Three Common Teenage Problems

A lot of water has passed under the bridge since most of us were teenagers. Time, technology, and culture have moved on, and while some teenage problems have not changed, many of them have.

Three common teenage problems parents need to understand.

A teenager’s stage of life is often characterized by the changes in their body and mind as they mature from childhood into adulthood. This brings several physical and psychological changes that the teenager needs to navigate.

While teenagers want independence from their parents and families it is not realistic to expect that they can decouple themselves from the necessary support of their parents and family unit. However, even supported by parents and siblings who love them, various teenage problems are almost unavoidable.

Peer pressure.

Having a personal device means that the content that is sent to the teen, or that they access, is immediately accessible at any time. Take sexting for example.

While research is ongoing in this field, some researchers have found that there are primarily four reasons why adolescents become involved in sexting: flirting to attract a potential partner, expressing their sexuality with their romantic partner, experimenting with sexuality and identity, as well as a reaction to pressure from either their romantic partner or friends to conform to perceived normal behavior.

Many teens do not understand the possible life-long impact of sharing explicit photos of themselves. It is the responsibility of parents to equip children with the skills to make healthy choices in these common situations.

School problems.

Did you know that in the US one in twenty-five high school students drop out each year? Researchers find that a high school dropout has a high likelihood of earning significantly less income over their lifetime than someone who graduates from high school. This lack of earnings may not only impact them and their future spouse but also their ability to provide for their children in an increasingly competitive environment.

Gone are the days when only troubled teens dropped out. Today there are findings that teens feel so much pressure to perform well to qualify for a good college that they burn themselves out before they graduate.

Academic performance should not be just another teenage problem for your child to navigate in isolation, rather it can be an area of their lives where they know they will always have their parents’ support and compassion.

Screen time teenagers wish they could forget.

You may expect that TV, music videos and movie content will bring unnecessarily violent images into the mind of your teen, and you will be right. Do not forget the impact that video games can also have. Many games have mature age ratings and show grisly scenes of wanton aggression that have no place in anyone’s memory.

The elephant in the room here is the type of permissions and exposure that parents give their children. Studies corroborate that the biggest factor that determines how our children relate to the type of content available to them is the actions and thoughts of their parents. If parents are not disturbed by violence, then there is a chance that they will expect it to be perfectly okay for their children to watch scenes of violence as well.

Parents should make sure they are constantly aware of the content entering their child’s mind. Through various digital parenting apps, you can ensure healthy boundaries and safeguards exist on their digital devices so that they do not consume disturbing material, especially unsupervised.

Creating a safe space to discuss the dangers and consequences of seeing violent images is important. It allows them to reveal whether they want to see the scenes and helps them realize they can make a good choice for their mental health. The same environment can be used to discuss sexual situations or racial stereotypes.

Looking for help?

If you are looking for the type of help that teen counseling provides, browse our online counselor directory or contact our office to schedule an appointment. We would be honored to walk with you on this journey.