Holiday blues for kids and teens. What parents can do to help
Global News
Many kids and teens are looking forward to the holidays with great excitement, but others find it a difficult time of year filled with anxiety, stress and loneliness. It’s something Alisa Simon, the chief youth officer at Kids Help Phone, says they watch for when school pauses for the winter break, noting, “we do see an increase...
Many kids and teens are looking forward to the holidays with great excitement, but others find it a difficult time of year filled with anxiety, stress and loneliness.
It’s something Alisa Simon, the chief youth officer at Kids Help Phone, says they watch for when school pauses for the winter break, noting, “we do see an increase in young people reaching out to us.”
Mental health professionals point to several reasons emotional well-being can take a hit for some kids and teens during the holidays: family stressors, pressure to act “happy,” less time with friends, stress over upcoming high school exams in January and a general lack of light at this time of year.
They suggest parents foster open communication over the break and watch for any significant changes in their kids’ behaviour.
Kids Help Phone data reveals 816,650 phone, text and online messages with kids and youth between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31 in 2023, compared to 779,734 during July and August that year.
”A lot of young people can feel really lonely over the holidays,” Simon said.
“If your family isn’t a place that feels safe or connected, that can make it really stressful for some young people and it also can isolate them from who they are connected to if that’s their friends or their community in school.”
Simon said kids and teens also pick up on “financial or family stress or heightened emotions that might happen around (their) families.”
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