Navigating the digital frontier

In the vast landscape of the digital world, parenting teenagers requires a delicate balance between setting boundaries and understanding their evolving psychological needs. As parents, recognising these positive aspects while being mindful of potential pitfalls is key.The power of empathetic parenting “Empathetic parenting entails actively listening to teens without judgment and validating their experiences,” says Nupur Dwivedi Pandey, Counselling psychologist and Emotional Intelligence coach. This means expect your teen to do well, behave appropriately while also giving them lots of love and affection that is not contingent on their performance.” Educating and engaging While it may be tempting to impose strict restrictions on technology use, a more compassionate approach involves setting clear boundaries while allowing room for autonomy and exploration. Providing alternate engagements, such as sports or hobby classes, helps teens find balance and prevents technology from becoming their sole coping mechanism.Dr Diana Monteiro explains, “High expectations and lots of warmth is always the best form of parenting. This means expect your teen to do well, behave appropriately while also giving them lots of love and affection that is not contingent on their performance.”Educating and engaging Building trust through connection Nupur Dwivedi Pandey advocates for parents to educate teens about the cyber world and its implications, fostering informed decision-making.