Pushing the boundaries
Year 9 is a time for risk-taking behaviour and challenging authority
TEENAGERS will really begin to push the boundaries, challenge authority and increase their risk-taking behaviour by the age of 14 or 15, according to experts.
This also coincides with a peak in online drama and bullying.
So the middle years of high school can be tricky.
“Year 9 is when they test boundaries and are more critical of teachers and parents,” The Quirky Kid Clinic chief executive Kimberley O’Brien said.
“They will start to want to go out at night and be a bit more independent, which is great.
“But you have to hope they’re making the right choices,” Dr O’Brien said.
The Cyber Safety Lady Leonie Smith, who advises parents on how to help their child navigate the online world safely, said some parents were tempted to spy on their kids at this age by secretly accessing their phones.
She advised against this, because it was important to build trust.
But she said parents should insist on spot checks while their child was with them.
Ms Smith advised parents to sit down with their teen and go through the pitfalls of the online world with them, including sexting, pornography, bullying and self-harm material and let them know if anything goes wrong online they can come to them and they will help.
“I’ve worked with families where children have attempted self-harm,” she said.
“They need help with selfharm material their child has found on TikTok and Instagram,” Ms Smith said.
“There are communities based around self-harm hashtags. It’s not about helping those who are self-harming, it
is about encouraging them.”
Ms Smith said it was important for parents to be across these issues.
Dr O’Brien said there had been an increase in self-harm among teenagers to the point where it was becoming “quite common”.
“Self-harm is a cry for help, usually based around frustration and what they need is a lot of fresh options, more
physical exercise and someone to talk to, like a psychologist or counsellor.”
Alcohol and Drug Foundation chief executive Erin Lalor said parents needed to recognise by year 9 their child might be starting to experiment with illegal substances.
She said the best thing parents could do was be a role model, to not base their own social lives around alcohol and let their children know they
could call them if they had gone to a party and had too much to drink.
“They need to know if things go wrong, you are there,” Ms Lalor said.
“At the same time, you want to let them know there are clear expectations and consequences,” she said.
She advised zero alcohol before the age of 18, due to research that shows it can impact a child’s mental health.