How Can High Risk Behaviour Be Avoided For Teens? | How Can You Keep Teens Safe?

What is the link between risk-taking in adolescence and brain development?
In this video, you’ll hear from Clinical Program director Dr. Jess Shatkin as he explains what to do and how to talk with your kid about risky behavior.

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First, it's not one conversation. So whatever conversations parents have had already, whatever conversations they continue to have, these are ongoing things. The good news is we don't get only one chance and we can repair and retract and regroup and go and try again. So how do you have a conversation? I mean, I think the most important thing is that you role model effectively, that you show them how you manage in this world, and that you're aware of what's going on with them that you require that you asked what they know that you help to correct any misinterpretations and misunderstandings so much.

There's so much misinformation in our world right now. Because you can access anything online, so you can get lots of different answers to the same question. And they all seem bonafide and reasonable. So it's hard to parse through that sometimes. So I think parents being in touch with their kids is the most important thing, parents role modeling for their kids, when you have a conversation about risks, specifically, I think it's good to start with, you know, what have you heard about what are your friends doing? What are people in your school doing?

Let's talk about the kinds of things that you're wondering about or thinking about, maybe have questions about me, you know, things that that get to tap into that, you may see plenty of risk taking behavior, you may see them jumping off the roof into the pool, you may see them, you know, smoking some weed or hanging out with kids who used to get good grades and other kind of fallen off the rails a little bit. So as a parent, it's important to try and stay close to your kids, friends, and your kids, friends, parents so that you know what's going on, that really helps a lot enquire ask, wonder, share, that's really where the conversation starts. And it's not one conversation, it's it's a constant, ongoing relationship, you have to specifically about risk, you know, I think you can have a conversation just like we're having now like,

let's talk about risk, you want to talk about it, you know, I want to talk about risk with you. They're really positive risks that you learn a lot from, and there's some risks that are kind of dangerous, what do you think about those things, which what is a good risk that you as you would see it, what's a risk that we might be concerned about, as your parent, as you know, that's how you could start the conversation. And let's be clear, as parents, you don't have First of all, you're not equal to your kids, you know, you're not really equal to your kids until they're of age and they can pay for themselves fully, you know, then if you want to build more of a friendship, and and have that kind of link, but I don't encourage parents to say yes, we're best friends, this is my best friend, because the best friend relationship is different and not as special as a parent child relationship.

That's a special relationship. And we should honor that relationship as it is. There's there's nothing that compares to that. So let's not kid ourselves that we're friends with our kids, we can be really friendly with our kids, I'm saying that your kids may not appeal. And you may not want to say it that way. But that's the take home point. You know, we our kids are born into an autocracy, Mom and Dad are the ultimate leaders. as they age as they go through puberty as they get into high school, you can't control them 100% and you don't want to you want them to learn and grow and learn by mistakes, as you say. So we move into something like a democracy. But mom and dad still have veto power, they still are the ones with the ATM card, they're still the ones who have the, you know, pay the insurance and pay for the cell phone and, and manage the car and manage the bills and all that stuff. So mom and dad still have a role here as a gatekeeper and someone to watch things and make sure things are safe and are happening. And mom and dad don't have to tell their kids every thing or answer every question.


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