New Jersey teens are among the least happy, study reveals

Today’s teenagers are living a life most of us can hardly fathom. Most of us didn’t go through our younger years with social media or the internet the way it functions now.

Most of us certainly didn’t go through our pre-teen / early teen years with the world shut down in a global pandemic, as if those years aren’t stressful enough.

It begs the question: just how happy are teens today?

To get a clearer picture of this, Mission Prep surveyed thousands of parents of adolescents across the U.S., asking the simple question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how happy is your teen?”

Mission Prep used their findings to create a “Happiness Index Ranking,” which revealed where America’s teenagers are thriving and where they’re struggling most.

Where are the happiest teenagers?

The best state for teenagers was Kansas, with a happiness score of nine out of 10.

The absolute worst state for teens was Mississippi, the happiness score there was an abysmal two out of 10.

(Is it because they live in a state that has way too many repeating letters? I don’t know but that’s my working theory.)

As for New Jersey, our ranking was pretty rough. We’re not even in the top 50% of states.

We came in at number 33 out of 50.

Thirty three.

Garden State teens have a happiness score of five out of 10. Lower than the national average which was 5.5/10.

New Jersey teens are already this unhappy, and they likely don’t even know about our property taxes yet.

Yikes.

What’s behind the stress?

Parents identified the top pressures their kids face:

🔴 Peer relationships and social dynamics: 31% cited this – friendships, rivalries, and the push to fit in.
🔴 Social media and screen time: 30% pointed to the digital world, where comparison and validation rule.
🔴 Academic demands: 22% named school, with its high stakes and relentless pace.
🔴 Family conflict (10%) and household financial worries (6%) also factored in, though less dominantly.

How to help

To combat the unhappiness, parents also shared what brings joy to their teenagers:

😊 Time with friends: 23% said this tops the list-face-to-face bonds still matter most.
😊 Pets or animals: 16% credited four-legged friends with lifting spirits.
😊 Family moments: 15% highlighted the value of togetherness at home.
😊 Physical activity (14%), creative pursuits (11%), and even solitude (8%) also help, while social media (6%) and school success (5%) rank lower.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5's Kylie Moore. Any opinions expressed are Kylie's own. You can follow Kylie on Instagram.
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