Teens today are under tremendous pressure from all sides. On one side, there is pressure at school to perform well in their academics. As they go higher up the classes, subjects become more difficult and they need to spend more and more time studying to get good grades. On the other side, they have peer pressure that forces them to become accepted in their group of friends. Here again, the pressures can either be positive or negative depending on the type of group that they choose to hang out with. Some groups are performance-oriented and only those who study well are allowed to enter them. Others are fun loving and require those in the group to have a good time, all the time.
Parents need to be aware of friends that their children have at school. They should also be aware of kids that their children choose to become friends with. Kids often are ignorant of many of the pitfalls of choosing the wrong group. Parents can invite friends of their children to their house so that they could get to know them better and see if they are the right ones for their kids. When parents show interest in their kids in this way, the kids also begin to share all their problems and apprehensions more openly with their parents. Communication is the key to a good relationship.
Parents also need to set a time limit for the kids to return home based on their age. Curfews can indeed keep teens out of trouble. It is generally not very safe for teens to be out at night on their own. Parents can prevent many problems by requiring their children to return home early, especially if they are too young.