[_yb2s]

I don’t think any of this is true, although enough people expect it to be they exclude themselves. I think all of the anxiety from the perceived (but untrue) high stakes makes a lot of people that would otherwise succeed never bother to try.

In the USA anyone can fail high school and still go to community college for next to nothing in tuition. In many states if they pass with Cs- allowing for infinite retaking of classes- they will be guaranteed a spot in the public university of their choice. Ultimately they can graduate sooner, with less debt then if accepted directly from high school!

Or, they can skip the community college and just go to any university as an extension student, and only actually apply once they have a proven track record of success at that very school, and letters of recommendation from their own faculty.

Basically, you absolutely do get unlimited chances to retry in the USA academic system, even if you don’t take it seriously as a teen.

As a parent, I’m not going to put any of the pressure on my kid that modern parents in the USA do- the things they are afraid of simply aren’t so.

[keiferski]

I don’t know if it is true in an academic sense, but I think it probably is in a more general social sense. The widespread use of video-taking cell phones means there’s an underlying assumption that anything you do could go viral and be seen by millions. This makes doing “socially unacceptable” things seem less appealing, if only on a subconscious level. 20-30 years ago I think it was more acceptable for kids to do dumb time-wasting things, partially because the world was a bigger less-connected place.

[_yb2s]

Yeah, that seems to be the premise of the recent book "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt. I only read the first chapter or so, but seems to be pretty convincingly the case, and really harmful for kids mental health.

Personally, I don't post on social media, and I ask my friends and family not to post content with or about me. However, doing the same would be much harder and more socially isolating for teenagers.