Why do teenagers run away from home?

The teen years are a time for exploration and discovering about yourself, but boundaries set by parents, teachers and the world in general can cause a teen to act up. Staying out late and disobeying orders are some of the things teens may do when reacting to this, BUT some may take this to the next level by running away from home.

Having your child run away is every parent's worst nightmare! You may be used to teens running away in movies, but in real life it is more common than you may think.

A study showed that this can happen to anyone, children from wealthy homes are just as likely to run away as children from low-income households. And it is slightly more common for young girls to run away than boys.


A lot of teenagers who run away decide to do so on the spur of the moment. This means they probably won't have thought about where they'll go, where they'll sleep, how they'll get access to money or how running away might affect their family.

Often, they're running away from problems at home or at school. Some are dealing with very serious issues at home, such as neglect, drug and alcohol addiction (their own or their parents), mental health problems, violence and abuse. A few teens are even forced to leave home by their parents or careers.

Others come from perfectly 'normal' family backgrounds and are trying to escape common problems, such as bullying, relationship difficulties, loneliness or family breakdown.

But the problems teenagers face on the street are often even worse than those they have endured at home. In many cases, children and young people who end up alone on the streets are at risk of sexual exploitation, drug and alcohol dependency, abuse and violence.

Talking to NICRO, who know how to deal with these issues can help arm you with new tactics and a fresh perspective.