Take Time: Is your tween showing the following behaviour? It might be a call for help

Screen addiction

Being glued to the screen as the only means of entertainment has caused many children to get spectacles, though there has been no genetic history. Weaning the gadget off has been a major concern for most parents. Soaring screen time has been one of the biggest concerns faced by adolescents today.

Sleep cycle

A routine sleep cycle is established only once sleep hygiene is maintained. This refers to having a fixed time to sleep and wake up each day. This further leads to individuals having a fixed biological clock or time that they wake up. The pandemic has led to children having no fixed time or schedule and even now they struggle to wake up for school/college.

Social anxiety

Some kids have never attended formal schooling earlier and, so, meeting friends or new people causes them anxiety. Some prefer to stay alone or not socialise with anyone. Some students dislike going to school or college as they feel inferior to their friends and thus feel judged.

Social networking apps

Many kids have made friends with strangers on social media, who they now term as their closest circle. Being a part of these online circles, adolescents do not feel the need to leave their comfort zone and interact with people around them. Most online friendships end abruptly leaving the adolescent heartbroken.

Many kids have made friends with strangers on social media, who they now term as their closest circle. (Pic source: Pixabay)

Academic concerns

Most students have struggled academically, with poor grades and a lowered academic performance. The same can be seen in case of children who have either not concentrated enough or got distracted during the long break between school/college.

Attention deficit

One of the most common concerns from parents is that their children do not listen at all. There could be many reasons for this. Some include inattention, preoccupation, defensiveness or lack of interest. Setting family rules and goals could help to maintain an adequate equilibrium.

Weight gain

Lack of dietary discipline, along with no routine form of exercise, can be two very important reasons for the same. In some cases, the latter could lead to a reduced self-esteem and concept caused due to poor body-image issues.

Eating disorders

Disordered eating, related to stress, poor nutritional habits, and food fads are relatively common problems among the youth. In addition, eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are on the increase among teenage girls and young women and often run in families. This includes either starving oneself and not eating at all or eating and then forcefully vomiting out what has been eaten to avoid the guilt of eating.

Aggression

Most adolescents today are labelled as “stubborn” by their parents. They often refuse to listen to their parents and communication is reduced to a form of barter system with their parents, which is often need-based only.

Behavioural concerns

Adolescents these days are often irritable and do not listen to their parents at all. These cause rifts in family life. Adolescents today sadly do not trust their parents and prefer to trust friends known to them.

Time management

Lack of appropriate time management and discipline is seen in adolescents as they struggle to complete a given task, including completing exams and assignments. It is essential to make sure one divides the 24 hours a day efficiently and does not waste time.

It is understandable that a lot of delays and behavioural concerns have arisen after the pandemic. However, it would be incorrect to not seek help presuming that things would get better over time. It is important for parents and caregivers to observe behavioural changes and seek help if the concerns persist for over a month.

Alisha Lalljee is a psychologist, special educator and psychotherapist practising in Bandra, Mumbai

For all the latest Parenting News, download Indian Express App.