I don't normally pay much attention to people who analyze a demographic that they are observing without actually communicating with them, or going to the locations.  In this case people actually undercover in schools - similar to one of my DEA friends who looked like she was 16 until she was almost 30.  

 I've had local high school kids working in a shop.  This article touches on many of the things I've observed:

http://www.businessinsider.com/undercover-high-teenagers-lives-2018-2/#and-mo...

 Daily interactions are nothing like they were just 10 years ago.

t's not just your image at school that you have to uphold, like what kind of shoes you're wearing, what brand are you wearing, what kind of backpack do you have," Nicolette told Business Insider. "Now you have to uphold this image on social media: how many likes do you have, how many hearts do you have, who are you following, how many followers. And it's just doubled the impact of what it was before."

Nothing about
What kinda grades are you making?
How many hours a week do you spend helping someone?
Sounds like a need for some self esteem.
Regardless of what they tell you
Self esteem comes from Real accomplishments. Not being told you are okay because you're wearing the right shoes.
Sounds like school has gotten even more shallow and materialistic than when I was suffering through it.
I thought Permian High in Odessa Texas was a shithole. The parking lot was mind boggling. GTOs, mustangs, camaros, Satellites and Roadrunners, rich kids and spoiled kids, and the rest of us.. It's hard to Not feel like a loser in that environment. Sounds like it's only worse now. At least I had a job and the future held so many options.
Today, IDK what the future would look like to me.

A parent could leave clear and concise notes, effectively conveying the message.
Not healthy.
The school that banned phones is seeing improvements.
Interpersonal communication skills are lacking.
Real relationships are lacking,
The idea that children must be forced to get grades is incorrect.
And what kids do with their time is something that can be driven by many sources. Someone starts it. Probably not a kid, but you never know. I knew some really cool kids. One was learning to be an EMT. He'd go on ambulance runs. Helped with those and the volunteer fire department, which was all Tecumseh had.  
Making positive change just requires a small thing. Society is sucking. Little things add up.
Competition is Good. Hurt, disappointment, failure are Good.
That's
Motivation.
The Valedictorian is focused on grades.
Of course, if a kid doesn't see opportunity waiting to put the education to work, the motivation to excel isn't that great then.