Summertime boredom can lead to dangerous teen behavior. Providing teen summer activities can help prevent bored teenagers from making unsafe and unhealthy choices. Parents need to stay engaged, maintain open communication, and protect teens from pitfalls.
Everyone loves summer—especially teens. However, summer can be a tricky time for teenagers. That’s because they have less supervision and more time on their hands—which means more opportunities to engage in dangerous behavior.
The Dangers of Summer for Teenagers
Parents often use school as a way to gauge how their children are doing. Therefore, during the summer, it’s easier to miss the warning signs that indicate a teen’s mental health is suffering.
“School is an easy way to measure success, since it is done in such an objective way: grades, attendance, and interpersonal relations with staff,” says Ryan Fedoroff, MEd, Vice President of Learning and Development for Newport Academy.
“Over the summer,” she adds, “it can be much more difficult to see when our teens are struggling. Thus we aren’t able to intervene at an earlier stage of the decline.”
Summer can mask the symptoms of teen depression or teen anxiety. Teens have less supervision and structure. Sometimes families don’t eat meals together as frequently because everyone is on a different schedule, resulting in less parent/child communication.
When there are fewer expectations and guidelines for a teen, it is harder to assess whether things are going awry or not, Ryan says.
Download a checklist of what to watch for to identify dangerous behavior or mental health warning signs in your teen.
Teen Mental Health Warning Signs to Watch for This Summer
Here are some signs to watch for during the summer months that indicate a teen might be struggling.
Isolating Themselves
Self-isolating behaviors might include any of the following:
- Sleeping very late in the morning
- Staying plugged in for hours at a time—watching television, playing video games, scrolling social media
- Not spending time with peers
- Showing lack of motivation or enthusiasm for activities they used to enjoy
- Neglecting self-care, such as showers, exercise, etc.
Changes in Behavior
These behavior changes might include one or more of the following:
- Being defensive when asked questions
- Resisting typical requests
- Acting agitated or defiant
- Seeming sullen
- Exhibiting extreme moods.
Spending All Their Time with New Friends
Obsession with a new peer group can be a warning sign, particularly if a teen rejects their former group of friends. While it’s not uncommon for teenagers’ peer relationships to shift over time, it’s important for parents to get to know these new friends. Furthermore, are they supporting your teen, or exerting unhealthy peer pressure?
Altering Their Appearance
With more time on their hands, bored teenagers can search for approval or try to fit in with a new peer group by altering their appearance. For example, they might cut or dye their hair, get new body piercings, or change their usual way of dressing. This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but parents should keep a close eye on such behavior. While adolescence is a period of change, extreme change within a short amount of time can be a warning sign that a teen’s mental health is suffering.
Teen Risky Behavior in Summer
Summer is a time when teens are more likely to engage in dangerous behavior such as unsafe driving, unsafe sexual activity, and drug or alcohol abuse. Peer pressure can be a factor in dangerous behavior, as well as teenage boredom as a result of more unstructured, unsupervised time. Moreover, acting out can be a misguided way for teens to feel grown-up and independent. Consequently, dangerous teen behavior can stem from a desire to fit in or be liked.
Summertime boredom can lead to experimentation with substances. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, June and July are the peak months for teen drinking and drug use. Consequently, it’s important to watch for signs that a teen might be abusing drugs or alcohol.
Signs of Teen Substance Abuse
The signs of teen substance abuse include the following red flags:
- Bloodshot eyes, eyes drifting and non-focused
- Runny nose, redness around the nose with no medical cause
- Sudden, unexplained weight loss, looking gaunt and skeletal
- Chronic coughing, a smoker’s cough with no medical cause
- Poor hygiene and diminished personal appearance
- Smell of smoke on breath or clothes, unexpected use of perfume or cologne
- Laughing for no reason, emotional instability, extreme moodiness
- Secretive behavior, territorial, hiding in their room
- Extended and unexplained use of bathrooms
- Compulsive eating, frequent hunger or “munchies”
- Loss of interest in once-favored activities, isolation
- Stealing, unexplained need for money, kleptomania
- Inappropriate clothing, such as long sleeves in summer to hide needle marks
- Avoiding eye contact, inability to communicate, withdrawing into their shell
Can Teenage Boredom Lead to Depression?
