Teen LifeCheck
Almost half of teenagers (48%) don’t talk to their friends about personal problems because they think they’ll be considered silly or different, and nearly a third (31%) feel that their friends just wouldn’t understand.
The research, for the NHS Teen LifeCheck website, also shows that the topics teens felt they couldn’t discuss with their friends included:
Feeling depressed (30%)
Whether to have sex for the first time (26%)
Arguments/violence at home (25%)
Being bullied (21%)
When asked who they usually turn to for advice, parents came top of the list. But nearly three quarters (74%) of teens also agreed it would be good to have somewhere they could find out more about their worries without having to tell anyone.
The survey will make sure the new confidential teen self-assessment service from the NHS -teenlifecheck.co.uk stays up to date and helps teens with issues that matter most. In just three months since it launched, the site has attracted visits from more than 100,000 teenagers for advice.
Public Health Minister, Gillian Merron, said:
"Whether teenagers are concerned about their weight or giving up smoking, nearly three quarters of them say they like to get confidential advice. NHS Teen LifeCheck gives teenagers the support to make decisions and choices that can help them to be healthy and happy."
Youth worker Katharine Terrington said:
"We tend to think that teens share all their worries with those closest to them, but this survey shows that many would find it difficult to talk about certain issues.
"It’s incredibly important to them to fit in with their mates and often they don’t know whether their worries are normal or not. That’s why a non- judgemental website like teenlifecheck.co.uk can be a huge help."
The research also explored today’s teenagers’ biggest worries - the top five are:
Passing exams (46%)
Acceptance / fitting in (36%)
Bullying (30%)
Peer-pressure (25%)
Sex and relationships (22%)
teenlifecheck.co.uk covers topics like these alongside drugs, alcohol, personal safety, healthy eating and exercise. The simple, interactive quiz with multiple choice answers guides young people to tailored, non-judgemental feedback, provides top tips and points them in the direction of more information and support such as Childline.
It is specifically targeted at young teens (12-15) because research has shown that these are the ‘discovery years’ where young people are most likely to experiment and there is a greater opportunity for this age group to recognise and avoid risky behaviours or unhealthy lifestyle choices.