Parents of tweens and teens need to know how their child’s developing brain impacts their choices and behaviors. What if there was an Operator’s Manual for the developing brain for both parents and their tweens and teens? The adolescent years between the ages of 10 and 19 are a period of unique brain growth and development. It doesn’t have to be a mysterious process. The brain during this period is termed the ‘teen brain’. Understanding how it works can help both parents and their children guide and manage this period of life.
In this blog post, we will explore five key points that will help adults better understand how the teenage brain works. A simple online training to get both the caregiving adult and their child on the same page is linked. You will be invited to explore the ‘Teen Brain – Train it Now!’ lesson in this article to start a discussion with your child.
1) The teen brain doesn’t mature until after age 25
It’s a common misconception adulthood is reached at age 18 or 21. The truth is that the brain is not fully mature until after age 25. This timeline is true even for youth who have a high IQ or seem to possess the maturity of an adult. MIT’s Young Adult Development Project takes a deep dive into the actual changes that continue to impact the developing brain.
The brain undergoes a period of significant pruning and remodeling, during the pre-teen and teen years. The organ is deciding what is not important and should be discarded as well as what needs to be stored in preparation for adulthood.
To aid in reaching the best outcome. It is important to help youth keep a vision of the person they want to become and to work together to detail the goals necessary to reach along the way.
2) Their brain is wired for risky behavior
During the growth of the teen brain risk-taking is ‘baked in’ and sought after at a time when the frontal cortex or judgement area lags behind in development. This can make for a perfect storm in the teen years when the influence of peers becomes extremely important. In Psychology Today article, Joe Magliano, PhD of Northern Illinois University, cites the influence of peers in decision-making that reflects risk-taking.
Pairing the attraction to risky behavior with experimentation of drugs and/or alcohol drug happens all too often. That is why it’s important to seek drug prevention tools early on. Drug prevention education can help explain the negative outcomes that can have life-long effects. Educating teens on the risks of drug use can help them to think twice before engaging in risk-taking activities. Educating parents can help them guide their teen to exciting activities to meet the need for risk-taking adventure safely.
It is equally important for the adolescent or teen to understand what their brain is going through, to help explain how they experience life. The teen who understands how their brain is wired, for instance, can benefit from learning coping skills – like delaying a decision for 10 minutes or more.
3) Choices made constantly train it
Choices made during the teenage years are especially important, as they can have a long-lasting impact on the development of the brain. Every decision a teen makes—from the friends they hang out with to their chosen activities—affects the way their brain develops.
The choices teens make regarding risk-taking and drug use can have particularly severe consequences for their brain at this time in life. Teens who make positive choices, such as getting involved in extracurricular activities, studying and spending time with supportive friends and family members reap positive rewards that train the brain to make similar decisions in the future. A review of the most important decisions in a teen’s life, by Sean Covey at Education.com, expands on more life-changing choices that await every teen.
4) The teen brain’s reward system can get confused when drugs or alcohol are used
The teen brain’s dopamine reward can easily get confused during this period of brain development. It is a unique period that deserves attention and caution to protect the brain.
Positive choices like studying for a test and getting a good grade will produce a ‘feel good’ rush of dopamine. However, drug and/or alcohol use at this stage produces a profound flood of dopamine. Essentially this strong dopamine feeling suggests “let’s do that again’. It can overtake the impact of dopamine related to positive choices. This explains why even high achieving youth may succumb to the power of dopamine induced by experimentation. Addiction to drugs and/or alcohol is a higher risk as this stage. In a brief video, Dr. Nora Volkow of the National Institute on Drug Abuse explains how the brain can be ‘hijacked’ during the teen years when there is substance use disorder.
5) Sharing this information with your child is essential
Sharing the evolving teen brain experience with your child is essential. The knowledge can help them make responsible decisions and reach their potential. Wouldn’t it be great to give your child an ‘Operators Manual’ for their changing brain? Sharing the information provided with your child age 10-19, can prove to be an amusing as well as an educational experience. Think of the many behaviors of your teen that you could relate to the evolving brain. Referencing brain changes as one influence in what is happening in their life choices can be an eye-opener. Having that conversation with your child with a sense of humor, can relieve tension when your choices need adjusting. Strengthening families through discussion and information-sharing is the goal.
Drug prevention education programs in schools do not often pair prevention information with teen brain development. Since parents or caregivers have the most influence when it comes to drug prevention, it is important to search for resources to aid in discussions with their child.
Many of the scientific resources on the maturing brain can be overwhelming – well above the ability of understanding for many. The nonprofit CANDLE, Inc. developed a simple online training titled ‘Teen Brain-Train it Now!’ that parallels training the teen brain with training a pet. Training keeps a pet safe and training their brain can keep your child safe. This analogy is easy to understand for all ages. It is designed for youth as young as ten.
Tools to help…
For older youth, approach the training seeking their input as to how much of the training they already knew about. Ask older youth if they feel this information would be helpful to youth in fifth and sixth grade and why or why not etc. For all ages, ‘Teen Brain-Train it Now!’ serves as a discussion-starter.
Home schoolers and teachers can obtain the full classroom ‘Teen Brain- Train it Now!’ free, by requesting the downloadable curriculum. Email: RealityTour@candleinc.org
