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Original poster

Teens out and about with friends

63 replies

StiffyByng1 · 03/01/2021 22:38

No judgement, just very curious to know, are your teens all meeting up with their buddies. I’m in tier 4 and it’s pretty rife around my way. Wondering if it’s the norm.

OP posts:
Randomrebel · 03/01/2021 23:27

No DD year 11 met her best friend once for a long walk and some Christmas shopping on the 22nd after coming out of 10 days isolation as her year group bubble burst.

But that is the only time either of my two teens have been out apart from going to school in months.

They are allowed out for exercise but not allowed to meet to hang around or to meet more than one friend but many teen kids around here must be meeting with their parents blessing.

SE13Mummy · 03/01/2021 23:27

My 16-yr-old has met with one friend at a time to go for a walk or run. We're tier 4, that's what's allowed and what she's done two or three times a week during the holiday.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 03/01/2021 23:30

My 14 year old went for a short walk with a sensible friend today. It's the person who isn't from our household since school finished before Christmas.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 03/01/2021 23:31

It's the first person.

Rollergirl11 · 03/01/2021 23:32

Tier 4 here. DD (14) has met up with one friend at a time outside a couple of days this week. Have been happy for her to do so.

roughtyping · 03/01/2021 23:33

Yes. 17 yo DS has met up outdoors during the day for a few hours, a couple of times over holidays. In in the evening - he wasn't big on being out a lot of the time anyway.

Firefliess · 03/01/2021 23:34

DD sees her BF. But other than that she sticks to the rules - one friend at a time and outside only. She was saying to me the other day that that feels manageable - she can cope with socialising on that basis for a few months if she has to. She didn't cope well with the spring lockdown restrictions. This time last year though she'd have been off at someone's house, gigs or a party 4-5 nights a week, a real extrovert with literally hundreds of people she'd call friends. Now there's maybe half a dozen. Sad So there has been an absolutely massive reduction in her level of close contact.

Donotgogentle · 03/01/2021 23:35

Tier 4 rules do allow meeting up with one other person in an outdoor public place for exercise/recreation:-

“Exercise and recreation
People can also exercise outdoors or visit some public outdoor places, such as parks, the countryside accessible to the public, public gardens or outdoor sports facilities. You can continue to do unlimited exercise alone, or in a public outdoor place with your household, support bubble, or with one other person if you maintain social distancing. You should follow the guidance on meeting others safely.”

Hurtandupset2 · 03/01/2021 23:41

Mine are both teens and didn't break the rules at all during the 1st lockdown, but since a friend that was a bad influence got back on touch in August (and going to university in September), the eldest has become pretty selfish and goes out to meet friends despite knowing I'm immunosuppressed.

She says she is keeping her distance, staying outside and wearing a mask, but not sure she always did, tbh.

We're in T4. The younger one is following all the rules.

QueenPawPaws · 03/01/2021 23:41

Tier 4 here and all roaming in groups of 10-30 as usual. Police had to come out the other night as they were causing damage and being abusive to people Angry
Nothing has changed all along, it's still the same groups that were doing it in March onwards

MumblesHereMumblesThere · 03/01/2021 23:41

Mine aren’t but their mates have been and guess what ... some of them caught covid at a party 😳

Titsywoo · 03/01/2021 23:48

My teens are just socialising online apart from ds going for a walk with one friend last week. Dds friends are clearly still meeting up as she saw pics of them at a NYE party (the parents of the teen hosting don't believe covid is an issue). Upsetting for her but she knows she needs to stay home for now. It just annoys me that we follow the rules then they go back to school and are surrounded by people who don't.

Barton10 · 03/01/2021 23:52

Loads of them in groups near me. The worry is that if schools close they will be out in groups in towns. Our town was full of them just before Christmas and we are in tier 4. They are causing this thing to spread.

user1471562688 · 04/01/2021 01:32

Wondering if it’s the norm.

Yes, it is normal for young people to want to meet and socialize - it's human instinct and natural. I find it very strange that this is now considered abnormal. God help them.

