How to Curb Risky Behavior and Substance Use in Teens

Adolescence is a critical period for the development of risky behaviors, like alcohol and drug use, reckless driving, and unsafe sex. As a parent, there is one key strategy that you can use to help your child avoid these behaviors: parental monitoring.

Parental monitoring is defined as any active effort to gather information about your child’s life and activities. One recent study identified five types of monitoring behaviors:

1. Asking your teen for information. For example, you might ask your child where they went after school, which friends they have been spending time with, or how they are feeling about an upcoming exam.
2. Setting or enforcing rules to gather information: Setting rules is one important way to monitor your teen’s whereabouts. For instance, you may require your child to activate location tracking on their smartphone or text you before leaving the house.
3. Using objective records to gather information: In the age of technology, there are so many tools available to monitor our children – accessing their grades online, checking their text history, tracking their location, etc.
4. Observing your child to gather information: You can collect so much information just by watching how your teen interacts with their friends and classmates.
5. Asking someone else to perform monitoring behaviors: Parental monitoring is not a solo activity! You can enlist other key adults in your child’s life – for example, neighbors, coaches, and teachers – to keep an eye on them.

These behaviors might seem trivial, but they have a huge impact: Research consistently identifies parental monitoring as one of the strongest protective factors for risky behavior. So, we know that these strategies work, but it is also important to consider how they work. In other words, how does parental monitoring actually change teens’ behavior?

A recent article published in Clinical Psychological Science comprehensively addresses this question. In this paper, Pelham and colleagues proposed the BCR Model, which highlights three main ways through which parental monitoring changes teens’ behavior: Behavior-management, Context-control, and Relationship/support.

Behavior-Management

Monitoring helps you to know when misbehavior occurs and respond accordingly. Let’s say your child posts a picture of themselves vaping on social media. If you are monitoring their accounts, you are more likely to see the post and issue a negative consequence (e.g., confiscating their vape pen). In turn, this deters your teen from future substance use.

Context-Control

By monitoring your child’s contacts with both peers and adults, you have the opportunity to reduce contact with individuals who encourage misbehavior and increase contact with individuals who encourage positive behavior. Similarly, monitoring behaviors increase your knowledge of the content with which your teen is engaging online. This is important for two reasons. First, you can set limits on the types of shows your child is watching or the accounts they are following. Second, you can talk to your child about the content they are consuming and correct any inaccuracies or misconceptions.

Relationship/Support

Finally, asking your child about their life and monitoring their whereabouts shows that you care. As a result, your child may be more likely to consider your attitudes and expectations when faced with an opportunity to engage in risky behavior. In addition, they could be more willing to share information with you and ask for help.

A Caveat

The BCR Model provides a very useful framework for understanding why parental monitoring is important and how it works. But, it is also important to consider that teenagers may react negatively to parental monitoring behaviors, especially when those behaviors are viewed as invasive, disrespectful, or unnecessary. In these situations, monitoring can backfire, causing teens to feel disconnected and become more secretive. Even though parental monitoring is a key protective factor for risky behavior, it is critical to (1) only gather information that is necessary to protect your child’s well-being, (2) talk to your teen about why you are engaging in monitoring behaviors, and (3) ensure that you are fostering a loving, positive relationship with your child, alongside your monitoring efforts.