A cross section of the teens we spoke to were of the opinion that parents should be more tolerant towards them and should have more rapport to discuss problems.

There are many reasons why teens rebel against their parents. The leading factor being a need or longing to search for love and attention that they feel is lacking or misinterpreted and simply not recognized. The attention they desire may always be there; however, the teen is unable to see it. They often end up finding people to hang around with that he/she feels will listen, care and provide him or her with answers.

Teens will often be satisfied with people who really don’t care in the least about them. However, they seem to be people the teen feels will love them, yet usually have no genuine love to offer. This is now the case, thus tragically turning them to rebel as the teen is seeking a sense of love; a sense of belonging but is often searching in the wrong places.

When teens go in search of any body who they feel will love them, they often take up with people doing immoral or criminal things because they figure any attention, despite any negative consequences, is good attention. The teen then gets a false sense of hope and feels he/she has found the desired love as a result. They have negative attention brought upon themselves by doing wrong, instead of right, feelings so hungry for attention they’re more likely to travel down dead-end streets.

Teens have to figure out it’s not people, parents or friends that can make them happy but rather what they themselves think and feel. Often what you perceive to be one thing actually turns out to be something else, entirely. If a teen is made to truly feel happy by his or her parents, by this I mean happy about who he or she is then they are less likely to rebel.

Adults know that happiness is based not on friends or other people. Adults know happiness is based on how a person feels about themselves. Therefore adults have learned not to rebel. Teens haven’t quite grasped that happiness is not in other people that it’s in themselves. Adults have more maturity and can handle things, so they haven’t much reason to rebel against an authority. Teens have to see what adults comprehend but they haven’t yet seen the light and the error of their ways. This is the major difference between adults and teens when it comes down to what they both understand and feel about when they should rebel.

The Sunday Island spoke to certain section of the youth to find out why they rebel against their parents sometimes. According to Nihal a sixteen year old youth who goes to a international school said, "I love my mum and dad but they can’t keep on telling me what I should dress and what I should eat. Now I am a grown up I should have my freedom" said Nihal.

Shereena who is working in an advertising world when asked about why she rebels against parents, said that she needs to be pampered and taken care of in some way. "Most of the time my parents are out and I am under the care of my maid. Whenever I have a problem I don’t have anybody to talk and discuss matters," said Shereena with regret. Anil, a teenage boy who spends his time with friends most of the time said that he is forced to hang out with friends. "My parents are busy socialising and I am left alone. My friends make me happy. My parents can’t comprehend my loneliness" lamented Anil.

There are some of the case studies that shows why teens rebel. Many people in today’s society look up to their teenage daughters or sons as rebels. Parents can’t understand their children. Most often or not there is no rapport between the parents and children. Depression is also very common among teens. Many parents are embarrassed and afraid of talking to their teens. Parents should be more open and discuss problems or else their children might think twice before risking their lives and taking any options.