Family & Relationships

How to Build Trust with a Teenager Who Has Shut Down

When was the last time your teenager actually talked to you — not just answered a question, but really talked? If you're drawing a blank, you're not alone. Research from the Pew Research Center found that nearly 40% of teens say they rarely or never feel heard by their parents. That's not a parenting failure — it's a signal. A quiet teenager isn't a broken one. They're often a hurting one, waiting to see if the space around them is truly safe enough to open up.