Maskot via Getty Images/Maskot How can we better support teens who have a fear of messing up? With A-level and GCSE results days getting closer, the tension in many homes is starting to rise. Welcome to FOMU: not ‘fear of missing out’, but ‘fear of messing up’. Fear of messing up is not something teenagers are born with. Society’s obsession with achievement, league tables and early success has created an environment where failure feels binary: you either win or you lose.