Many parents have asked the question “how much time should a teenager spend with friends?”
The answer to that depends on many different factors that will be gone over below. The teenage years are when children really develop close friendships that make them want to spend time with each other constantly. It can get to a point where they are seeing each other every day and that can cause many parents to wonder if that is too excessive.
It can also be a good thing that they are spending time with their friends if they are great a great influence so this will mostly depend on how their friends are like. It also depends on how the teenager is doing when it comes to academics and even health.
The time that should be spent varies between each teen due to the fact that every teen is different when to comes to age, maturity, and many other factors so as a parent, you will need to decide how much they should spend depending on the factors below.
Factors that determine How Much Time Should a Teenager Spend With Friends
1. Are They a Good Influence
The first and most important factor would be if their friends are a good influence.
This is important because who the teenager hangs out with will later shape who the teenager becomes. There is a saying that goes like “who you spend time with is who you become” which is a true statement because the people we spend time with will either make us become better as a person or worse.
If you as a parent can sense that the friends are a great influence that make a positive impact on the teenager, then it should be fine that they spend a lot of time together. A much as them going out a lot can be excessive, it will bring a positive effect towards the teen in the long run and they would greatly appreciate it.
If you don’t think that the friend group will bring any positive impact over the teen to better themselves, then spending too much time with them would not be ideal. As parents, we want our children to become the best possible versions of themselves and wasting time with friends that don’t bring out the good in someone will be a waste of time.
2. On Track with Academics
The second aspect you should look at would be if the teen is on track when it comes to their academics. Right now, the most important thing that needs to be focused on would be their schooling because that is the aspect that will get them somewhere in life.
If they are not getting good grades, they should not be allowed to spend as much time as they want with their friends because their focus should be doing good in school first. Their friends aren’t going to be the ones providing for them as they grow older so that means that the teen will need to start excelling in school so they are able to go on to the next step in life.
They need to understand that it is education first, then friends.
If you have a 17, 18, or 19 year old, this might be a different approach. Since many have the choice to further their education and go to college or get a job right out of high school, your teen should be at least doing one of those 2 things.
If they are in college, they should also have good grades but if they have a job, they should be working a good amount of hours so they can have a decent income coming in. Both these paths lead to them moving out and starting life on their own so if they are not being responsible by either going to college or having a job, they should not be spending time with their friends until they figure it out.
3. Health
Another aspect parents overlook at this age would be their health and physical fitness.
This is something that your teen should also be focused on as they are growing up. Just like they are working their mental aspect by going to school, they should also work on their physical health.
If your teen is not involved in a sport or does not exercise regularly, then they should set aside time at least 3 times a week where they are doing a physical activity. The reason this is involved with how much time teenager should spend with their friends would be because a much as hanging out with friends in their free time is fun, their health is also as important so if they are not setting time aside to get their physical workout in, you as a parent should encourage them to do that before they are allowed to meet with friends.
Exercise has many positives to it such as:
- Boosts energy level
- Keeps weight under control
- Helps manage stress
There are many more but these 3 will ultimately help the teen throughout their days and will bring a positive impact towards them.
Final Thought
When deciding how much time your teen should be spending with friends, there are factors to be looked at. As much as it is fun to be hanging out with friends, there will be steps to achieve the full freedom of doing so and it comes down to the friend influence, academics, and health.
We want what’s best for our children so making sure they are using their time wisely is important. If they are impacted positively by their friends and have their academics and health in check, they should be allowed to spend more time with their friends.