The World Health Organization now recognizes as an occupational phenomenon. Guess what? Students experience it too. The pressure to complete piles of repetitive, low-engagement homework while also maintaining grades, extracurriculars, and a social life is a recipe for chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and depression .
Then comes the killer sentence: “For homework, finish pages 42 through 48.”
We are not machines. We are young people. And we are breaking. Here’s the funny part. Adults will say: “Wait until you have a job — you’ll have to bring work home all the time!”
A 2022 study by the Stanford Graduate School of Education found that students in high-achieving communities spend an average of on homework. That’s time you could spend sleeping, playing an instrument, calling a grandparent, or simply staring at the ceiling without guilt.
So the next time a teacher says, “This will only take 20 minutes,” smile politely. Then look them in the eye and say: