Over the weekend, I shared about this in a Facebook group. In this period of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns in different countries, our teenagers are a target audience we have to look out for. There is a tendency for boredom, experimentation and succumbing to peer pressure. This affects adults, how much more teenagers? Here are key concerns and how to manage them.
1. Alcohol and substance abuse
This is a habit we do not want teenagers to pick up because it could impede their personal safety. Three factors can make them susceptible namely parental use, experimentation due to boredom and peer pressure. Teenagers are home and parents are home too. They will be watching how parents handle pressure and bad moods. Whatever we model to them now will set the precedent for future behaviour. Also, boredom could make them find hidden places in the home where these things are kept and they may try it out. In addition, if they have a friend who is already experimenting and eggs them on to try it, they are most likely to try it in order to “look cool”. We must have open conversations with teenagers and let them know the negative effects of this line of behaviour. We must practice future orientation with them where we make them envision the bright future they have when they make safe choices.
2. Online safety
Many parents have provided mobile devices connected to the internet for their teenagers. While that is not necessarily a bad thing, have you raised a digitally resilient teenager who can manoeuvre the risks the internet presents? There are 3 kinds of risks here:
a. Content risk: exposure to content that is harmful, visually disturbing or not age appropriate
b. Conduct risk: behaviour that makes another person uncomfortable e.g. being bullied or being the bully, sexting
c. Contact risk: exposure to wrong persons e.g. scammers or adults posing as teenagers
Again, here we need to educate our teens on the right actions to take in different scenarios so that even in our absence they can handle the pressures of the world.
3. Abuse and molestation
This is a serious concern because lots of people now have more time on their hands. This can happen with people the teenager is familiar with or someone they like e.g. caregivers, relatives or friends staying in the same home or apartment block. This can also happen willfully without force because the teenager wants to experiment. So, parents must have this conversation as honestly as possible with their teens. Talk about STIs, the possibilities of early pregnancy and the effects on their life. Then equip your teens on how to manage such situations.
4. Mental health issues
Different situations could cause this for teenagers. For example, if your home features violence and raised voices perpetually, teenagers want out naturally. This could result in depression and suicidal thoughts most especially when there is no school or outdoor activities to use as an escape. Also, cyberbullying and social media pressure can exacerbate this too. Therefore, we must build a loving home environment and also build the esteem of our teenagers so that they are properly developed.
5. Violence
There is a tendency for fights to break out because people are in each other’s faces. Considering the current situation worldwide, this is not a time to have a situation that will require medical assistance. Our health workers are currently strained and we do not want to add avoidable medical situations to their workload. Teach your teenagers better conflict resolution methods other than fighting.
This is not an exhaustive list but it addresses the major concerns. Keep staying safe.
