Clinical psychologist Ahmed Khalil warns that family conflict, harsh discipline and weak parental support can leave teenagers more vulnerable to substance and pornography addiction.
Clinical psychologist Ahmed Khalil has warned that addiction can do particular harm during adolescence, a period when personality, identity and the nervous system are still taking shape. Speaking in an interview carried by Al Bilad Press, Khalil said drug use at that age can interfere with psychological development, brain growth and the formation of character at a stage when those traits are still emerging.
He argued that family conditions can play a major role in making teenagers more vulnerable. In his view, a lack of emotional presence from a father, together with a household marked by conflict, pressure and repeated arguments between parents, can leave a young person searching elsewhere for safety and acceptance. That search often leads adolescents towards friends and classmates, where the desire to belong and prove themselves can draw them into risky behaviour.
Khalil also said ordinary adolescent traits can become problematic if they are not handled with care. Curiosity, experimentation and a wish to test limits are common in this period, but they can be amplified by harsh discipline, humiliation or rules imposed purely to control. He said that criticism, neglect, comparison with other children and a lack of time spent talking with a son or daughter can all push a teenager further away from home rather than closer to it.
Family support, he added, works best when it combines attention with trust. Parents should know who their children spend time with, where they go and how they are doing at school, but without turning oversight into constant surveillance. Khalil said teenagers need clear household rules, yet they also need a voice in decisions that affect them, along with everyday guidance in practical skills such as managing money, handling emotions and solving problems. This, he said, strengthens protection against substance misuse.
His warnings are consistent with wider medical advice on adolescent drug use. The Mayo Clinic says the teenage brain is still developing, which makes young people especially susceptible to the effects of drugs and alcohol, while Harvard Health Publishing has described adolescence as a high-risk period for substance use disorders because decision-making and impulse control are still maturing. Research on family influences has also pointed to parental monitoring, support and conflict in shaping whether teenagers turn to drugs or alcohol.
Khalil also singled out pornography as another form of addiction that can take hold during the teen years. He said puberty brings physical and hormonal change, while constant access through phones and other devices makes repeated viewing easier and more private. Over time, he warned, that can encourage a chase for immediate reward and make stopping more difficult. His closing message to parents was simple: adolescence is a difficult phase, and fathers and mothers should act as sources of support and containment, not as obstacles their children have to fight against.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
