Dr. Elizabeth Englander is a professor of Psychology and the Founder and Director of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University, a Center which delivers programs, resources, and research for the state of Massachusetts and nationwide. She is a nationally recognized researcher and expert in the area of bullying and cyberbullying, childhood causes of aggression and abuse, and children’s use of technology. Dr. Elizabeth dives into how parents can set their teenagers up to win and develop a healthy technology routine in this week’s episode.
Key Takeaways
- About Dr. Elizabeth.
- How do we help our teens transition post-pandemic?
- A year isolated and away from your friends is a long time for teens.
- It’s important to acknowledge your teens feelings. This is way more distressing than we might realize.
- It might seem silly, but roleplaying helps wonders!
- Ask some open-ended questions on how your teen is feeling.
- Teens have lost some of their self-confidence, what can we do to best support them?
- A study that Dr. Elizabeth conducted has shown that teens are more anxious and depressed this year than ever before.
- How do you monitor what your teen is watching on social media?
- Most teen’s do not have terrible things happening to them online. It’s important not to catastrophize the situation.
- A sign of good parenting means they’ve helped their teen develop good judgement.
- We don’t have to be overwhelmed with anxiety when it comes to our teens social media use.
- Take technology out of the bedroom, especially if it’s disrupting your teens sleep.
- With older kids, it’s important to include them in finding a solution to their problem.
- Is your teen a victim of bullying? How can you help?
- 86% of teen’s were struggling with anxiety and depression this year.
- Don’t worry about the stigma. If your teen needs help, get them help.
- Is your teen just going through a phase?
- Keep talking to your kids, even if it might feel like it’s falling on deaf ears.
Resources:
Quotes:
“This has been a big stressor for everybody. There is nothing wrong with having these feelings when you go through something like this.”
“When children get old enough, you want to mostly rely on their judgement. That means you want to talk to them.”
“Your children will make mistakes, and it won’t cost them their life. I promise.”