We often think of the cold, dark months as the most depressing time of year; that’s where the phrase “the winter blues” comes from. However, summertime can also trigger teen depression. Here’s are some reasons why.
- With less to keep them busy, teens can feel bored and useless.
- Teens can feel lonely and isolated without the everyday socializing provided by school.
- For teens who struggle with body image, wearing bathing suits and skimpy clothes can trigger self-esteem issues.
- Hot weather and more unstructured time can lead to excessive technology use, which typically has a negative impact on mood.
- Comparing themselves to peers (on social media or in real life) who appear to be having a great time on vacation or with friends can result in teens feeling bad about themselves.
10 Signs of Teen Depression
Here are signs to watch for if you think your teen might be suffering from depression.
- Avoidance of social situations and a loss of interest in favored activities
- Exhaustion, constant fatigue, and a generalized lack of energy
- Sense of despair, sadness, and hopelessness (sometimes escalating into suicidal thoughts)
- Lack of motivation (resulting in feelings of either guilt and/or failure)
- Unexplained aches and pains, headaches, stomach problems
- Hard time concentrating (particularly for teens who used to be focused)
- Feeling worthless, irritable, frustrated, or having an extreme case of low self-esteem
- Disturbed sleep patterns (taking naps during the day, insomnia at night)
- Changes in appetite and weight (including not eating on a regular basis or binge eating)
- Abusing alcohol or drugs to cope with the pain as a form of self-medication
What Parents Can Do to Prevent Dangerous Teen Behavior in Summer
Here are some ways parents can help teens stay healthy and positive and avoid summertime boredom during the school vacation.
Be aware of what your teens are doing.
Parents need to know what their kids are doing, and they may have to impose limits on the amount of time teens spend outside the home. Check in with your teen every day about where they will be and what their plans are.
Plan teen summer activities.
Many families take a vacation during the summer, but don’t wait for that one week to spend time together. Take day trips, do creative projects as a family, or spend an afternoon at the local pool, waterpark, or museum. To avoid the pitfalls of dangerous teen behavior or recklessness, create space for time together. Here are some ideas for how to keep a teenager occupied.
Set limits when necessary.
Establishing limits for an adolescent during the summer is often necessary. As discussed earlier, here are some areas in which setting boundaries can be essential or very important for teens.
- Technology use
- Curfew
- Chores
- Substance use
- Using the car
- Having friends over.
Communicate with your teen.
An ongoing, meaningful connection between kids and parents is one of the most powerful factors in supporting teen mental and physical health. Ongoing communication and regular mental health check-ins can help teens open up to parents about what they’re thinking and feeling.
In conclusion, summer for teenagers can hold some dangerous pitfalls. However, dangerous teen behavior can be caught early if you know what to look for, and planning teen summer activities can help them avoid summertime boredom. With the right approach, summer vacation can be a tim
Set limits when necessary.
Establishing limits for an adolescent during the summer is often necessary. As discussed earlier, here are some areas in which setting boundaries can be essential or very important for teens.
- Technology use
- Curfew
- Chores
- Substance use
- Using the car
- Having friends over
Communicate with your teen.
An ongoing, meaningful connection between kids and parents is one of the most powerful factors in supporting teen mental and physical health. Ongoing communication and regular mental health check-ins can help teens open up to parents about what they’re thinking and feeling.
In conclusion, summer for teenagers can hold some dangerous pitfalls. However, dangerous teen behavior can be caught early if you know what to look for, and planning teen summer activities can help them avoid summertime boredom. With the right approach, summer vacation can be a time for teens and families to recharge and reconnect so everyone will feel energized and bonded when the fall routine begins once again.
Contact us today to learn more about our summer residential and outpatient programming.