A look at brain development in adolescents

Most are aware that the early years, before age six, are important to a child’s mental, physical, social, and emotional development. But did you know that from around age 13 to 24 adolescents undergo intensive brain changes that are just as important for their mental, physical, social, and emotional development? Early years and adolescent years are two incredibly important “ages of opportunity.”  

It’s easy to mistake a teen or twenty-something for an adult. But from a brain perspective, they’re significantly different and the changes are happening in real time. Evolution primed brain changes to begin in adolescence with the goal of encouraging the child to leave the safety and security of the family cave and venture out into a whole new community where a mate could be found.

Experts concur that this evolutionary push explains why teens and twenty-somethings are risk-takers and reward-seekers. They become adventurous, test their limits, and dabble in risky experiences. With every mountain they climb and corner they turn, the brain rewards them. And they are hungry for rewards.

The influence of peers on the adolescent brain

Evolution’s push also helps explain why teens and twenty-somethings shift their attention away from adults, even their own parents, and focus it on peers. It’s in the peer group that they’ll find their mate. Because of these brain changes, adolescents are very invested in their social status. The approval of their peers may feel like a life-and-death matter to them.

Further features of their brain development at this time are emotionality and impulsivity. They’re passionate explorers of the new realm of adulting, and they experiment in all kinds of ways that can be positive or put them at risk. We tend to offer more protections to younger children, but it’s in adolescence that youth are three times more likely to die. Their vulnerability can be mitigated by sports and active engagement with others.

Adolescent sleep-deprivation

One of their greatest challenges is that their clock flips from being an early riser (a lark) to being unable to fall asleep until late-night or even early-morning hours (an owl). They can’t help this shift in their sleep patterns, but we don’t adjust society for them and frequently don’t understand why they’re sleep-deprived. 

In a society that knows little about adolescent brain development, adults can be thrown off and unwittingly cruel. Teens and twenty-somethings cannot halt what’s going on inside their skulls, just like they can’t stop their physical changes due to puberty. They might try, but their brain won’t let them fall asleep at 9 p.m. They’re not trying to disrespect adults by becoming fascinated by their peers. They aren’t being overly emotional on purpose. And yet all too often we hear them critiqued and put down for their exhaustion, sensitivity, and emotionality.

Physical activity is very good for adolescent brains

When we know that adolescents are having to cope with significant brain changes, we’re wise to keep them active and healthy during this challenging time. Sports or aerobic exercise of any kind—especially in groups—creates a safe space for adolescents to take risks, feel intense emotion, be connected to peers, and experience healthy rewards. It’s extremely concerning that 70% of youth drop sports right when adolescent brain development starts at 13.

If we apply brain science to teens and twenty-somethings in sport and active living, we’re more likely to keep them playing by creating environments where they can experiment without fear of judgement or any kind of intervention that shames them in front of their peers. We can be full of freely given rewards for any and all effort since the science is clear this motivates and builds a growth mindset that keeps trying even when the chips are down.

The good news is adolescents have intense neuroplasticity, which explains why they can learn so quickly. If we work alongside their brain development, understand it, and support it, we can facilitate their learning and skills development. Adolescence can be an “age of opportunity” for mental, physical, social, and emotional development, or it can be a lost era.

Toxicity of technology for adolescent brains

Not only does social media cause youth to be immobile and inactive, it cuts them off from authentic human connection, exposes them to far too much cruelty and distorted thinking, and traps them indoors when it’s well-documented that nature is incredibly healthy for brains.

Two statistics, and there are many, should make it glaringly clear to parents that although technology and social media are normalized and even permitted in schools, they are seriously harmful. As Tali Sharot and Cass R. Sunstein write in their book Look Again, when Facebook was made available to all college students in the U.S., depression among that demographic rose by 75%. Stats also show that from 2007 to 2018, the suicide rate among U.S. youth ages 10 to 24 increased by 57% [PDF]. These exponential declines in mental health are directly correlated with the advent of the internet.

Adolescents need their parents more than ever, need empathic coaches, and need adults who are informed about the intense phase of brain development they’re undergoing. They also need to learn and flourish in the restorative, healthy world of sports and physical activity to navigate these challenging times.