Anonymous
Post 02/17/2026 16:04     Subject: Teen throws things in his room due to no access to phone

If this is a one off situation, just let him cool down, and when all can be calm have him cleanup, repair damage, and get privileges back in a manner you, not him, are comfortable with. Could just be a bad day, withdrawal, or a teen hormone mood swing.

But, if this happens regularly, then yes, he needs professional help learning how to regulate emotions. My 14 year old had outbursts like this when he was younger, mainly fueled by ADHD. It took a few years of therapy (with a good therapist and gradual progress) to get to the point where we almost never see tantrums like this and if some of that behavior slips out, he's able to calm down much faster, accept consequences calmly, and apologize.

So many kids today can't regulate and it causes problems. In our case, hard line discipline (aka you lose all your screen time, or taking a door of the room) would only keep escalating things and didn't work. We had to learn to use gentle (NOT permissive) parenting techniques to help him. Every kid is different of course. But the effort you put in now while they're still at home will pay off.