What is wrong with kids these days? An age-old question that has graced the tongue of many well-meaning adults since what seems like the beginning of time. Recently, however, this ancient phrase has become more frequent; and now seems as good a time as any to attempt to lend it an answer. 

A big factor that influences the behavior of children – specifically students – is academic stress. When schoolwork takes up a majority of a student’s free time, they enjoy little space to take care of themselves. 

“It gets so stressful when you forget to do stuff. Sometimes you don’t want to sleep because you want to get stuff done, so you don’t have to do it later,” junior Madeline Ledoux said. “Or eating; [you will] put it off so you don’t get food on your homework, which sucks.”

Along with putting off their basic needs, students often do not possess time outside of school and homework to participate in hobbies they enjoy. Clubs and extracurricular activities assist with the pursuit of non-academic activities, but the time commitment for being involved is huge. 

“When all my clubs and sports are going, I probably stay after school almost everyday. I get to school early a lot of times, especially during marching band season,” junior Layla Endres said. 

That is what high school has always been about for generations; getting good grades and doing as many activities as a student can. However, it is decidedly different for the current generation of students. They can never get away from school – communication with teachers has never been easier, and google classroom has made it more convenient to assign more homework. 

“It’s around four [hours], sometimes I’ll measure it out depending how the day will go,” Ledoux said. 

As the school year wears on and classwork becomes more rigorous, it is important to acknowledge the mental challenges classwork creates in students. The CDC, (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), stated that 40% of American students experienced symptoms of depression in 2023, and that that number is on the rise. 

A four may look great on a transcript, but it does not look so good on a scary statistical graph. While homework piles up and things start to look academically dire, it is important to be reminded that a student’s life is more important than a few A’s; no matter how good they will look on a college application.