Girls are causing greater concern to their parents than boys, according to a preliminary analysis of calls made to a parents helpline last year.
Parents of girls accounted for 51 per cent of calls made to the Parentline service (1890 927 277) last year, compared with 42 per cent in 2004.
Girls outnumbered boys where bullying behaviour was concerned. They accounted for 57 per cent of calls from parents worried that their child was bullying someone.
They also outnumbered boys for abusing their parents - girls accounted for 51 per cent of calls from parents being abused by their children. Most of this abuse was verbal, involving shouting and screaming, according to Parentline manager Rita O'Reilly.
The figures also show that parents of girls made far more calls expressing concern about sexual activity than parents of boys.Some 80 per cent of calls about sexual activity concerned daughters. And more parents were concerned that their daughters were smoking. Some 65 per cent of calls about teenage smoking came from parents of girls.
Girls also gave rise to more calls about alcohol abuse. Some 67 per cent of the calls about alcohol abuse came from parents worried about their daughters.
However, it was the mirror opposite where drugs were concerned. Some 67 per cent of calls about drug abuse came from parents concerned about their sons.
Ms O'Reilly said the increase in calls about girls was "quite surprising" and posed a number of questions.
"I wonder if sometimes parents are more concerned about girls than boys because they are more vulnerable? There are obviously more risks for a girl, if she drinks too much, or gets into a row," she said. There was also a possibility that parents knew more about their daughters' activities than their sons because girls talked more.
Parentline talks to about 9,000 parents every year. The 13-18 year age group gives rise to the most calls. Last year, the biggest percentage of calls (14 per cent) involved anger or aggression from children, following by bullying (10 per cent) and drink and drugs (nine per cent).
Last year saw a continuing increase in the number of men calling the helpline. Some 17 per cent of calls came from men last year. When Parentline began over 20 years ago, they received just one call from a man in the first year.
These preliminary figures were seen by The Irish Times yesterday, but a full analysis of the figures will not be published until Parentline launches its annual report next month.
Parentline can be contacted at 1890 927 277 from 10am - 9.30 pm on Monday to Thursdays and 10am - 4.30pm on Fridays.
