The Gaps.

Why doesn't someone just eat healthier? Why doesn't a teenager who is struggling just go to a therapist or get off their phone and actually go outside? Why doesn't someone just ask for help? I used to think this had pretty clear answers. They were clear to me because of how I was raised.

My life has been full of opportunities. I have always had art classes. If I was struggling in school, I had a tutor. In sports I had private lessons. My parents were working a lot, but I could still come home and someone would always make me something to eat. This didn't feel that big of a deal. It was just something that was there, like Wi-Fi.

At my school we use ID's to get food and snacks in the cafeteria. I would always just get whatever I wanted without thinking about it. Then a friend told me, "I can't buy this. I have to save what I have for the next two lunches of the week." I had never even thought about how much was actually on my ID.

With art class, it was similar. I always had art class growing up, so I thought everyone did. I then saw that kids at schools around me didn't. So I started to offer art classes myself.

Through all this, I started to see that a lot of things that may appear as a choice aren't actually. Things that I thought were simply convenient were actually also a privilege for many. I created this portfolio to pause before I judge someone and instead ask what I may not be seeing.

I didn't plan any of this. I didn't even plan to do a portfolio. I would read a few studies a week, and the ones that stuck with me I wrote about. The first study I wrote about, in August 2023, was an experiment released by the American Psychological Association in which a group of teens and young adults reduced their social media usage to roughly 50%. After a few weeks these teens and young adults had improved attitudes about their appearance and weight. This was also something I had seen in school so it made sense to start here. Five days later I wrote about 210 teenage girls in Ireland and what was most linked to their negative body image. It wasn't comparisons to models or celebrities. It was comparisons to close friends. Four days after that, I wrote about a study that attempted to measure how much a teenager's weight can be determined by their willpower. It mostly couldn't. Family wealth and resources were a lot more strongly correlated with body mass than personality factors such as self-control.

This third piece was when I started to catch myself. In that article I wrote about a teen who may come home to an empty home because their parents are working long hours and then eat whatever is available. My parents work a lot too. However, someone was always there to make me food. Once you know this, the question, "Why doesn't someone just eat healthier" appears to have a different meaning.

After that, one question would lead to another. From social media to comparison, to self-esteem to money and changes caused by money. Then to bullying, loneliness, whether or not teens can get help, discrimination, foster care, and then to chronic illnesses and kids with chronic illnesses. It's much more complex than it may on the surface. I focused on teens because a lot of changes occur at this age and there is rarely enough support to navigate these changes.

Some of these related close to things I've always had. In April 2024 I wrote about a review of 53 studies that attempted to determine why teens and children with mental health issues do not get help. Some did not know where to get help or who to talk to. Some saw asking for help as a weakness. Some faced issues of cost, lack of time, not being able to get there, or long waits. Having support from family and friends made it easier to ask for help. When I needed support there was an adult I could go to such as a teacher, counselor or another adult that I trusted. I just had to ask. I didn't have to figure out where to get it.

With bullying I noticed it too. A review of children with a developmental coordination disorder which makes coordination and movement difficult found that these children were often left out and bullied especially in school. They also did not usually see teachers as individuals who could help them. In my school any type of bullying could be reported and action would occur immediately. I used to think that was how all schools operated.

For me this has been an exercise in attention. I think of it as being more conscious of what I have and what someone next to me may not have in the lunch line. If this portfolio does anything it should make ignorance, including mine, a little less comfortable.

I do not believe I have all the answers. I am a teen and these are just a few of the things I have been thinking about.