At a glance
- It is important that teens have a health care provider they trust and can talk to.
- Parents can help teens build trusting relationships with health care providers to discuss sensitive issues.
- Parents should allow their teen one-to-one time with a health care provider.
Overview
The teen years are an important time of growth and development. Teens need regular medical care to ensure they stay safe and healthy.
Why it's important
As adolescents develop and take greater responsibility for their lives, it makes sense for them to be more engaged in their own health care. Current guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend that providers begin having one-to-one time, or "time alone," with young people as early as age 11.
Providers who spend one-to-one time with young teens help establish this practice as a routine part of care. These providers offer teens opportunities to raise concerns in an open manner. Teens may have questions about sensitive issues, such as relationship concerns or depression. When teens can discuss these issues, it can:
- Increase their satisfaction with medical care.
- Make them more receptive to receiving preventive health services.
A recent report from AAP encourages providers to have one-to-one time with teens to provide accurate, comprehensive sex education. This education would include personalized information on risks as well as prevention options.
Recommendations
Research suggests that not enough teens get one-to-one time with their providers. Studies found that:
- Only 38% of teens 15–17 years old had one-to-one time with a provider during a clinic visit in the prior year.
- Of 144 medical visits attended by a parent, just 68% involved time alone between the provider and teen.
Common questions
What can parents do? They can help create that trusting relationship by allowing their teen one-to-one time with their health care provider.
Talk with the health care provider about:
- When to begin giving your teen more autonomy with their health care.
- When you can expect the provider to ask for time to discuss your teen’s health privately.
Initially, the provider may ask you to step out of the room for a period of time. The time can lengthen as your teen gets older and more comfortable taking responsibility.
Have regular conversations with your teen about health-related topics. Topics may include: healthy relationships; mental health; and the prevention of HIV, other sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy. These discussions will help build your teen’s confidence to talk openly with a provider whether or not you're in the room.
Working together, you and the provider can ensure that your teen can talk openly—with both of you—about issues of concern.
When your teen’s provider asks you to leave the room, note your appreciation that they're speaking privately with your teen. Your support can reassure your teen and empower them to take more responsibility for their health care. It also makes it easier for the provider to continue to have time alone with your teen at future visits.
If your teen’s provider does not ask you to step out of the room, you can suggest that you do so. Mention that you think it is important that your teen and the provider have time alone to talk about health issues.
There is usually more time at annual check-ups to allow your teen and providers to have time alone. However, you can look for opportunities to offer to step out of the room during urgent care visits, as well.
One resource is CDC's fact sheet Talking With Your Teen About Sex: Going Beyond "the Talk."