LETTERS: Throughout the Movement Control Order (MCO), a number of people have been held for various alleged offences, and they include teenagers who refused to stay at home.
Teenagers have boundless energy, strive for independence and yearn to be with their friends.
Given these characteristics, how do we manage teenagers who refuse to be restrained, who are not allowed to hang out with their friends and whose plans have been turned upside down by the coronavirus?
The most compassionate thing we can offer teenagers is our insistence that they fulfil national expectations by taking important steps to help combat this epidemic, for example, by staying at home.
Here are some strategies for us that may help address these challenges, especially as many adults are struggling to hold it all together.
1. Monitor the teenagers. For parents who have to work, this may seem difficult. This is where members of a community need to come together to monitor each other’s children by reporting suspicious activities.
2. Help teenagers connect with their peers. This can be done through social media or other safe social-distancing ways. Teenagers feel more comfortable expressing their worries to their peers, and they can even use such platforms to have fun by playing online games together.
3. Improve your teenagers’ awareness of Covid-19. Adults who care for teenagers should be responsible for conveying knowledge about the disease to them, as this will further empower these young people. Teachers who conduct online learning should take this opportunity to remind their students about the dangers of Covid-19 — how it can affect their health and that of others if they ignore the MCO.
4. Give your teenagers your full attention. Discuss their interests with them and do activities together. Talk about topics that teenagers like, such as K-Pop music, celebrities, movies and their friends. Also, activities such as cooking their favourite meals, exercising together and engaging in spiritual activities help to improve family connections and prevent teenagers from going out. However, as with all activities, physical distancing needs to prioritised.
5. Help your teenagers to be productive. Parents should encourage their teenagers to perform volunteer work with them; for example, a Malaysian family took the initiative to make face shields for the country’s frontliners. By undertaking such work, teenagers will be occupied and thus will not have the urge to go out.
6. Make a daily schedule for your teenagers. Some educators have implemented daily online learning sessions for their students. Besides academics, the schedule can include spiritual activities and reminders to break for meals. Such initiatives are commendable and should be applied by all educators.
7. As some teenagers do not have Internet access at home, the government needs to ensure that these teenagers are not left out during the MCO period. But this is indeed an issue that cannot be easily solved.
Discuss the implications of breaking MCO rules with your teenagers. Both adults and teenagers will be able to handle the Covid-19 situation better if they have a shared understanding of what the consequences will be if they break MCO rules. Having an open discussion about the legal consequences will certainly help in this regard.
8. Be a good role model for your teenagers. Walk the talk. If you want to keep your teenagers in the house, then it should start with you.
Managing teenagers who have no choice but to comply with the MCO can be tough. However, if we give teenagers positive instructions and lots of praise for the things they do right, they will be more likely to do what we ask.
DR NIK DALIANA NIK FARID
PUBLIC HEALTH MEDICINE SPECIALIST DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, FACULTY OF MEDICINE, UNIVERSITY OF MALAYA
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times