According to a U.S. report released in 2023 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “42 percent of U.S. high schoolers experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021. While 22 percent seriously considered attempting suicide”. In the UK the 2023 UK Youth Mental Health Report uncovered that “eight in ten teenagers feel they suffer with mental health challenges. Whilst 1 in 3 suffer moderate to severe depression or anxiety symptoms”. Our Parent Plug-In show on Instagram is specifically designed to equip parents in helping them to navigate teen struggles.

Parents play a huge role in helping teens with their struggles

We at The Gifted know, as parents ourselves, that parenting is not an easy task. It can be hard to identify the issues that your child or teenager is facing, especially in this ever-evolving world. “As a parent, you play a huge role in supporting your child’s mental well-being. Nurturing and loving care builds a strong foundation. Helping your child to develop the social and emotional skills they need to lead a happy, healthy and fulfilled life.” UNICEF.

Realising the need for parents to play an active role in addressing a plethora of teenage issues and struggles, led to the development of the Parent Plug-In. Parenting should be done in community, no-one has to parent alone – everyone can learn from someone. The purpose of Parent Plug-In it to create a platform for parents to come together. Discussing different issues that have been highlighted either through the work that The Gifted does, or through the media.

Lead by example

“Despite this generation living in a society that is more open with mental health challenges, a large number of teenagers appear to be reluctant to reach out for help” [WSYA UK Youth Report]. 43% stated that they were too embarrassed to ask for help. Starting conversations and opening up the lines of communication, can help to remove the stigma around such challenges. By using their own examples of getting help when needed, parents can lead by example both in this and in so many other areas.

In February 2024 fitness expert Mike Wayans joined us to talk about developing healthy lifestyles. He spoke about how good fitness habits for children and teenagers really starts at home. By seeing healthy eating demonstrated, as well as regular exercise, children will be inspired to do the same. In his experience Mike knows that healthy families can be moulded top-down, by parents choosing to lead by example.

Join us every Monday at 8pm on Instagram for the show, or watch previous episodes on our YouTube Channel.