Well-child visits for adolescents (ages 13-17) should assess growth and development, promote emotional well-being, and counsel patients and families on safe behaviors, with all adolescents offered confidential time alone with their physician.
All adolescents should be offered private time with their physician to discuss confidential health concerns.
Sexually active adolescents should receive behavioral counseling on STI prevention and be offered STI screening.
Adolescents should be screened for both depression and anxiety and offered treatment when indicated.
Vaccines should be offered and completed on time during adolescent well-child visits.
Adolescents should be counseled on specific physical activity, sleep, and media use recommendations.
This paper outlines best practices for well-child visits with teenagers aged 13 to 17 years. These visits are designed not just to check physical health, but to support emotional well-being and help young people make safer independent choices. A key recommendation is that all teens should have private, confidential time with their doctor — without parents present — to discuss sensitive topics like sexual health, mental health, substance use, and relationships. What a teen can legally consent to on their own varies depending on the state. The paper identifies several specific health areas that require attention during these visits. Teens who are sexually active should receive counseling about preventing sexually transmitted infections and, if applicable, about contraception including long-acting options. All teens should be screened for depression and anxiety, with treatment offered including talk therapy (cognitive behavioral therapy) and medication when appropriate. Vaccines should be kept up to date. This research suggests that lifestyle counseling is also an important part of teen well-child care. Doctors should advise teenagers to get at least one hour of physical activity daily, sleep 8 to 12 hours per night, and develop healthy habits around media and screen use — including keeping bedrooms screen-free. These guidelines highlight how adolescent well-child care goes well beyond routine physical checkups to address the full range of factors that shape a teenager's long-term health.
McEvoy A, Morrison L, Turner K, Barnes J. (2025). Well-Child Care: Adolescents.. FP essentials. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40523125/