“The Cleanup Never Stops”: 30 Truths About ‘The Real World’ Teens Should Learn

To learn more about what teens should learn before entering "the real world," we reached out to Daniel Friedman, the Founder of Modern Teen, who was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda. When it comes to the top things Daniel thinks teens should understand before becoming adults, he shared, "Not everything is as black and white as it seems. Try to understand both sides of any situation and formulate your own opinion before choosing a side."

"Working on yourself only gets harder as you get older, so don't stop taking care of your mind and body," he continued. "Building good habits is one of the most important things you can do before you enter the real world as an adult, and getting rid of bad habits is equally as powerful."

Daniel also shared some advice his teenage self could have benefited from hearing. "Talk to more people and work on your confidence. I closed myself off too much as a teen, and I could've been even more confident as a person today if I just opened up a little more to people," he told Bored Panda.

We were also curious about what the best parts of being a teen are and what they should be sure to take advantage of while they can. "As a teenager, you're still surrounded by the same people everyday - and that's a good thing because you have the chance to build some great connections with others, while being more mature than a young kid," Daniel noted. "But you have to learn to not rely on your phone and social media all the time because real life will become less interesting the more you use it."

Finally, Daniel added, "Practice discipline and focus on your independence as early as possible. The earlier you can do that, the easier the transition into adulthood will be. Best of luck!"

If you're a teen who'd like to hear more words of wisdom, or you have a teen who might appreciate the insight on Daniel's site, be sure to visit Modern Teen right here!