10+ Common Teenage Girl Problems And Their Solutions

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Adolescence is the finest time of life since it is filled with new freedom, enthusiasm, beauty, and enthusiasm. This glorious period, however, has its challenges for both girls and boys. Teen girl problems may include issues such as anxiety, body image consciousness, emotional dilemmas, identity crisis, and the first menstrual period. Teenage is also tricky as it tends to make minor issues seem like major problems. Teenage girl problems often arise from emotional, social, and academic pressures, which can be aggravated by the influence of social media and peer affinities. Parents play a vital role in helping daughters deal with these teen girl problems. Read on to learn in-depth about the issues your daughter may be dealing with and how you may assist her in handling them.

Teen Problems: Are Girls More Affected Than Boys?

During adolescence, girls have been reported to have double the mood swings than boys. It has been observed that before puberty, the prevalence of mood swings is almost the same in boys and girls, about 3-5%. But during the teen years, it is usually girls who are diagnosed with mood disorders.

This is because girls seem to attain emotional maturity faster than boys and this sensitivity could make them more vulnerable to teen problems than boys (1).

Also, girls are twice more susceptible to anxiety and stress than boys as females are more sensitive to low levels of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), the stress response managing hormone in mammals (1).

10+ Common Teenage Girl Problems

The most common teen girl problems include appearance, education, dating, bullying, friendship, self-esteem, peer pressure, anxiety, substance use, menstruation, depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and cyber addiction.

In this post, we list some common problems of adolescence that teenage girls experience and their possible solutions. So, keep reading to support and help your little lady better.

1. Appearance

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This issue is probably number one on every teenage girl’s problem list. Almost 35% of teenagers are believed to be worried about their body image (2). During teenage your daughter’s body is constantly changing and she has to cope with it on top of multiple different things. Moreover, seeing and hearing about figure-perfect bodies adds some unrealistic expectations. In addition to peer pressure, family environment, ability, disability, the attitude of peers, and cultural background are some factors that influence your child’s body image (3). The influences of media on teenagers is another factor that plays a profound role in their body consciousness and self-image.

Quick fact

The chances of developing eating disorders, such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia, are higher in teenage girls, especially those who are perfectionists and have great academic achievements (21).

Solution (3):

• Monitor your teenager very closely.
• Discuss how these perfect images on social media are highly digitally manipulated.
• Ensure that your young daughter doesn’t develop unhealthy eating habits in order to reduce the risk of eating disorders.
• Make sure the people she spends time with do not act adversely.

2. Education

The ages 13 to 20 are usually when teenagers are in their career formative years and are constantly under academic pressure to prove their mettle by scoring high, doing well in exams, and on other educational fronts. This immense academic pressure on your young girl leads to stress. Studies have also shown that 45% of all teenagers have school or education-related stress (4).

Solution:

• Make your teenage girl understand that she should study well and score good marks, but explain how grades do not represent her worth. Tell her how low grades are not indicators of her being less educated or less talented. There are many ways and many tests where she can perform better.
• Encourage her to take up extra-curricular activities that she likes. This will help her unwind and enhance her focus and concentration.

3. Dating

A sudden interest in romantic relationships can make life more difficult for teens. You might find your girl falling for her first crush and be vulnerable to romantic liaisons. A lot of teenage girls experience healthy crushes and early-age love too. However, peer pressure, changing times, and the advancement of media have associated sex with teenage romantic relationships. The pressure of getting involved in sexual activities may be overwhelming for your teen. As such emotions and feelings can be intense and confusing, you must explain to her the importance of taking the necessary precautions, indulging in safe sex, and the concept of consent.

Solution:

• Make her understand that it’s perfectly alright to say no to sex.
• Normalize discussions about romantic relationships and sexuality. Foster an environment where she feels comfortable enough to share details about her relationships with you.
• Teach her how to be safe and the precautions to be taken while having sex to prevent unplanned pregnancies, STDs, and exploitation (5).

4. Bullying

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Bullying is one of the prominent teen girls’ problems. About 55% of all teens say that bullying is a major problem among their peers (6), whereas 16% of school students in the US reported cyberbullying (7). Bullying, irrespective of whether it is happening offline or online can impact a teen’s emotions and may even lead to self-harming. It may also make your teenage girl feel depressed, act strangely, or keep to herself.

Do remember

Rather than physical bullying, teenage girls are more likely to experience being the subject of gossip or exclusion. Thus, check on your teen girl to see if she’s doing well mentally.

