Nocturnal teenager

[Peapod123]

Hi

My teen (16) was very good at going to school pre Covid. Since then though things have gone awry. He will sleep all day and get up in the evening. Forced to go private to get melatonin. Takes it but no difference. Child Support Worker and school on board but still he doesn’t go. Says he wants to but simply cannot get up in the morning. Have tried all I can think of.

I have tried to take devices away but I get such a tantrum (removing door handles to get at locked up equipment) it’s just not working with a younger child in the house too.

Does anyone have any advice at all as I have exhausall I can think of doing?

Does he have access to tech at night? Take it all away.

Turn the WiFi off and change the password at night

You have my sympathy Op as I have strong willed children and one of them is neurodiverse and also can't sleep - although with us the melatonin helps a lot.

I know how hard it is (and people will come on here and talk as though it's easy) but - you have to remove the option of tech and phones atnight. Whatever the 16 year old option is for that? Your house, he is not an adult , not working -

I know these situations are like turning a tanker around - is he addicted to gaming? or talking all night? I would tackle this as a gaming addiction above anything else. Find professional help?

You need to remove the tech at night and if you’re getting tantrums when you remove it overnight and finding he’s destructive in trying to get it you’ll have to remove it completely so he doesn’t have access to it in the day either. If he can’t access his tech he can’t stay up all night using it and if he won’t leave it when it’s bedtime he’s clearly not mature enough to have access to it. Bin it, sell it, whatever you need to do to get it out of the house! Schools takes priority over gaming, social media or whatever else he is using his tech for, tech is a privilege not a right!