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Adolescents and teens are often considered as impulsive, reckless and emotionally unstable with “raging hormones” receiving a bad reputation. The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so.
Recent research has found that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part. This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences. Teens process information with the amygdala. This is the emotional part.
In teens' brains, the connections between the emotional part of the brain and the decision-making center are still developing—and not always at the same rate. That’s why when teens have overwhelming emotional input, they can’t explain later what they were thinking. They weren’t thinking as much as they were feeling.
Risky behavior is a normal part of development and reflects a biologically driven need for exploration – a process aimed at acquiring experience and preparing teens for the complex decisions they will need to make as adults.
How can parents help?
How can parents help?
You’re the most important role model your teens have. The way you respond and fulfill your responsibilities will have a profound and long-lasting effect on your children.
Discussing the consequences of their actions can help teens link impulsive thinking with facts. This helps the brain make these connections and wires the brain to make this link more often.
Remind your teens that they’re resilient and competent. Because they’re so focused on the moment, teens have trouble seeing that they can play a part in changing bad situations. It can help to remind them of times in the past that they thought would be devastating but turned out for the best.
Become familiar with things that are important to your teens. Showing an interest in the things they’re involved in shows them they’re important to you.
Ask teens if they want you to respond when they come to you with problems, or if they just want you to listen.
Teen brains need more sleep than adults. Try to guide your teen toward good sleep habits.
They may not always need a fix to their problems. You want to make it emotionally safe and easy for them to come to you.
When to notice signs of trouble?
When to notice signs of trouble?
It’s normal for teens to be down or out of sorts for a couple of days. But if you see a significant mood or behavioral change that lasts more than 2 weeks, it could mean something else is going on. Many mental health issues may come about during the teen years. Please seek help if you sense that your teen might be struggling. They need your guidance, even though they may think they don’t. Understanding their development can help you support them in becoming independent and responsible adults.
Resources and Further reading:
Barlow, Ellen. Under the Hood of the Adolescent Brain. Harvard Medical School. https://hms.harvard.edu/news/under-hood-adolescent-brain.
Coulson, Justin. Understanding the Teenage Brain. Institute for Family Studies. (August, 2022). https://ifstudies.org/blog/understanding-the-teenage-brain.
The Whole Brain Child by Dr Dan Siegel and Dr Tina Payne Bryson
Gain an understanding of your child and their behaviours with a science-based insight into the brain and its development. This book helps to de-mystify the workings of the brain and demonstrates how we can integrate the brain in our responses to our children.
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