Parents struggle when teens gain control over health decisions at 16

When young people reach the age of 16, parents no longer have access to their child’s health information. For many families, this change comes unexpectedly.

Parents of teenagers are engaged and want to support their children when health challenges arise. But once a child turns 16, the legal framework changes, and many parents are not prepared for that transition."

Hilde E. Timenes Mikkelsen, University of Agder

Together with researchers from the University of Agder and OsloMet, Mikkelsen has examined how parents manage the transition that occurs when their child turns 16. Fifteen parents with children aged between 16 and 19 took part in the interviews.

Independent from the age of 16

In Norway, young people gain the right to make independent decisions about their own health information from the age of 16. At that point, parents automatically lose access to their teenager's medical records. 

"When they turn 16, they no longer appear in their parents' official health portal app Helsenorge. They become responsible for logging in themselves, arranging medical appointments, and collecting their own prescriptions from the pharmacy," she explains.

Many of the parents found it challenging to lose full oversight of their teenager's health. They expressed a need for clearer information about the legal changes and better guidance on how they can continue to support their child if health issues arise.

Struggling for a good balance

For young people, the years between 16 and 19 represent a period in which they take increasing responsibility for their own health. At the same time, many still need guidance and support.

The study shows that parents struggled to find an appropriate balance between respecting their teenager's independence and ensuring that they made sound decisions about their health.

"They found it difficult to know where the boundaries lay, and they were concerned about not being informed about serious health issues that may arise during adolescence, such as contraception and side effects, abortion, or emergency admissions," Mikkelsen says.

Parents also described situations in which teenagers could start medication with significant side effects without the parents having the opportunity to guide or support them.

Digital navigation is challenging

The parents in the study were also asked about their ability to seek out reliable health information. Many felt confident in doing so, yet still experienced difficulties distinguishing trustworthy sources from misleading or inaccurate information online. This was particularly evident when encountering new or complex topics, such as recently introduced vaccines.

Several parents also lacked knowledge about how to address issues related to social media, societal pressure, and mental health among young people.

"It is one thing to know what is healthy, but quite another to communicate this to teenagers in a way that genuinely influences their choices," Mikkelsen says.

Even parents with higher education or professional experience from the health sector found the digital landscape challenging.

"Trends on TikTok move so quickly that parents struggle to keep up. This makes it difficult for them to offer young people sound advice," she says.

Calling for more information on youth health

Several parents reported feeling a sense of shame when their teenager experienced difficulties. They felt they were not managing their role as parents. This sense of shame was described as more common in relation to challenges with teenagers than with younger children.

"It is easy to talk with other parents about a two year old having a tantrum or refusing to go to nursery. But when a 16 or 17 year old does not want to attend school or struggles to make friends, parents feel more like they have failed," Mikkelsen says.

Parents also expressed a desire for more knowledge about what happens in the teenage brain, and wanted clearer guidance on how to support their child during this period.

"On this, we believe the school health service has a golden opportunity to put this on the agenda - particularly in Year 10, before young people turn 16. It can be as simple as providing checklists or conversation guides on common youth related topics, in addition to school based information meetings at key transition points," Mikkelsen says.