut out others. This culture creates unhealthy relationships and can become toxic or even make it impossible for future teens to make any real connections. The mindset teens created, that the only way to spend time with each other is by spending money, becomes impossible for them to understand what friendships are actually about. Growing up with this mindset, teens will not understand the true idea of relationships and it can prevent them and future generations from building real connections with one another, starting an entire problem for future generations to come.
In 2023, and past years, many people have seen a decline in social aspects of young ages. Spending money just to be involved in activities with friends can continue to decline these interactions and connections kids make. It is vital that kids understand true aspects of friendships and learn real relationships instead of just sharing connections from spending money.
This does not mean to dismiss the idea of spending time with friends, but it builds the idea that not all activities have to include spending money. Just simply spending time with others and acknowledging similarities are the most important aspects of a friendship and create the most memorable memories with one another. Going out and wasting money to enjoy moments with each other is not necessary and there are so many more ways to have fun with friends. Simple and easy ways to just enjoy each other’s company can be watching a movie, playing board games or even just sitting and talking. It is important to understand that the moments of not spending money with friends are equally as good, if not better, than any objects you can buy.