• Mental health problems and illness
• Alcohol consumption
• Violence
• Road safety
• Sexual health
• Body image
• Other relevant/emerging health issues, eg gambling, cyber-bullying, party crashes, drink spiking

Mental Health Problems And Illness

• Mental health issues arise in adolescents owing but not limited to:
  • Greater autonomy
  • Pressure to conform with peers
  • Exploration of sexual identity
  • Increased access to and use of technology
• Often social exclusion due to culture, religion and even race and be potentially harmful for mental health
• Adolescents tend to go to depression thinking that they do not fit in anywhere. Depression is one of the leading causes of illness and disability among adolescents.
• Abusive experiences in childhood as well as trauma from certain events can also develop mental illnesses.

Alcohol Consumption

• Pop culture tells people that alcohol is the key to get rid of anything that troubles the mind.
• According to the 2019 National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 2.8% of 14–17-year olds drink weekly (while for the 18–24 age group, the figure is 27.9%).
• Binge drinking is a trait often adapted from parents.
• When explaining about alcohol consumption, parents should be clear about the severe health complications it can bring about in future (heart diseases, cancer etc.).
• Responsible drinking should be encouraged which includes:
  • Alcohol consumption is not necessary to be cool
  • Driving while being drunk can potentially kill a person
  • All social gatherings do not demand alcohol

Violence

• Abusive and life threatening situations experienced at a young age can trigger flashbacks and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
• Children who grow up in a violent and aggressive environment often replicate the behaviour leading to them hurting peers and indulging in fighting, bullying and other crimes.
• Youth violence can often have a lethal impact and affect the society as a whole.
• A supportive family environment should be developed for prevention, counselling can also be seeked where necessary.

Road Safety

• Under age children should not be allowed to handle vehicles.
• When applying for a driver’s license, parents should be clear on the general, safe rules of driving.
• Drinking and driving should never be promoted.

Sexual Health

• Reproductive health measures of both male and female should be addressed.
• Adolescents should be made aware of the actions that put them in low and high risk of developing sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDs and STIs).
• It should be implied and promoted that discussing reproductive health issues with an expert is not a taboo.

Body Image

• Overweight children and adolescents should be encouraged to exercise and lose weight, but the approach shouldn’t make them feel abnormal in any way.
• Weight challenges should always be tackled from the perspective of future health and not the appearance.
• Adolescents should never be given pop culture references (for example, movie stars don’t really look the way they appear to be).

Other Relevant/Emerging Health Issues

• Parents should openly discuss the rules of social media conduct. Adolescents should learn to accept that not everyone on social media will share their opinion or view on a topic.
• Authorities should launch cyber-crime awareness campaigns.
• Safe net connections can be established to block harmful gambling sites.