DenisetheMenace · 04/01/2021 01:34

No. It’s horrible. But losing dad to Covid would be even worse.

AlexaShutUp · 04/01/2021 01:40

No, dd hasn't seen anyone since the last day at school, other than very brief, socially distanced doorstep present drops. I have said that she can meet one friend for a walk, and she might do that this week, but she is avoiding unnecessary contact like the rest of us.

Thefeep · 04/01/2021 02:22

They haven’t done but I will be encouraging them to meet with a friend this week as neither Of them have left the house since the end of term.

Catsmother1 · 04/01/2021 02:52

@gardenwoe

Yes - DS meets up with his gf a couple of times a week, and she comes home here sometimes - and having watched him sadly battle with self harm and suicidal thoughts over the past 9 months, I am happy for him to take the risk/us to be put at risk (as are his gf parents it would appear, one a paramedic) rather than see his mental health take a nose dive while his locked in his room with his own tragic thoughts 24 hours a day
Same with my daughter and boyfriend. She has suffered with anxiety and depression for years, and her mental health took a nosedive after the first lockdown, where she didn’t see her boyfriend for 3 months. We are happy to take the risk. None of us have had contact with anyone else, and he had 3 negative COVID tests at uni recently, so I consider him to be low risk.
TheAlphaandtheOmega · 04/01/2021 05:41

@Barton10

Loads of them in groups near me. The worry is that if schools close they will be out in groups in towns. Our town was full of them just before Christmas and we are in tier 4. They are causing this thing to spread.
Same here, I also think they will be out as secondary schools have closed. Before Christmas they were all in groups, clearly not of the same household at our shopping mall. We were in tier 3 then and 6 outdoors was allowed but meant to be distanced but these were not distanced groups.
Missfelipe · 04/01/2021 06:36

In the park near us they all seem to meeting up in groups having gone out under the guise of walking the family dog...10 plus teens and their dogs most times, zero dog walking going on. As someone who regularly evaded their parents as a teen I’d say some are not being as strict as their parents may like to think...

fireplaceburning · 04/01/2021 06:39

Tier 4 here and my 2 have both met up with one friend each just as the rules allow

notevenat20 · 04/01/2021 06:49

I wonder how the lockdowns affect the teenage pregnancy rate. That will give a clue about this question. Surely an entire generation of teenagers can’t have stopped having sex.

GypsyWanderer · 04/01/2021 07:13

@gardenwoe

Yes - DS meets up with his gf a couple of times a week, and she comes home here sometimes - and having watched him sadly battle with self harm and suicidal thoughts over the past 9 months, I am happy for him to take the risk/us to be put at risk (as are his gf parents it would appear, one a paramedic) rather than see his mental health take a nose dive while his locked in his room with his own tragic thoughts 24 hours a day
This is like my DS who is 15. He is home educated because he became so depressed at school. He has been with his girlfriend for over a year and he has spent the last two weeks indoors because he was scared to go out and risk any of us getting ill. I actually told him to go out and see his girlfriend because he was becoming depressed, not eating and not talking to anyone. He goes and meets his girlfriend and they walk about for a little, stay local. Then he comes home. He’s been doing that for the last 3 days and is so much happier.
SelfIcellation · 04/01/2021 07:14

Tier 4 here: my teenager hasn't met up with anyone and has been conducting her social life online. Her choice. But I do see gangs of teens around my Area and in the city centre.

MinnieJackson · 04/01/2021 07:17

I don't have teenagers but my goddaughter is 14 and meets friends , has sleepovers, had friends over all over chriatmas. Her mum keeps asking my family of five to go to her house and is outraged that I'm sticking to the rules because she's 'sick of covid'. she said we could bubble, no we cant, I live with cv dm and there would be 10 of us if we did visit. She also tries to guilt trip me by saying 'yes but middle goddaughters' (aged 7) keeps asking for you, she's driving me mad, please, just for an hour' Every. Fucking. Day. She also cares for her dad who's in his 80s and in bad health, but she has loads of friends that go round when I say no and she posts pictures all the time HmmConfused

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