3 Apps That Can Help Troubled Teens
Written by Kevin Johnson, Posted on , in Section Teens & Tweens
As a nation, we have grown to be well-acquainted in using mobile phone apps. And how could we not be enamored? Mobile apps allow us to do just about anything these days. The phrase, “There’s an app for that,” has entered the mainstream vernacular as an answer to almost any dilemma.
There are apps for playing games, apps for editing photos and videos, social apps, and just about anything in between. In fact, helpless parents will be delighted to know that there are even apps designed to help troubled teens! Below are just three examples of trouble teen, mobile apps, but with a little digging, you can find the app that is right for you.
- MTV’s Over the Line: Most parents cringe when they hear the name, "MTV." The mere mention conjures up images of teen mothers and lascivious music videos. However, MTV's surprising efforts to help the troubled youth of today has provided something useful. Over the Line, is an app that allows teens to post questions or scenarios anonymously, and then have them rated by other users to determine if a line was crossed. The anonymous nature lets teens reach out- teens who might otherwise be fearful of judgment.
- Destructive Issues: This app was designed with parents in mind. This mobile app prompts users to enter an awareness or response section. The awareness section tries to make the user more familiar with the why’s and reasons behind the top 20 issues that teens face today. Once the mobile user more fully understands the issues, the response section tries to bridge the process to narrow the problem and find a solution.
- iCurfew: Instead of simply saying “I expect you home by curfew.” You can now say “Send me your iCurfew location by 9.” This app is aimed at closing the mutual communication gap. With just a couple buttons a teen can send an un-editable link to their parents. This link will take a parent to Google maps showing their exact location. Teens can also include a message to indicate changes of plan or pick up times.
If these don’t fit your parental needs, I urge you to do a little digging; it’s likely that someone has thought “There should be an app for that,” - in regards to issues caused by your troubled teen's behavior- Hopefully, this article can give you a starting point.
More about Kevin Johnson: My name is Kevin Johnson. I have two amazing children, which have provided me with three wonderful grandchildren. My passion is serving God and helping struggling teenagers and their families rebuild their relationships. I became very interested in this field close to 28 years ago when I was involved in an internship with a drug addiction group.
I volunteered as a mentor (big brother) in therapeutic and wilderness type programs for several years before I chose to work with adolescence as a career. Working with adolescents and their families has been an integral part of my life, which I have found very rewarding. For more information about me, click here. For more about Kevin, click here.
