How to keep your teen in line

It takes six hours a week to tame a teenager, reports

IT doesn’t matter how much time you spend with your children when they’re young, but six hours a week of “family time” could keep teenagers from going off the rails, research suggests.

A large international study found that the quantity of time parents spent with children aged between three and 11 had no influence on their later academic achievement, behaviour or emotional wellbeing.

But the research, which followed the development of 1 600 children, found the total amount of time adolescents spent with their mothers and fathers did have an impact.

The study, by researchers from the University of Toronto and Bowling Green State University in Ohio, found that six hours a week of “family time” made a significant difference to a teenager’s wellbeing and achievement.

Time spent with parents was associated with lower rates of delinquent behaviour, less drug and alcohol abuse, and higher academic grades.

The researchers analysed the diaries of a representative sample of children, looking at parent time and outcomes when the children were between the ages of three and 11 in 1997, and again in 2002, when the children were between 12 and 17.

Measurements looked at the total amount of time spent together, regardless of whether parents were “actively engaged” or just in the same room. FAMILY HOUR: Quality time with your teen can prevent drug and alcohol abuse and ensure higher grades, a study suggests

The study also found that mothers working outside the home had no negative impact on children aged three to 11.