Library
Ages 15–17
Updated 25 Oct 2026
How your child is growing
- Most girls have completed puberty by now; boys may still be maturing physically.
- Your teenager is developing a unique personality and opinions, and a clearer sense of who they are.
- There is more interest in romantic relationships and sexuality, and a deeper capacity for caring and sharing in close relationships.
- Less time is spent with parents and more with friends. Conflict with parents often eases.
- Work habits become more defined, and future plans for study and work matter more.
- Your teenager can give reasons for their own choices, including about what is right or wrong.
How you can walk alongside
- Talk with your teenager about what worries them and notice changes in behaviour. Listen without playing down their concerns.
- Take a real interest in what matters to them and ask for their opinions and views. Use open questions, and say back what you heard to check you have understood.
- Let your teenager know you are ready to talk and listen at any time, without forcing a conversation. Laughing together and doing things you both enjoy keeps you connected too.
- Encourage your teenager to find their own solutions and create chances for them to use their own judgement. Be available for advice and support.
- Set clear expectations together, such as when to be home and staying safe online. Teens who help define them feel more invested in following them.
- Plan ahead together for difficult situations: someone in the group using drugs, pressure to have sex, or a lift offered by someone who has been drinking.
- Respect your teenager’s need for privacy. Celebrate effort and achievement, and encourage sport, music, art or volunteering.
Changes and things to keep in mind
- Your teenager may have concerns about body size, shape or weight. The CDC notes that eating disorders can occur at this age, especially among girls.
- Encourage enough sleep, exercise and healthy, balanced meals.
- Invite your teenager to eat with the family. Shared meals help them choose food better and give everyone time to talk.
- If your teenager games, messages or uses social media, encourage good decisions about what they post and how much time they spend there.
- Talk about staying safe on the road. Your teenager wears a helmet on a bike or motorbike.
- This is a time to prepare for more independence and responsibility. If your teenager has a part-time job, use it to talk about expectations, responsibility and respectful behaviour in public.
- It still helps to know where your teenager is, and to agree when they will call and what time they will be home.
When to ask a doctor
- Your teenager is sad or low for a long time, grades are falling, or they withdraw from friends and family.
- Your teenager loses appetite, sleep or weight, or is very preoccupied with weight and body shape.
- Your teenager is using alcohol, tobacco or drugs.
- If your teenager seems sad or depressed, you can ask directly whether they have had thoughts of suicide. According to the CDC, asking will not cause such thoughts; it shows that you care how they feel.
- When you see these signs, seek help from a doctor or mental health professional.
Sources
- WHO – Adolescent health (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- UNICEF Parenting – 11 tips for communicating with your teen (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- CDC – Essentials for Parenting Teens: Tips for Coaching Teens to Recognize and Manage Emotions (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- CDC – Essentials for Parenting Teens: Tips for Understanding and Adapting to the Teen Years (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- Vinmec – Làm bạn, tâm sự với con khi dậy thì (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- CDC – Essentials for Parenting Teens: Tips for Encouraging Independence (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- CDC – Positive Parenting Tips for Healthy Child Development: Teenagers (15–17 years of age) (CDC Stacks, PDF) (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
- WHO – Mental health of adolescents (fact sheet) (accessed 4 Oct 2026)
This article helps you understand and prepare. It does not replace a check-up. For an answer about your own situation, please ask the doctor who is caring for you.