New app developed in Thailand to help parents understand teenagers
‘Teen Minds’ provides chats with experts, as well as forums with other users to discuss family problems
By Taam Yingcharoen
Mahidol University in Salaya, Thailand and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation yesterday unveiled a mobile application called “Teen Minds” to help parents understand their children.
The app provides information and resources for parents to use such as a 24-hour chat service where experts are on standby to provide support and advice on family problems.
App users can read useful articles hand-picked by the university and the foundation.
The application also provides a forum where parents can share experiences relating to their children.
The “Teen Minds” app aims to create a digital community for parents who wish to understand the minds of their children.
“Currently, the app covers the typical activities of teenagers and things to expect from them on a day-to-day basis. As we gather more information, it will cover a wider range of scenarios and situations,” said Mr Worawudh Choonhapong, CEO and founder of Vernity Co, the tech firm which created the application.
It also uses GPS technology to help users locate nearby clinics which can provide counselling and psychological support.
Jiraporn Arunakul, a paediatrician at the Faculty of Medicine at Mahidol University’s Ramathibodi Hospital, said this application will be especially useful in helping parents understand children in the digital era.
“With current technological advancements, the current generation of young people has little patience because they’re used to immediate gratification. This is different from the old days when grandma had to brush a pot endlessly before cooking simple things like rice,” added Dr Jiraporn
The application also has content designed to educate parents about the attitudes young people hold towards sex and provides guidelines to help parents prevent teenage pregnancy.
“Thailand has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the world,” according to Umporn Benjapolpitak, deputy director-general of the Department of Health.
