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Teen difficulties

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Ocean1970

Teen difficulties

So our 14 yr daughter is an excellent student and very involved in extracurricular activities. However she has a very difficult time socially outside of school. She has lost friends. She is concerned that no one likes her. She doesn’t know why she can’t keep friends. We try to support her and give her so much love but we don’t know what else to do. This has been going on for over a year. She also has an addiction to screen’s during her down time which doesn’t help. Any advice please
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TOM-RO

Re: Teen difficulties

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Hey @Ocean1970 and welcome to the ReachOut Parent forums Smiley Happy

 

It can be hard when we see our teens struggling to make/ keep friends. A lot of parents experience and are concerned by this issue. In fact, we had a child/family professional answer the question "What can I do when my teen has no friends?" here which may be worth reading for you. 

 

It sounds like your daughter is worried about people disliking her, so it might be a good idea to get her professional help. A professional can help her in two ways - they can help her cope with these feelings of worry and provide social-skills training to aid friendship making if necessary. We have an article on how to get teenagers help here

 

A really good resource for parents in your situation (if you're from Australia) is Parentline, as they offer free and confidential counselling and support to parents and carers on any parenting issues they may be facing. They may be able to help you with your daughter’s situation, support you, and also refer you to any useful services in your area. Parenting can be stressful, so it's important you look after yourself too Smiley Happy. The number for Parentline differs per state. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see which number to call if you're interested.