Most teenagers have a lot on their plate — never-ending school assignments, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, and social lives to keep up with on and offline. Because of all these, it’s easy for their health to fall by the wayside. So you or your child may have found yourselves looking for a health app for teens to help them keep track of certain habits. School and friends are important commitments, but those become much harder to keep up with if their body and mind aren’t properly taken care of!
We’ve tracked down the best apps in the most important areas of health: physical fitness, mental health, sleep health, nutritional health, and menstrual health. These are great places to start if your teen needs a helping hand in their health education and practice. Let’s take a look!
Physical Fitness: Seven — 7 Minute Workout
Some teens may have a workout already built into their schedule from a sport. But if not, they may need a good resource to learn self-guided workouts that will get their heart rate pumping. This 7-minute workout app is great for teens who want to build a habit of exercise that works with a busy schedule. The app allows you to set a workout plan and choose your preferred area of focus (full-body workouts, upper body, core, etc.) These exercises are great whether it’s a home workout, at the gym, or just in any open space.
The app lays out your plan and progress clearly, and it also keeps track of any achievements or badges you earn. You can earn these by hitting a certain milestone or completing one of the in-app challenges. The app does allow you to invite friends with a text link, but there’s no messaging feature or way to communicate in the app. There’s a free version of the app, or you can join the “7 Club” for $9.99/month or $59.99/year.
Mental Health: Calm app
The Calm app has been well-loved by its users for a long time now, and we can see why! The app is chock-full of quality mental health content, from courses and meditations to playlists and more. Whenever teens need to bring the intensity of life down a little bit, the Calm app can definitely help. Reducing anxiety, getting better sleep, and growing in gratitude are just a few of the goals that this app can help with. There is a limited free version of the app or a premium subscription for 69.99/year.
Sleep Health: BetterSleep
iOS
There’s no question that teens need good sleep — and at least 8–10 hours of it. But sleep can be elusive for teens, which is not surprising considering how many teens struggle with anxiety these days. BetterSleep helps teens turn off the mental chatter and drift into deep REM sleep with music, sleep stories, and meditations. There are also guided sessions that teach things like how to get the best sleep with certain sleep positions or through breathing exercises. Teens can also track their sleep each night to see what may be helping their sleep or disrupting it. BetterSleep has a one-week free trial and then a yearly subscription for $49.99.
Nutritional Health: MyPlate
MyPlate takes the cake (pun intended) when it comes to nutritional apps for kids. The main function of the app is all about learning healthy habits and tracking your progress as you make better food decisions. The best part is that there’s no content about body image or eating in order to look a certain way — it’s all about eating quality food for quality health.
The app gives you some easy goals to start with, like adding veggies to your lunch one day during the week or eating fruit as a sweet treat. MyPlate is a great way to get teens thinking about their food goals in an achievable, no-pressure way. Not to mention, it’s free to use!
Menstrual Health: Period Diary Ovulation Tracker
If you’ve tried looking for a menstrual tracking app for your child, you may have noticed that tons of them were not necessarily made with teens in mind. It’s common for these apps to have adult content about more than just periods (think sex and masturbation tips, including suggestions to watch porn in some apps). But teens really just need a simple calendar and a place to track their symptoms. And that’s what the Period Diary offers!
There is a discover tab with content but it’s much more health-related and straightforward. Articles include topics like, “What is PMS?” and “Ease Your Cramps With These 3 Teas.” Period Diary has a limited free version or a premium subscription for $8.49/month or $33.99/year.
Digital Health: Bark
The last area teens may need some help is their online life, and that’s where Bark can help! Bark offers a whole suite of parental controls to ensure teens are having a healthy and positive tech experience.
Bark can help you manage their screen time, block inappropriate websites, and scan their messages to look for potentially concerning content. If your teen is expressing feelings of anxiety, depression, or disordered eating, Bark can alert you so you can address it right when your support is needed. Start your free, 7-day trial today.
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Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s digital lives.
