Some Teens Defy Anti-Vaxxer Parents and Get COVID-19 Shots on Their Own
Syringes with the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are placed on a tray at a pop-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club on May 21, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Some teens stood up and expressed their support for COVID-19 shots despite their anti-vaxxer parents and family members' efforts to discourage them from taking one.

The teens' messages come as the federal government also exerted effort to utilize social media in addressing the vaccine hesitancy among Americans.

Teens Promote COVID-19 Shots Despite Their Anti-Vaccination Parents

Ethan Lindenberger, Kelly Danielpour, and Arin Parsa addressed the vaccine hesitancy of some teens that stemmed from their anti-vaxxer parents.

In an interview with NBC News, Lindenberger said that taking the COVID-19 vaccines "could save someone's life," but also emphasized that having a heart-to-heart talk with their anti-vaccination parents is important.

Lindenberger noted that several teenagers face dilemmas that getting a vaccine could get them homeless, and weighing those consequences should be done seriously.

Lindenberger said he heard cases wherein teens are eager to get the vaccines even though their anti-vaccination parents stopped them.

"Don't get yourself kicked out or seriously in trouble," said Lindenberger as he encouraged teens to have a heart-to-heart conversation with their anti-vaccination parents before getting the shots as soon as possible. Lindenberger got his first jab of the COVID-19 vaccine three weeks ago.

Kelly Danielpour, who founded VaxTeen, said she was inspired by teens on Reddit, who wanted to be vaccinated despite their parents' anti-vaccinated beliefs, to start a group intended for her peers specifically.

Danielpour believed that "arming the teenagers with information and resources" they can use when conversing with their anti-vaxxer parents is necessary, which has worked in some cases.

Danielpour cited a teenager who used the information available in VaxTeen to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

"It's an issue of access, as well as consent," as Danielpour described the predicament teenagers are facing with their anti-vaccination parents. The VaxTeen founder already received Moderna shots.

"People don't often realize that lack of teen rights for immunizations is not only for a public health issue but is a severe mental health issue for many," said Arin Parsa, 13 years old and the founder of Teens for Vaccines advocacy group. Parsa's advocacy group is helping many teens "who face vaccine hesitancy" and "extreme" anti-vaxxer views from the families.

NBC News cited a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Vaccine Monitor revealed nearly a quarter of anti-vaccination parents would not allow their teenagers to be vaccinated from the survey respondents.

Nearly all states require parental consent when administering COVID-19 vaccines to children aged 12 to 15. However, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, and Oregon have different mandates regarding parental consent.

Effects of Anti-Vaxxer Campaigns

Medical News Today noted that anti-vaxxer movements could influence the people's decision not to get the COVID-19 vaccines or jab, and anti-vaccination parents may enforce it on their children.

Anti-vaxxers do not only endanger their well-being, but they also endanger the well-being of the people around them. Medical News Today reported that anti-vaxxers could pass a disease to other people, especially children, who could not get a vaccine because of their allergies, medical conditions, or age.

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