How Should Teenagers Spend Their Time?

Families, communities, states, and nations are stronger when adolescents use their time appropriately. While studying adolescents over the past three months, I learned some interesting information about teenagers that may help parents today.

Concerning part-time work while attending high school can damage school performance in several ways. This is particularly true if the adolescent works more than ten hours per week. Beyond working ten hours per week, the more that a teenager works:

·         “The lower their grades.

·         “The less time they spend on homework.

·         “The more they cut class.

·         “The more they cheat on their schoolwork.

·         “The less committed they are to school.

·         “The lower their educational aspirations” (Arnett & Jensen, 2023, 301).

As in all things, much depends on the individual adolescent. They may be working more because they dislike school. They may be capable of working more hours without work affecting school. They may take easier courses in order to work. They may be too tired after work to do homework. “In the course of the study, students who increased the number of hours they worked also reported declines in school commitment, whereas those who decreased the number of hours they worked reported increased school commitment” (Arnett & Jensen, 2023, 301).

With regard to leisure, when an adolescent has too much leisure time, it may interfere with their “attention to school and schoolwork” (Arnett & Jensen, 2023, 301). The time that teenagers spend with their friends can affect their grades negatively. Here is some interesting information: “adolescents who participate in organized activities (such as sports and music) have better academic performance and re less likely to drop out of high school” (Arnett & Jensen, 2023, 301). This means that “unstructured socializing is negatively related to academic performance, but structured leisure in organized activities appears to have positive effects” (Arnett & Jensen, 2023, 301).

Wise parents will monitor how their teenagers spend their time. The results of studies show that too many hours of work negatively affect school. Studies also show that too much unstructured leisure also affects school negatively. Parents can help their children to succeed – to earn just enough money, to have just enough leisure time that school attendance and performance will not be affected negatively. By doing so, parents can strengthen their family, community, state, and nation.

Reference: Arnett, J. J., & Jensen, L. A. (2023). Adolescence & Emerging Adulthood: A Cultural Approach (7th ed.). Pearson Education (US). https://byui.vitalsource.com/books/9780138063054