Throwing a fun birthday party is something we should not leave in our childhoods. Whether we admit it or not, even as high schoolers, we all enjoy celebrating the people we care about. However, planning a good party isn’t easy. Every year, a few weeks before that special day, I find myself googling “birthday party ideas for teens” and getting the same boring results.
As a kid, birthday parties felt magical no matter what. All you needed was a cake, some decorations, friends or family, and a place to run around. I remember the best parties as a kid were at the trampoline park or playground. Now, as a teen, it seems the only way to have a memorable time is getting a good picture. But the best memories aren’t always Instagram-worthy, and they don’t require much effort. Over Christmas break, I threw a holiday party with my friends, and all I needed were Solo cups and a deck of cards to have a blast playing games for hours.
To see whether others felt the same way, I asked Broughton students about the best birthday party they had attended. Sophomores Liz Proctor and Simon Planchart said, “It wasn’t an activity, more of a get-together. We just played games and gossiped.” Sophomore Alleta Garner said, “Bowling and karaoke at Jaguar. I just had a ball with all my friends.”
I also asked students if they feel pressure to post on social media, especially during events like birthdays. Sophomore Avery Levine said, “Yes, definitely, because it feels like every time you’re in a social setting, it has to be posted.” For many teens, birthdays are no longer just about celebrating; they’ve become something to document and prove online. This pressure may change how teens plan their parties. Instead of asking, “Will this be fun?” teens start asking, “Will this look good on Instagram?”
However, there are solutions to this. Instead of planning elaborate, picture-perfect parties, teens should focus on what actually makes the birthday special. In my opinion, the best birthdays are the ones that feel like childhood again: just friends, games, and laughter. So maybe at your next birthday party, make it a “no-phone” zone and focus on celebrating the people around you instead of the post afterward.