Raising healthy high schoolers: How do high school stereotypes hurt teens?

Many teens contend with the pressures of high school stereotypes on top of increased schoolwork, toxic social media culture, relationships, and puberty-related changes.

Stereotypes are cognitive generalizations about the qualities and characteristics of people in particular groups. While stereotypes might help us make quick judgments and perceptions in some cases, they can also be exaggerated and harmful, even when people consider them positive (e.g., believing all people who are Asian are academically gifted). Stereotypes may also prevent us from getting to know people in a more understanding, empathetic light. 

If you’re the parent or caregiver of a teen, learning about the potential harm of high school stereotypes can help you guide your adolescent through this tricky phase of life. With research-backed information and strategies, parents can safeguard their teen’s mental health and help them grow into confident, self-aware adults.

What are the harmful effects of high school stereotypes?

While stereotypes may not always bother teens in the moment, these generalizations may encourage bias, exclusion, misinformation, and other social behaviors with harmful psychological effects. 

Based on current psychological research, stereotypes can lead to harmful outcomes in high school-aged students. 

1. Stereotype threat

Stereotype threat refers to a person’s expectation that negative stereotypes about their group may adversely influence others’ judgments of their performance. These expectations can look like “If I do badly on this test, everyone will be right about what they say about my [insert race/group/gender],” or “If I don’t do well on this test, I’ll make my [insert race/group/gender] look bad.”

Research suggests that stereotype threat commonly occurs in classrooms, where negative stereotypes about a particular race, ethnicity, gender, or cultural group can create stress and ultimately reduce a student’s academic focus and performance. 

For example, several studies show that racist stereotypes about African-American students’ intellectual ability can negatively affect their test-taking performance. Stereotype threat may be common among anyone of a marginalized group, whether the group is defined by race, gender, or another core identity. 

2. Limited exploration of passions

Negative stereotypes about high schoolers’ gender, race, and other identifying features may discourage them from fully exploring their passions and budding interests. 

For instance, the widespread belief that girls are better at language than boys and that boys are better at math may lead high schoolers to avoid certain clubs or hobbies by these stereotypes. Similarly, if a high schooler belongs to a particular group that rejects specific hobbies or skill sets, they may stifle their natural interests in exchange for social currency.

The implications of these behaviors extend beyond high school and may even shape students’ career choices and confidence in their future endeavors. 

3. The formation of harmful cliques

High school stereotypes are often linked to specific “cliques,” status- or friendship-based subgroups within larger groups. Depending on your age and where you attended school, you may have encountered some of the following high school cliques: 

• “Jocks,” athletes, and cheerleaders

• Theater kids

• Popular kids

• “Nerds” or academics

• Artsy kids

• Band or choir kids

• “Rebels”

• “Hipsters”

• “Loners”

As teens navigate the social challenges of high school, belonging to a clique can enhance their social standing and friendship ties while reducing feelings of isolation and exclusion. Under these parameters, stereotypes can provide helpful information about the characteristics of people who belong to these cliques and what their experiences may tell us about them.

But if you’ve ever been excluded from a clique, you likely understand the potential harm of cliques and their associated stereotypes from firsthand experience. Some of the negatives of cliques include: 

• Cruelty to people outside the clique

• Forced conformity to specific rules or ways of acting

• Social instability: people in a clique may abruptly decide people are out of the group

Generally, the unspoken dynamics of cliques can make it challenging to make new friends, explore alternative interests, or exit a potentially harmful social group.

Strategies for parents: Helping your teen combat negative stereotypes

If you’re a parent or caregiver, perhaps you’ve already had several conversations with your teen about the harmful effects of stereotypes. On the other hand, your teen might hesitate to talk about their social challenges with you or simply not have the language to describe how negative stereotypes make them feel.

Wherever you’re at in this process, there are several strategies for parents to support their teens’ social growth and help them combat negative high school stereotypes.

1. Challenge common stereotypes about teens

In addition to the group-based stereotypes often circulating in high schools, parents and other adults can also perpetuate negative stereotypes about teens. In media and everyday conversations, many people stereotype teens as risky and irresponsible and are likely to ignore their parents, skip school, and succumb to bad influences. 

However, researchers are finding that these stereotypes do not universally define teens. Challenging these harmful conceptions can encourage teenagers to accept responsibility and achieve greater success. 

These results suggest that negative stereotypes about teens, some of which stem from adults and parents, can influence teens’ behavior and belief in themselves. However, these stereotypes aren’t fixed. 

As a parent, you can discuss the inaccuracy of these stereotypes with your teen and encourage a growth mindset: the belief we can improve our abilities and combat misconceptions about ourselves with effort, patience, and support from others.

2. Encourage exploration

From day one, kids are inclined to explore their worlds. While teens may not view themselves as “explorers,” high school may still be a time of immense exploration and possibility. 

Parents can encourage children to play with all kinds of toys and games from an early age, regardless of gender stereotypes. Over time, this simple decision can expand a child’s skillset and make them more resilient to the harmful effects of high school stereotypes.

Even in high school, play and exploration continue. Both parents and teachers can offer a range of activities spanning various areas of interest by removing gender biases and group stereotypes.

3. Recognize that stereotypes change over time

If you’re a parent, the stereotypes and cliques you encountered as a high schooler may differ substantially from the ones your teen faces. Recent research supports this sentiment: based on a 2019 study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago, new themes are unique to the modern teen experience and high school cliques. Key takeaways include:

• Academic anxiety is increasing.

• While high schools are diversifying, racial and ethnic stereotypes still exist.

• The emergence of newer cliques, including an “anime/ manga” crowd and a fear of “loners” as potential perpetrators of violence, may stem from current events and social media.

In summary, while many high school stereotypes remain powerful over time, they’re also not stagnant. Your teen’s social world differs from yours and the world you occupied as a teen. 

With this understanding, try listening to your teen describe their social experiences before offering your perspective. When parents don’t take the time to understand their teens’ social worlds, their advice may reflect their own teenage experiences rather than their children’s current needs. 

4. Consult a therapist for more support.

For many people, parenting can be one of their most rewarding and challenging experiences. If you’re looking for additional support for yourself or your teen, a professional therapist can offer parenting strategies and empathy to help everyone in the family navigate the high school years and beyond.

While some people prefer in-person therapy, many parents and busy professionals prefer the ease and convenience of online therapy. Using a digital platform like BetterHelp, you can complete a brief questionnaire and match with a licensed therapist within 48 hours. All BetterHelp therapists have at least three years of professional experience, and some specialize in working with parents, caregivers, and other people with high schoolers in their lives.

Several studies show online therapy can be just as effective as face-to-face therapy. One 2020 study found that the pilot of an online cognitive behavioral group therapy (iCBT-I) for insomnia was well-received by parents and school children. Most parents scored the treatment as helpful for their children’s sleep habits, and the researchers noted that the iCBT-I could be expanded and applied to a larger sample of children. Other studies affirm the efficacy of iCBT, which has been used to treat various mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety.