Chestnut Grove Academy Student Reporting

Emilio, Chestnut Grove Academy young reporter

On the first day I woke up bored out of my mind, so I figured I would walk my dogs,  where I met a kind old man who was quite nice because he approached me out of  nowhere and gave a very cool talk about his life, staying for another time. I think I  spent maybe 2–3 hours on that walk and was knackered, so I went to sleep.

I woke up sweating at about 7pm. I had slept at lunch, but other than that I had  dinner, walked my dogs again and responded to some texts. I had a very hard time  going to sleep that night, but the tiredness eventually got to me and I slept quite well. 

Woke up the next day at 12pm, with bad marks on my arms and face, but I slept so  well. I had some breakfast and did some homework, which for me was unusual. I  surprised myself by texting someone for 4 hours, which was crazy.

At this moment I wanted to scroll. I was resisting the temptation, so I occupied myself by walking my dogs to the common, where I met some really interesting people.  There was a blind man with a blind dog. My dog can be quite aggressive to other  dogs so I kept my distance, although my yorkie likes playing with other dogs. 

When I got back, I came to the conclusion that playing video games during the detox was cheating, so I refrained from it. I went to sleep quite early because I didn’t have much to do.

When I woke up for school, I felt way less sluggish and much more energised. However, at school I found myself dozing off regularly in lessons, most noticeably in History and Geography. I felt very tired and got angry quite easily.

However, on Tuesday I felt much better. I got through lessons more efficiently and  felt really calm.

After school I played football and had a good time. Because it was the final day, at about 10pm I played some FIFA, as I didn’t need to go on it again after that.

Overall, even though it was quite good and healthy, it didn’t do as much as I planned because I’m still addicted to social media and still addicted to my phone.

But I did play football after school, which was nice.

Reflection

It’s all just people saying things for clicks and views. He pointed out that parenting with screens has been going on for years, like using the TV as a babysitter, so it’s not something new.

But he also said it doesn’t really help people’s social skills. You see people on the internet shouting all the time, and people start to believe that this is a normal way of behaving.

He said that going outside and meeting people is the best antidote to this. 

I then asked him about my four-day social media detox and he said, “It’s like an alcoholic suddenly stopping drinking for four days. It’s still good, but at the end of the day they’re still addicted.”

He then asked me a question:

“When you go to sleep, what do you remember most - conversations with friends, or the stuff you see on social media?”

And it really goes to show that wisdom comes with age (most of the time).

Do you really understand the younger generation?

Martha, Chestnut Grove Academy young reporter

Technology and Social Media:

If you haven’t already noticed today's younger generation are completely different to what they were like just 20 years ago, the biggest reason being social media and the high accessibility to new technology. Stats show that around 95% of teenagers have access to a smartphone and 45% use social media. There are great benefits and negatives to social media in teenagers and adults, for example, in an interview with my dad he told me that “it gives access to education and a larger understanding of the world, however, it can lead to comparison, abuse and fake and misleading news.’’ This means that the opinions of children are being shaped by random people all over the planet, for example, they’ll start to believe that there is a ‘perfect body', or that their lives are ‘wrong’ which can lead to heartbreaking situations like self-harm. Another opinion, similar to this, was stated during the interview, which was “identities are lost”. Sharing your style, projects and opinions online is something that happens all the time, which influences people to be and create the same, meaning nothing is unique and individual, making it almost impossible to create something new and to stand out. The partially new introduction of AI has led to children within seconds receiving a computer-generated assignment, that could then be marked and put on a report that determines their future.

