Research finds parents lose control of their children at a certain age

Parents of secondary school students are unsure what their children do or eat, study claims.

Having kept a close eye on their kids for most of their lives, mamas and papas are left in the dark about different things when their youngsters turn 13-years-old. They don't know what their not-so-little-ones are doing, who they are with or what they are eating. The study carried out by Vitabiotics' Wellteen found that 4 out of 10 mothers and fathers worry about the food their children consume when they are not with them. What concerns 43 percent of parents the most is the amount of fast food containers and wrappers they find in their son or daughters' school bag and bedroom. And whether parents find wrappers or not, 40 percent of them believe their offspring eat way more junk food now than they did themselves when they were the same age. According to the Independent.co.uk, a Wellteen vitamins spokesperson said:

"With a bigger range of snacks to choose from, it is no surprise many parents think their offspring are indulging in more junk food than they did at the same age." "As they travel to school by themselves or head out unaccompanied with friends, they have the opportunity to eat and drink foods they know they wouldn’t usually be allowed at home."

2,000 parents of teens aged between 13 and 18-years-old took part in this research carried out via OnePoll.com. Worryingly, the study found that 39 percent of parents don't always know who their children are with. 6 out of 10 of them feel they are unsuccessful in controlling their children during these ages as their youngsters become more independent.