Rules for Teen Hangout Locations

An inevitable part of teenage life is wanting to spend an insubordinate amount of time with friends without the parental units around. This phase of life is all about wanting to grow up in a rush, finding yourself through your trials and tribulations, and maybe getting to know the cute boy from down the street. As a parent, it is your job to protect your teen while also allowing her to spread her wings to find out who she truly is on the road to adulthood. By setting rules about where your teen can hang out, and what she can and cannot do while you are not around, will keep your teen safer and teach her to respect your boundaries as a parent.

  1. Prevent Drug and Alcohol Use

    • According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 25.2 percent of all 12th-graders have had experience with illicit drugs. As a parent, discourage let your teen know drug use will not be tolerated while she is spending time with friends. Inform your daughter of the dangers of using and abusing alcohol, and drugs such as prescription pills, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Be aware that other ̶0;legal̶1; drugs are now on the market. Synthetic marijuana is widely circulated among teenagers because of it̵7;s relatively easy access. Let your daughter know that while these drugs are legal now, you don't want her using substances because their effects are widely unknown and unstudied.

    Set a Curfew

    • Parents should set a curfew for their teen to return home. A curfew of 10 p.m. is a good standard for most teens. As the teen grows older, compromise a little bit and adjust the time accordingly to age and maturity level. Be sure to communicate that if he or she should not return home by the curfew set, that there will be reasonable discipline for the rule broke. Such discipline could be not letting the teen hang with friends outside the house until he can be trusted to return home on time.

    Verify Adult Supervision

    • As a parent, safety and supervision should always be a top consideration when letting your teen hang out with friends. Ask for the name of the adult that will be present. As an extra precaution, write down the number of the adult so you can contact them directly. Having an adult supervising the hangout likely will discourage illegal activities, and drug and alcohol use.

    Check Reputations

    • Check up on the reputation of the kind of friends your teen is hanging out with. Ask who they are, how old they are, where they go to school and who their parents are. Investigate online to see whether these really are the type of people you want your teen to hang out with. Search Google and Facebook for the names of the friends your teen is to be hanging out with to do a quick background check. Before your child goes to hang out with her friends do a meet-and-greet so you can say hello and ask questions, if need be. Let them know what can and can̵7;t go on while your daughter is around.

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