Despite the fact that I do develop my own opinions on important matters I don’t always feel confident enough to express them as there are many consequences in doing so.

Social media is one of the main roots of this problem as it allows people to troll others so easily. Although my opinion might not be different to many people I still feel like I may be judged by others and a fear of being trolled or losing important friendships looms over me.

Is this a new norm for my generation? Has this new way of online communication spilt over into face to face communication amongst peers? At school I feel the same sense of frustration as increasingly peers seem unable to see or accept other points of view without arguing. The art of civil conversation at times seems dead.

As I navigate my way through my teen years I am slowly learning that communication on social media platforms can be challenging but it does not mean that my opinions are invalid and I have learnt that my voice and the voices of other young people are important if we wish to see change in the forever changing world that we live in.