Page 22 - Blue Valley Issue 4_2022

TODAY’S CHILD

TEEN STRUGGLES AND

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP

BY NICOLEEN DAVIES, DIRECTOR:
LIFE TALK FORUM

e tend to parent our children is real and what is fiction. A related component #2: BULLYING
instinctively, according to the way we is their lack of people skills – often, adolescents We all know how prevalent bullying is in our
Wwere brought up – or if our upbringing have not sufficiently or fully developed their schools. Social media makes it so much easier
wasn’t positive, we’ll parent them in the exact interpersonal and communication skills and to traumatise children because it is always there,
opposite manner. Still, like everything else, filters, so they fail to pick up on social cues. 24/7. Talk to your teen about bullying and keep
parenting is a constantly evolving experience. an eye out for signs that they may be victims of
The old ways don’t work anymore because the Therefore, while social media is a great way for bullying. Signs include withdrawing from their
world is such a different place from what it was people to connect, it is also an easy platform for daily activities or extramurals, changes in their
when we grew up. your teenager to become a target of bullying, eating and sleeping patterns, and emotional
hate speech and so-called “slut shaming”. It can outbursts. Never ignore changing behaviour in
We owe it to our children to be aware of their also expose them to inappropriate content, be it your teenager; being proactive is the only way
struggles. We need to educate ourselves about of a sexual or violent nature. to deal with it before it is too late.
the contemporary issues affecting them, so that
we can help them to better navigate through As a parent, you need to help educate your #3: DEPRESSION
the difficult, transformative teenage years. Here child about this virtual space and its perils According to the World Health Organisation,
are a few of the challenges that adolescents and protect them as much as you would in depression is the leading cause of ill health and
grapple with: any other environment. By helping them learn disability worldwide. More than 300 million
how to navigate social media in a safe way, people live with depression, and this is a
#1: TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIAL you’ll arm them with the tools they need to growing phenomenon. According to the South
MEDIA protect themselves. Keep yourself informed and African Depression and Anxiety Group, in an
Technology is constantly changing and even stay abreast of social media trends (the latest urban setting, the prevalence of depression is
though it is a way of life for our children – indeed, websites, apps, platforms etc.), communicate estimated to be 25.2% and girls are at higher risk
it has become an extension of themselves – with your teen and know what they are doing of becoming depressed.
it brings its own evolving challenges. They online. It will take effort on your part, but this
consume media differently from the way we do, is the world your child is living in, and you need Time spent on devices is isolating and is time not
and it is changing how they meet people, learn, to have a good grasp of what’s going on in that being spent on the sports ground or interacting
communicate, date, shop and even live life in space. face-to-face with people. Being active through
terms of exercise and eating. It can alter their exercising or socialising, laughing and engaging
expectations, too. That’s because social media Start by limiting your child’s screen time at a with others, helps to ward off depression and
influencers drive trends and behaviour. young age, so you can create healthy online releases healthy endorphins.
habits for them going forward. Adolescents
It’s important for parents to understand that need to know that there is a time and a place #4: OBESITY
your teens and young adults become caught for everything, and that downtime – going off Obesity is the fastest-growing disease in South
up in this virtual world, and it becomes social media – is just as important as sleeping Africa. Currently, one in eight children are obese,
increasingly difficult for them to discern what and eating. and by 2030, the statistic is expected to be one

20 • Issue 4 2022 • BLUE VALLEY NEWS