Health & Illness

How Do I Make The Best of My Teen Years?

Published: March 29, 2021

Dear TeenHealthFX,

hi tfx, how do I make sure I make the best of my teen years? everyone always says that these are the best years of my life, and I want to make sure I don't waste them. and with covid and stuff, it's hard to do things like hanging with friends. so do you guys have any advice on how to make sure I make the best of my childhood?

Signed: How Do I Make The Best of My Teen Years?

Dear How Do I Make The Best of My Teen Years?,

TeenHealthFX understands how hard it is to try to live your best life right now. It has been especially hard due to the winter months and COVID. There are many things you can try to do to stay connected to your friends and still have a great childhood.

Here are some suggestions:

Set up zoom parties or group video chats with friends.

Create trivia games and do virtual viewing parties of movies.

Once the weather gets nice, have a socially distant hang out.

Try to find small things to be grateful for.

Spend quality time with family.

Start a hobby or learn a new skill.

Learn to play an instrument, learn to bake, create an app, the options are endless!

Sit outside. Enjoy the sunlight.

Create future plans.

Reach out to family and friends especially if you need help.

Remember you are not alone. Teens all over the world are facing the same challenges you are. Even though it can be challenging, try to stay positive.

Signed: TeenHealthFX

Ratings

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 10-14 ¹

Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death in the US among people aged 15-24 ²

51% of youth (6-17) get treatment each year for a mental health condition ³

15.6 teenage girls for every 1,000 will give birth to a baby before they are 20 years old. ⁴

Only 6% of high school students get tested for STDs ⁵

1/3 of high school students who were currently sexually active used effective hormonal birth control the last time they had sex with an opposite-sex partner ⁶

Nearly 30% of female students currently drank alcohol and nearly 20% currently used marijuana.⁷

2.14 million middle and high school students currently vape ⁸

Over 80% of women and men both report having experienced their first rape under the age of 25. ⁹

Almost 40% of high school students have reported using marijuana at least once. ¹⁰

83.88% of 12- to 17-year-olds have reported using marijuana within the last month. ¹¹

One in four women first experienced intimate partner violence before the age of 18. ¹²

5.9 million teens have reported to drink at least once in the past month. ¹³

In 2022, there were 1,573 motor-vehicle deaths from underage drinks ¹⁴

About 1 in 10 children live in a home with a parent who has a drinking problem ¹⁵

Only 65 percent of teens consistently wear seat belts when driving or as a passenger. ¹⁶

The risk of motor vehicle crashes is higher among 16- to 19-year-olds than any other age group. ¹⁷

49% of the youth report having less than 3 friends in 2022 ¹⁸

^{2.7 million youth report experiencing severe major depression}¹⁹

Over 3.3 million teens will be graduating from high school in the year 2023-2024 ²⁰

The average social media screen time for teens is 7 hours and 22 minutes per day ²¹