Moral decay amongst teens
The Youth Zone with Zero Suppliers
FOR over a decade, modern society has been characterised by compromised morals, more specially with regard to the younger generation.
Is it a question of advancing technology, peer pressure or is it merely just the love of money that has brought teen morals to disrepute? To start with, we need to understand what it is that makes up a morally upright individual. As Africans, we uphold certain values that define us. Values of respect, courtesy, propriety, honesty, righteousness, identifying with one’s culture and living in harmony with one another. All this emanating from the core belief that “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu” meaning l am because you are. But then, because teens have lost touch with their identity, that explicitly explains why our morals have been eroded.
Gone are the days when these values mattered. The youth of today have lost their self-discipline to hold and preserve these values. What then are the reasons for this moral decay? Of paramount importance is the effect of peer pressure. Peer influence plays a vital role in teenagers’ choices because peer acceptance is a crucial part of most teens’ sense of self hence teens tend to base their choices on their friends’ opinions rather than what is morally right.
Another fundamental cause for immorality amongst teens is lack of self-discipline to resist temptation. At adolescent stage, teens are controlled by their raging hormones and that lack of self-control overpowers their sanity in some way. Risk taking is a natural part of teenager’s lives so they are prone to engaging in any risk that comes along their path. It is at this stage that they want to experiment with every single thing be it drugs, smoking, drinking or even pre-marital sex .
We cannot overlook the influence media has had on teen morals . Youngsters have taken to social media for advice on almost anything. Can we really trust social media to groom our generation or are we merely gambling with our lives? Teens idolise anything they come across on social media from the way they dress, speak and generally conduct themselves. It is through media that we have seen the subject of sex under western influence freely exposed. It is no longer considered a taboo. Having that kind of exposure ,youths feel that it is generally okay for them to engage in sex. You meet a young girl parading the streets half naked and they will tell you its their right to dress however they want. And when the subject of morality is raised, they justify themselves and echo the same tune that “times have changed”. Yes it is true indeed that times have changed, but shouldn’t fellows be able to distinguish right from wrong? Moreover, because of the love for money, youths have become so materialistic that they would stop at nothing to meet their material desires. Teens are lured to compromise their principles and in doing so, lose control of their impulses to get what they want. It is for this very reason that there has been widespread cases of pornography, prostitution, homosexuality to mention but a few. It’s puzzling but it’s exactly what teen morals have come down to.
The erosion of teen morals has yielded detrimental effects. Teen pregnancies are rife in society because of this lack of self discipline. Crime is at its peek resulting from the criminal activities teens engage in when they are under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Also, the nation has evidenced a high rate in school drop outs resulting in low academic standards. Come to think of the fact that Zimbabwe was once glorified for its quality education among other African countries. But for how much longer can we sustain this reputation if teens are slowly degrading themselves.
It is really a saddening sight for any parent to see their child displaying inappropriate moral values but it is never too late to inculcate profound ethics in their children with each passing day.Every individual has the capacity for growth, but a seed cannot grow without nurturing just as much as a farmer does not get to neglect their crops. So parents rise up and nature the youth to become the best versions of themselves and only then can we have hope for an enlightened generation!
Compiled by Nothabo Sihwa and Michael Kutekeya (Form 4) VMhlophe High School*