I could give a list of shows today that have shown that exact struggle in todays society. However Smallville although it was considered a coming of age show, is still a DC show. For all purposes they didn't spent so much time on the narrative for that particular struggle because that episode's main focus was around the kryptonite infused soil that was being used to grow vegetables. They wanted to show the dangers of Kryptonite and what it did to Humans. They only threw in the that particular struggle of teenagers to make it somewhat relevant and relatable to the audience but on a vague scale. It was to capture the audience enough so that the main focus of the story was not lost and held onto the audience's attention. So no they did not put more effort or thought into that because there was no need to since it was part of clarks origin story and more a less filler that did help progress the storyline. If your focus is on relatable life problems then I don't think shows like Smallville are going to be it for people who want that.