In this generation, there are more obstacles when getting into a relationship. Standards have changed. Someone can’t just start dating someone anymore; you have to make it through the talking stage.

Bella Peruski ’25 has found it particularly difficult to be in a long term relationship due to commitment issues.

“I was in a relationship for seven months and the hardest part was fully committing to one person,” Peruski said. “You could be in the talking stage for three months when you could just be dating and you get to know the person so well in the talking stage it makes dating less interesting.”

Being in a long term relationship requires a lot of balance that only some people can manage. The school social worker Kera Carter thinks it takes a lot of balance for a highschooler to be in a relationship.

“When I was a teenager, it was hard for me (to date), so I can only imagine how hard it is now with all social media and finding a balance between school, extracurricular activities and everything else,” Carter said. “I think it’s 50/50; some people have found a way to balance both but it’s difficult for a teenager to balance both.”

Nora O’Riley ’25 is apart of the 50 percent who was able to find a balance and be in a long term relationship as a high schooler. O’Riley has been in a relationship for one and a half years and has been able to get through the rough patches the highschoolers tend to go through.

“We make our relationship work by working with each other’s schedules to see each other and being at the same school helps with that,” O’Riley. “It’s hard for people to get into a relationship because of social media. I think (my boyfriend) and I do a good job of balancing school, sports, friends and each other but being in the same friend group helps.”

The talking stage has become more relevant and making it harder for people to even get into a relationship.

“The talking stage just confuses everything because there’s no label,” O’Riley said. “You can hangout with other people and talk to other people because you’re not dating and you guys aren’t official.”