Solution:

• Make sure your teenage girl discusses everything with you.
• If you feel she is being bullied, advise her on how to face it and stand up against it.
• Teach her how she can come out of such situations and how you too were bullied sometimes when young. Knowing she is not alone in facing the issue of bullying can help her deal with it better.

5. Friendship

Teenage years can make relationships seem complex. Even the beautiful bond of friendship often meets shaky grounds. This is because your child is still developing social skills as a teenager. Your daughter might love her best friend one moment and might pick an ugly fight the next. This may result in aggression and mood swings.

Caroline Cavanagh, a mother of two who works with teenagers, observes that most of the teens approaching her are girls. She says, “I have a teenage daughter and a teenage son. But my daughter has many more teenage friendship problems than my son has. So this aspect has manifested it in my life, too (i).”

Solution (8):

• Teach your teenage girl that having disagreements or small fights with friends is normal. But fights don’t make any friends bad.
• It is alright to have problems and differences of opinion. Even her best friend might not always agree with her on something.
• Explain to her that the best way to deal with such fights is to discuss them and then forget about them.
• Monitor the kind of friends she makes. Ensure she is in the right company.
• Teach her that it is okay to apologize when wrong.

6. Self-Esteem

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Teenage girls tend to compare themselves, their body, and their appearance to other girls of the same age. This unconsciously creates pressure on them to look a certain way. The physical, emotional, and hormonal changes can lower your teenage daughter’s confidence. She might also get extremely conscious about everything she does, wears, or even talks about, leading to self-esteem issues.

Solution:

• Encourage her to look up to and idolize famous personalities who spread messages of body positivity.
• Patiently explain to her that every person is different from the other. We all are unique and have our own set of positives and negatives.
• Encourage her to indulge in her favorite activities and hone her skills instead.

7. Peer Pressure

Peer pressure forces teenage girls to behave like their peers or popular girls to feel a sense of belonging. By giving into peer pressure they feel one with their peers. However, this can make them take up habits with negative effects or ones they otherwise aren’t interested in.

Solution:

• Explain to your daughter what peer pressure is to help her identify it.
• Tell her she is unique in her own way and can choose to be a certain way without feeling any detachment from her peers. For example, tell her how it is alright to like a certain band even if her peer group is not following them.
• Explain how her opinions, views, choices, hobbies, fashion sense, and even eating habits make her entirely what she is. She need not give in to peer pressure just to feel one of them.

8. Substance Use

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This is a major problem that most teenagers face across the world today. Substance use has a huge impact on the child’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being as well as their academic success (9). Teenagers usually resort to substance use to ease their stress, and feel secure and assured from within. Moreover, in most cases, it is peer pressure that introduces teenage girls to substance use and abuse.

Solution:

• Talk to your young girl about the side effects and probable detrimental effects of substance abuse.
• Explain how these substances give a temporary high but are harmful to her system, body, mind, and soul.
• If she wants to try drinking or something else meant for adults, make her do it in your presence. This may help keep her safe and not fall for peer pressure.

9. Menstruation

This is the time your teenage girl will have her first menstrual cycle. Periods come with a plethora of issues such as bodily changes, hormone imbalances, cramps, nausea, confusion regarding what kind of menstrual products to use, how to deal with the pain, and more. This might lead to many misconceptions and queries related to menstruation.

Research finds

According to a UK survey, about 70-90% of teen girls experience period pains (dysmenorrhoea), and 20–30% of these girls miss school regularly when menstruating (22).

To help her through this phase, consider using the tips below.

Solution:

• Clear all her doubts related to menstruation.
• Explain to her how menstruation is natural. Tell her how every girl goes through this and how it is part of leading a normal life.
• Get her a pack of napkins or other menstrual products and ask her to always carry a napkin, tampon, or other product in her bag for emergencies.
• She could also keep a few medicines or use a hot water bag, in case she suffers from headaches or menstrual cramps.
• Teach her how to track her monthly periods and talk to her about PMS-ing too.

10. Depression

Image: IStock

When things are difficult, or when they are unable to meet the standards that their peers have maintained, they may feel pressured and depressed. Low grades, breakups, high parental expectations, weight gain, and substance use, are some of the other major teen girl issues that may trigger depression in teenage girls.

Solution:

• Look for signs of depression in your teenage girl.
• Excess desire to sleep or total sleep deprivation could also be a sign of depression.
• If you think she is losing interest in things she used to enjoy doing, talk to her about it.
• Ensure she remains happy and is occupied in activities she enjoys.
• If she talks about death, suicide, etc., then you should seek professional help.

