Treating teens like toddlers is literally driving them crazy

A mom who sent her 14-year-old boy and his friend to the theater was shocked to learn they weren't allowed in, as she writes in The Times (of London): "{T}he boys were told it was a health and safety issue. If anything happened to them they would be alone... Then, warming to his theme, the usher explained that they might talk, check their phones or even throw ice creams during the performance. [...]

This infantilizing is not only insulting, it is making young people anxious and depressed. New research shows what is obvious to almost anyone who enjoyed some independence as a kid: "The best antidote to stress is to give teenagers a sense of control over their lives, which encourages them to behave responsibly. By protecting them from themselves and others, we are actually stifling and harming them." Give kids back their freedom and everyone wins. Keep them under constant supervision and they may start throwing ice cream. As might we all.

source: Article 'Treating Teens Like Toddlers Is Literally Driving Them Crazy'; letgrow.org/treating-teens-like-toddlers-is-literally-driving-them-crazy/; Let Grow; 11 July 2018