Is hustle culture causing US teens to burn out?

Since its inception, social media has been a hub for self-reflection, self-promotion, and, increasingly, self-improvement. Spend more than a few minutes on TikTok or Instagram, and content promoting everything from self-care mantras to beauty regimens can quickly overwhelm your feed. But one personal growth trend that’s gaining particular traction in the digital realm is “hustle culture” — or, as it's perhaps better known online, the #grindset.

Teenage burnout

Stemming from all-consuming attitudes to working, having a “grindset” effectively means subscribing to an ethos of ceaseless productivity, where always hustling harder equates to progress, in work and therefore in life.

While this culture of self-initiated productivity helps some users to stay motivated, the expectation of stellar results set by this constant comparison has now become a point of stress for young people, as posts related to a #NoDaysOff lifestyle continue to seep into the ~4.8 hours that the average US teen spends per day on social media apps.

Indeed, a study from Common Sense Media published earlier this month, which examined major causes of burnout among American teens aged 13-17, found that 81% of those surveyed reported experiencing pressure that made them feel bad in at least one of the 6 categories examined, with 41% feeling the pressure “very much” in one or more areas. Of these, the point that teens felt most pressured about was simply having a “game plan” — 56% said they were at least somewhat stressed about having their future figured out (including college and career choices).

The same report found that more than one-quarter of teens (27%) reported actively struggling with burnout, with a majority of teens finding that social media at least sometimes worsened every single pressure they felt. Still, a significant proportion of teens surveyed said they found social media to at least sometimes decrease each of these pressures (38% to 51%, depending on the pressure)… so, for every stress-inducing #RiseandGrind post, let’s hope there’s an equal and opposite stress-relieving cat video to help keep some sort of balance.