Consequences for Runaway Teenagers

Runaway teenagers face a grim and potentially devastating assortment of consequences. Although life, parents and social pressures can seem overwhelming and impossible to deal with, running away is never the solution. As a runaway teen, you expose yourself to terrible dangers, such as abuse, drug addiction, alcoholism, violence, crime and arrest. Consider the consequences of running away before making such a life-altering decision.

  1. Increased Health Risks

    • Away from caregivers and proper nutrition, runaway teenagers are at increased risk of malnutrition, food-borne illness and parasites. They also put themselves at risk of contracting a sexually transmitted disease, including AIDS or HIV, and of becoming pregnant or getting someone else pregnant. A runaway teen who gives birth is likely to have a baby with a low birth weight or birth defects. She is also likely to pick up harmful activities such as smoking cigarettes and excessive alcohol consumption.

    Social Problems

    • Aside from the stigma of being labeled a runaway, teenagers who flee home are much more likely to develop mental illness and serious depression. Feelings of loneliness can make teenagers attempt suicide or entertain suicidal thoughts. Runaway teens risk developing anxiety and are at much higher risk of psychiatric hospitalization. If runaways eventually return home, they are likely to face ostracism from peers as well as the development of conduct disorder -- often characterized by aggressiveness, deceitfulness, destructiveness and truancy -- that can make good academic performance difficult.

    Crime

    • When runaway teens live on the street or with peers -- not family or guardians -- they are typically exposed to survival tactics that involve crime, such as theft or vandalism. Runaways may join gangs to feel more secure; gang initiation often involves committing a crime or some act of violence. They may also engage in prostitution, pornography or selling illegal drugs. Runaways are frequently the victims of crime, such as rape.

    Other Consequences

    • Runaways who return home may find that their relationship with parents and family members has been significantly damaged and any trust destroyed. Returning to school is challenging for runaway teens, who may have missed weeks or even months of instruction and may be forced to repeat a grade. If arrested while on the streets, runaway teens will be burdened with a juvenile arrest record that may seriously impede academic or professional advancement.

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