Emotions and Hormones:

One of the most talked about but most misunderstood things is the hormones and mood swings that every single human will experience. For every generation these experiences are different, adults say they understand but they only base their knowledge of subtle memories which can make it extremely difficult for teenagers to explain how they feel. The feelings and emotions of a teenager are delicate, one tiny issue or situation can set off a storm of anger or sadness, which can be a struggle for others to grasp, making it feel like anyone you try and talk to won’t understand. Most of the time they feel something is weighing them down, like a bowling ball sitting in the pit of their stomach, sometimes they'll know what causes that mass of anxiety but most of the time they have no idea, which makes it feel impossible to get rid of. Around 75-80% of the younger generation struggle with their appearance and don’t feel confident with how they look. 40% of those people say that seeing pictures on social media causes them to worry about their own body image.  

My experiences:

As a teenager myself it often feels like I’m being ‘too dramatic’, I think this from being told by others, but also by telling myself. This can make it more difficult to say what’s really on my mind or what's making me feel uneasy, but sometimes the tears just come rushing out, which can bring relief or make me feel worse. This may be surprising (or not), but I find that I’m the most delicate around the people that I love, which can be ‘good’ but it also can feel embarrassing to let the most important people in your life see a sad and hurt side of you. I’ve also experienced personal body negativity for many years. People always tell me that there's nothing to be ashamed of, but in the back of my mind I know that everyone will always say that, so it’s hard to believe.  

I hear stories from my parents of what they would have done when they were younger and bored. I hear about things I would never consider doing because the first thing that comes to my mind is to scroll on social media or watch TV. During the interview I asked my father to describe his life growing up in 3 words, two of which really stood out to me, he started with ‘boring’ and then said, ‘creative’. He told me he chose these words because “with boredom you have to find something to do, so your imagination runs wild”. Without social media people were able to come up with ideas that were fresh and unique, however today the first thing you think of doing is what you've already seen somebody do before.

Charlie, Chestnut Grove Academy young  reporter

Gender stereotypes are a set of old, unwritten rules that dictate how the different sexes should act, and how they instead present themselves as ‘gender’. They tell us that girls should be quiet and nurturing, and boys should be tough and in charge. Ms Forester, the head of the Feminist Society at Chestnut Grove Academy in Balham, said that ‘stereotypes make people feel unsafe or excluded’.

We see them everywhere, from toy aisles for young children being pink for girls with things like dolls and play kitchens and blue for boys, with cars and dinosaurs to the idea in later life that women should take maternity leave to care for their children, while men in the relationship (if there is one) work and provide an income for the family. These rules are a problem because they box people in. They make men feel that they can't show emotion, and women that their opinions matter less.

Feminism is the movement that is slowly trying to break those boxes. Gender is actually a social construct – it has no truth but the way you present yourself outwardly to society is a huge part through gender, whereas what makes you a girl or a boy is your sex, and is biological, but gender can develop over time. 

Feminism is the idea that your gender should not dictate how you are treated or decide your future. It's about fairness: giving everyone the same rights, the same pay and the same respect. Ms Forester, also says that ‘feminism empowers me to challenge inequalities’, and ‘I can call things out more because I know that it's not a problem with me, it's just because of my gender.’

In the media, these stereotypes are often at their worst. For a long time, women catered towards the male gaze and were shown as a possession to own, or a prize to be won. This goes both ways, as men were often shown as heroes who never cried. 

However, men can be feminists too; it's not something strictly for women only. Anyone who believes that everyone deserve equality is a feminist. Hanna Retallack, a feminist researcher and educator, with a PhD on feminism in schools, came to our school and explained, ‘I feel like I've been conditioned to respond to things in a certain way, and then sometimes what I've learnt about feminism helps me respond differently.’ She also said that she sometimes has to ask herself: “What's the more feminist response to this?” Feminism pushes for better stories. It asks for stories where women are leaders and men are allowed to be caring or vulnerable without being seen as ‘weak’.

Breaking these stereotypes helps everyone. It means a girl can be a scientist without being ‘nerdy’ and a boy can stay home with his children without being judged. When we stop giving labels to people based purely on gender, anyone can be who they actually are. It's not about one gender being better than the other, it's about everyone being equal and free to live their own way.