The teen years are often marked by heightened stress and increasing pressures. From personal relationships to future plans, teens must juggle expectations from family, teachers, friends, social media, and even themselves. These expectations build up and at times can become overwhelming. And young people are particularly vulnerable because many are still developing coping skills to handle these pressures, potentially leading to feelings of anxiety and burnout.

In this report, written in partnership with the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University, we asked teens about the pressures they face, as well as what impacts those pressures, including the role of the people and the technology in their lives. How do these important aspects of teens’ lives help relieve pressure, and which areas make pressures worse? We also asked about their engagement in various self-care practices—and what gets in the way of those practices.

The survey was conducted by SSRS using the SSRS Opinion Panel, and also includes survey participants from nonprobability opt-in web panels to oversample for Black teens and LGBTQ+ teens.