“Are Today’s You Weak?” What Filipino Parents Should Really Be Worried About

Are today’s kids really weak? This is what we might be looking at

Recent remarks describing today’s youth as “weak,” delivered during a Senate hearing on children’s safety and social media, have stirred considerable reaction across the Philippines.

It may look like the children today may be more emotionally fragile than previous generations, especially with social media supposedly limiting real-life reactions and interactions. Comparisons were also drawn to an earlier generation, when terms like depression were less commonly used, and when challenges were often endured more quietly.

If you’re a parent reading that and feeling uneasy — confused, worried, even defensive — you’re not alone. Many Filipino moms and dads are trying to make sense of what it really means to raise children in a world dominated by smartphones, screens, and constant digital connection.

Social Media Made More Pathways

We’re very aware that social media is the main culprit in rising anxiety, depression, and stress among young people. Excessive screen time can interfere with sleep, attention, and face-to-face social skills — issues mental health experts acknowledge and researchers continue to study.

But that doesn’t mean kids are inherently weak. What’s different today is that children are more open about their struggles. Years ago, emotional pain was often masked, suppressed, or ignored. Today’s youth have language — and platforms — to name their feelings, and that openness looks very different from the emotional stoicism older generations learned to adopt.

Being able to say “I’m depressed” isn’t a sign of fragility. It’s a sign that young people have a vocabulary for what they’re feeling — a necessary step in seeking help, understanding themselves, and learning to regulate emotions.

Not All Connections Are Strengthening Kids

Social media can expand horizons — connecting kids to ideas, cultures, and support communities. But it can also expose them to bullying, unrealistic comparisons, and emotional overload.

Parents, especially in the Philippines, know how important relationships are. But connections created online aren’t always meaningful or healthy. A comment thread may feel like friendship, but without emotional depth or accountability. Kids may end up open to more social influence than supported by it. That gap, not emotional weakness, is the real risk.

“Suck It Up” Isn’t a Parenting Strategy — It’s a Survival Instinct From Another Era

Many adults grew up with the belief that you just “suck it up” — no crying, no complaining, no talking about feelings. That mindset developed in a world that offered few emotional safety nets. Over time, it became rationalized as necessary resilience: “Experience, especially the bad kind, teaches you strength.”

Unfortunately, that belief can perpetuate harm. When adults say “toughen up” without teaching emotional skills, it teaches children to hide emotions, rather than understand and manage them. That isn’t strength. That’s emotional avoidance.

Modern parenting research and child development theory emphasize that emotional resilience isn’t about ignoring feelings — it’s about recognizing them, talking about them, and coping with them in healthy ways. What may feel like “giving in” is often an opportunity for teaching emotional regulation — a skill children need well into adulthood.

Before You Call Them Weak — Look in the Mirror

It’s easy to dismiss kids as fragile when they react differently than we did at their age. But differences in behavior don’t automatically equal weakness.

Ask yourself: are we part of the problem we’re quick to criticize? Did we learn emotional avoidance because it was modeled to us? Did we rationalize harmful norms because change felt too hard? If our only reason for dismissing young people is because we “grew up that way,” then we’re insisting on a broken model.

Better parenting isn’t about forcing kids to “toughen up.” It’s about guiding them to understand their feelings, build supportive connections, and face challenges with tools, not silence.

What Parents Can Do Right Now

• Listen first, judge later. Before assuming fear or sensitivity is weakness, try to understand what your child is communicating.
• Talk about feelings out loud. Naming emotions helps kids make sense of them instead of burying them.
• Model healthy coping. If you struggle, let them see you work through frustration, sadness, or stress constructively.
• Limit toxic social media use, but don’t demonize all digital connections. Teach boundaries rather than bans.
• Build real-life experiences. Encourage friendships, physical play, family conversations, and shared activities that strengthen both confidence and connection.

So, Are Today’s Children Weak?

Children aren’t “weak” just because they feel deeply or speak openly about their emotions. They’re adapting to a world that’s more connected — and more complex — than ever before.

Labeling them as weak avoids the deeper questions: Are we teaching them how to process emotions? Are we giving them safe spaces to talk about struggles? Are we modeling strength with compassion? Or, are we just teaching them how to save themselves by destroying another?

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