Today I have seen this helpful image (I have attached below), which I would like to share with all parents that might be struggling with their teenage son or daughter's behaviour and moods during lockdown.
I have noticed that many teenagers I work with are not able to maintain any social - virtual interactions during lockdown and after their initial excitement when they spent most of their awake time on 'Houseparty' and other apps, their online socialising has slowly but gradually disappeared. As one of my colleagues has suggested, it could be a positive sign of their spending more time with their family. However, it may also be the first sign of more concerning issues such as increasing anxiety, depression and social isolation. As a few young people I have spoken to suggested, they do not speak/chat to their peers anymore as they have nothing to talk about. I suggest that us adults may have to help them navigate this new landscape that might be as worrying for us as it is for them.
In the next few days I will be adding some tips on how we can help our teenagers navigate this uncertainty.
