American teenagers are getting bored more often, especially young girls.
Research by Washington State University finds teens in the eighth, 10th, and 12th grades report increasing boredom. And girls are more likely to be bored than boys.
Teens have been asked about their boredom levels for more than a decade, and the research found boredom is rising faster among girls.
The study's author says this isn't about boredom. She says it can lead to depressive symptoms and risky behaviors, including substance abuse.
Author Elizabeth Weybright says, “Historically, we saw a decline from 2008 to 2010 across all grades, but it wasn’t significant,” Weybright adds. “Then, we see a significant increase from 2010 to 2017. Around 2010, there’s a divergence for boys and girls. We see that boredom increases for boys and girls, but it increases a bit steeper and earlier for girls.”
Read more about the study here.