{"id":10865,"date":"2020-09-14T15:45:14","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T20:45:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.osfhealthcare.org\/blog\/?p=10865"},"modified":"2022-02-09T16:41:43","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T22:41:43","slug":"talking-to-teens-about-exposure-to-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/osf-blog.live.imagescape.com\/blog\/talking-to-teens-about-exposure-to-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking to your teen about exposure to COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

As children get older, they tend to spend more time with their friends outside of school. During a pandemic, that can also mean more potential opportunities for exposure to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage families to know who your kids are spending time with. By knowing their exposures, you can know if they are around anyone potentially sick,\u201d said Terry Ho, MD<\/a>, an OSF HealthCare pediatrician.<\/p>\n

Talk with your teens about how their exposures put themselves \u2013 and others \u2013 at risk. Having a smaller circle or \u201cpod\u201d of friends who they interact with in person can help lower their risk.<\/p>\n

Encourage them to stay connected with their friends<\/a> through digital communication as well, such as video chats, texts or others apps that can create social connection.<\/p>\n

Factors to consider<\/h2>\n

Socialization is an important part of a teenager\u2019s life. It\u2019s normal and healthy for kids to want to spend time with their friends.<\/p>\n

The current pandemic means nearly every activity outside of our home comes with at least some level of risk, but some activities and situations may have higher risk levels than others<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ho encourages parents and teens to consider these questions before making plans with a large group:<\/p>\n