The expert spoke about the protection of teenagers from dangerous challenges

Participating in challenges can be dangerous for teenagers. Therefore, it is important to monitor what children are interested in and build trusting relationships with them, warned Olga Bochkova, founder and head of the Academy of Safety, child and adolescent psychotherapist.

According to the therapist, children strive for belonging and at the same time want to stand out, which makes them vulnerable to challenges from the Internet. Risky flash mobs involving self-harm, suffocation, jumping out of windows, or using dangerous substances exploit these features of the adolescent psyche.

To protect a child, it is important to notice alarm signals in time. Olga Bochkova advises to be wary if a teenager spends a lot of time on the phone, hides correspondence or applications, becomes withdrawn, anxious, changes sleep patterns, refuses to meet with friends or does not want to attend school.

It is also worth taking action if strange terms or topics that raise questions appear in conversations, or disturbing posts, links to questionable communities, or aggression appear on a teenager's social media.

According to the expert, the main way of protection is trust and support in the family.

–– Since childhood, it is important to strengthen a child's self-confidence, teach him to recognize manipulation and say "no" to pressure. Parents should be interested in the inner world of a teenager, listen to him without judgment, discuss not only his studies, but also his feelings," said the child psychotherapist.

Read more about how teenagers get into dangerous communities and how to protect them in the Izvestia article.