Teenage debt – Why do young people sink into debt?

More and more young people are getting into debt or tend to get into debt. What's the reason and how to prevent youth debt? We will deal with these issues in the following text. We will also go into more detail about how to seek help if you are in a difficult financial situation.

Why do young people have debts?

Youth debt is on the rise and more and more young people are sinking into debt chaos. But what are the reasons for the numerous people who are young in debt?

The causes of a mountain of debt can be many and varied. It can be noted, however, that a lot of debt is related to today's values. More and more people buy things in order to impress others with them, according to the principle of a status symbol.
Everyone wants to show what they have and present their supposed wealth to others.

This material thinking has made it deep into the middle of society today and even the youth are not spared from it. As a result, people increasingly buy unnecessarily expensive things that they can only afford to a limited extent. In some cases, leases or large loans are also taken out, resulting in fixed costs.

Growing up in a "carefree" home

Another reason is that more and more people grow up financially comfortable in today's world. Many were able to be carefree with money in childhood. After childhood, young people then often tend to maintain this behavior. This means as much as that from the wealth of the last generation can easily come the poverty of the next generation
Buying things has rarely been easier than it is today.

Too many shopping centers

Almost every major city now has large-scale shopping centers with numerous stores where you can spend your money. Furthermore, advancing technological progress encourages excessive consumerism, as better and newer models are released all the time. Tech gadgets largely include smartphones but also laptops, PCs and game consoles. New products come out every year with supposedly revolutionary technologies to entice people to buy them.

Where to look for help?

Numerous young people are heavily in the red with their accounts. But where can you find help in such a precarious situation?
Basically, you should first talk to experienced people about your problems. This could include parents or older friends, for example. This outside person can then give an opinion and possibly help to next steps.

If no other trustworthy person is available, professional help can also be obtained. However, this presupposes certain financial means, which unfortunately are often no longer given. By professional help, we mean trained people in the field, such as a debt or financial counselor. The counselor will then work with the client to analyze the current situation and develop a plan to become debt-free.

Online you can also find help

As usual, the Internet also offers a wide range of information. Thus there are most diverse Finanzwebsites on those one can read up and educate itself. In addition to the many available information material, you can still exchange information with other sufferers on the Internet through forums. You can also meet former debtors in such forums and ask them about their way out of the financial crisis.

Non-profits as a way out

A further assistance can be also non-profit mechanisms. These include, for example, meeting places and citizen's aids, where you can talk to the caregivers about your situation. The supervisors at the facilities can then give you good advice and help you make difficult decisions.

Help groups can also be a solution. This is where you meet other people with similar fates and have the opportunity to exchange ideas with each other. In this way, the difficult phase can be overcome together and does not have to be managed alone. The other participants can also explain their own plans. This allows you to collect your knowledge together so that you can find a better way together.

How to prevent debts

Teen debt can be prevented primarily by parents with good education in the area. Parents should start early to familiarize the child with the subject of finances. Financial literacy plays an important role in a child's later development.

One should begin early to confront the child with the topic money. This greatly increases the chance that the child will be debt-free later on. Examples of such a confrontation with money is the monthly allowance or the common look into the budget book.

Secondly, the debt can be prevented by the young person themselves. Some young people have an interest of their own in being financially secure later on. If this interest exists, the young person educates himself, which of course would be a godsend for both parents and child. This behavior would of course be optimal, as it requires little intervention from the parents.