What is the meaning of the phrase “Catch Hell”?
Hi there, Jean-Luck Dupont.
Catch hell or get/give hell is to be yelled at or reprimanded harshly. The person who will catch hell did something wrong or inappropriate that somebody will give them hell. Your son's friend will be reprimanded by his parents for getting himself in trouble.
Just like when an employee is not able to submit their report on time, he/she will catch hell from his/her boss. We can also say that his/her boss will give that employee hell.