Parents will soon be giving their social-networking mad teens a run for their money as a dedicated new website for them is launched by a national charity.

Claimed to be the first of its kind in the UK, the government funded site www.gotateenager.org.uk will empowers parents of teens to communicate online by sharing experiences, swapping ideas and supporting one another.

Site features include e-learning modules enabling parents to complete online courses such as getting on with your teenager or dealing with drug and alcohol use and an online comic book covering storylines and scenarios that will be familiar to many families with teenagers. And a texting service where parents can have tips and information texted to their mobile phones is also in operation.

The website, which is now live, also features a ‘teen speak’ jargon buster, blogs, message boards, web TV shows and articles, tips and stories from other parents of teenagers.

The charity, Parentline Plus, says it answers 112,000 calls to its free, 24-hour Parentline each year and half of all calls are from parents of teens. Issues worrying parents include drugs, binge-drinking, discipline problems and gang culture.

Lucy Edington, Acting Chief Executive of Parentline Plus said:

“Parents of primary school children enjoy a network of support and friendship that is lost when their children make the transition to secondary school,”

“Gotateenager.org.uk plugs that gap by creating an online community for parents of teenagers. The social networking element is key and runs throughout the site, encouraging parents to interact, share tips and strategies and gain confidence to tackle issues.”

“The site aims to help parents of teens by supporting them through their journey of bringing up their teenagers, providing informal support, information and tools, as well as signposting to other helpful organisations.”

“We are exploring new channels such as enabling parents to access multi-media content, videos and interactive learning.”