Whether or not the internet is a great place for life advice leaves much to be debated, but a young Singaporean decided to test this out, and crowdsource a solution to a question we all once had in our younger days.

Hailed to be “the front page of the internet”, Reddit is part discussion board, part social news site, and brings about the best and the worst that the internet has to offer.

In a thread titled “Inspired by AskReddit: Older people of Singapore, what life tips can you give to a clueless 16 year old?“, the precocious (when you’re our age, anyone below 18 is considered “precocious”) 16-year-old, assuming he/she isn’t lying about his/her age, received 69 comments from presumably older Singaporean Redditors within a day of posting.

A quick browse through the comments revealed replies ranging from one-liners to mini essays – most of which offered rather practical advice which our parents would have told us at one point or another.

One emphasised the importance of acceptance:

One shared a laundry list that we definitely need as well:

One did the Health Promotion Board a favour, while still offering a logical solution for the curious:

And one possibly created a new Reddit account just to dish out advice like an Ah Kong (aka elderly grandfather):

Get Educated

What stood out, though, was the general sentiments that reading and getting yourself educated the best thing one can do in one’s youth.

As 20-somethings with an inclination to all things reading and writing, we can’t help but also emphasise its importance.

While social media feeds tends to keep your thoughts trapped in an echo chamber, reading widely and frequently exposes you to more world views and opinions.

“Tap That Booty”

However, some have given advice which is downright hilarious in the context:

And this classic, which actually gives pretty sound advice:

What’s Your Life Advice To A 16-Year-Old?

It’s actually quite interesting to see the advice from Singaporean adult Redditors to a younger peer.

Advice articles online tend to be catered to those in other countries, and are sometimes irrelevant due to the context, so having a local twist on the topic is definitely useful – not only to teens, but to those of us who are still a little lost even in our 20s and 30s.

What’s a piece of advice you would give a younger friend, or even to your 16-year-old self? Let us know!

Feature Image Credit: sparklette.net