11. Anxiety

It’s common for teenage girls to experience small fears. However, when these fears escalate to the point where they begin to impact school, eating habits, and friendships, it could indicate an anxiety disorder. There are several types of anxiety disorders, each with its distinctive symptoms. For example, separation anxiety causes the child to fear being away from their parents, while social anxiety is the reluctance to visit crowded places. Alternatively, general anxiety causes them to worry a lot about the future (10).

Solution(11):

• Don’t dismiss your child’s fears. They may not seem grave to you, but they are serious matters to them. Therefore, talk to them and listen carefully to what they have to say.
• Tell them how it is normal to feel anxious at times. Gain their trust and provide positive reinforcement for the activity they are afraid to do.
• Help them maintain a healthy diet and exercise routine. You could also teach them breathing exercises, like bubble breaths, to help them tackle anxious spells.
• If anxiety becomes too intense, consult a professional such as a counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

12. Panic attack

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A panic attack causes an overwhelming fear of losing control. It can cause symptoms such as dizziness, discomfort, and lightheadedness. Other panic symptoms include a rapid heartbeat, a feeling of being smothered, difficulty breathing, tremors, and sensations like pins and needles. These symptoms can make your teen feel very sick and lead them to avoid situations that cause pain attacks (12).

Solution(13)(14):

• Validate their feelings, help them understand that they will pass, and model being calm in such situations.
• Teach the teen simple tricks, such as reciting the alphabet in their head or breathing exercises, to deal with the attacks better.
• Encourage the teen to revisit the place where they had a panic attack to prevent avoidance and keep the fear from getting more intense.
• You could also take them to a safe space or distract them with different sensory inputs to pull them out of the attack.

13. Cyber addiction

While internet usage is common among teenagers today, using the internet beyond healthy limits and experiencing physical and mental issues when unable to access it may indicate addiction to the cyber world. This addiction can lead to neglecting other important aspects of life, such as school, work, and friendships. Cyberaddiction can also cause issues such as dry eyes, headaches, and backaches due to sitting before the screen for long hours (15).

Solution:

• Make the teen reflect on why they are inclined to spend so much time on the internet, and then resolve the underlying issues.
• Gradually reduce the time the teen spends on the internet and teach her relaxation exercises to cope with the withdrawal symptoms.
• Spend some quality time outdoors with the teen.
• Seek professional help if the addiction has become difficult to overcome.

Adolescent Mental Health Red Flags To Watch Out For

Identifying if a teen is struggling with mental health issues can be difficult, as they can mask their feelings well. Some signs that they might show could also be misunderstood as unruly behavior when not viewed as part of the bigger mental health issue. These signs include:
Withdrawing from friends and family

• Bursts of anger
• Substance abuse
• Self-harm
• Eating habits
• Excessive crying
• Spending most of their time alone
• Losing interest in things they loved doing
• Struggling with academics or other activities they used to excel in (16)

If your teen is showing these symptoms, you should talk to them and help them deal with the underlying problems. Consulting a professional for guidance could also be beneficial. Additionally, we have compiled a list of actions you could consider to assist your struggling teen.

Ways To Help A Teen Who’s Struggling

There are multiple simple steps you can take to help your struggling teen. Start by regularly checking in with them to understand what’s happening in their lives. Try to be an active listener when they share their problems, and offer encouragement and attention so they feel comfortable speaking their hearts out.

You could also establish a proper eating and exercise routine to boost their health and confidence.

Other ways to help your teen include encouraging them to spend more time in nature, limiting screen time, improving their sleep schedule, and creating a strong bond with them (17). Moreover, you could make them talk to a professional for expert guidance.

Teenage can be a tricky stage to navigate since adolescents are no longer children and are neither adults. Further, teenage girls may find it hard to cope with all the physical and emotional changes they experience during this stage. As a result, they may face and have many questions about teenage girl problems such as menstruation, dating, depression, issues with their sexuality, and friendships. One of the best ways to help them cope with these situations is by ensuring they can rely on you for help. Identifying deeper issues can be challenging for both parents and teenagers. If symptoms persist or worsen, it is vital to seek professional help for tailored guidance, coping strategies, and support. Letting your teen know you have got their back can make all the difference.

Infographic: What Common Problems Does A Teenage Girl Face?

The transition from childhood to maturity and the physical, mental, and social changes accompanying puberty can make the teenage years difficult and stressful for many girls. So, read through the infographic below to discover and understand typical issues teen girls may encounter that may affect their physical and mental health.

Illustration: Momjunction Design Team

Illustration: Common Teenage Girl Problems And Their Solutions

Image: Stable Diffusion/MomJunction Design Team

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