The Teenager’s Brain Puts them at Risk of Harm

Schoolies teenager, Jude Lane jumped off a roof and was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with a concussion. Following this near-tragic event, Mr Lane was remorseful as he admitted to ‘trying to be funny’ and wanting to ‘get attention’.

Mr Lane cannot be judged or blamed. He is simply acting on the impulses of his developing teenage brain. He, like other teenagers, has not developed the neurological maturity to put the breaks on these impulsive urges to engage in high-risk behaviour.

Unfortunately, the consequences of teenage behaviour can be dire. As was the case with young, Jack Beasley, who lost his life in December 2019 due to a fatal stabbing in an unnecessary, thoughtless brawl between adolescents. And many teens who suicide are acting impulsively as they are governed by their emotions.

This impulsivity and immaturity also accounts for the higher rates of gregarious, unsophisticated and very public (attention-seeking) criminal acts by teenagers than seen in adults. What might be comforting to know is that as the brain develops so does sensibility and a greater degree of conscience, which likely explains why most teenagers ‘grow out’ of their antisocial behaviours. And it is important that as parents, medical professionals, educators, government and a greater society we guide these teens healthy brain and psychological growth.

The biology of a teenage brain can explain much of their careless antics. The frontal lobes – the brain’s CEO – that are responsible for rational thinking, planning, organising and perspective are still completing development. This process only ends at about 27 years of age (perhaps slightly earlier for females).

But, is not only the fault of the frontal lobes that accounts for a teenager’s high-risk behaviour; their reward system and the actions of dopamine play another large role.

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that is responsible for our sense of reward and positive motivation. It is the chemical that allows us to feel good. The teenagers’ reward system needs a far greater stimulus to release enough dopamine to feel good, which means they need to take bigger risks. And they are remunerated by experiencing a far greater ‘rush’ as their brains release far more dopamine compared to children or adults. It makes perfect biological sense that a teenager will continue to pursue risky activities to reach this ‘high’.

Because their frontal lobes are still relatively ‘weak’ and not ‘switching on’ appropriately, teenagers are governed by the emotion centres (limbic system) that are located deeper within their brain. This also accounts for teens heightened, reactive and fluctuating emotions and their inability to listen to reason. And as the teen brain completes its development from back to front, the frontal lobes will be the final area to come on board.

Psychologically, teenagers are in the phase of forming their identity. They are yet to know who they are and what they believe in and are malleable to their surrounds and the influence of their peers. They are ‘pack animals’ rather than ‘lone wolves’ and will join in with group activities (even if risky and antisocial) rather than be singled out and labelled as different. This is normal and a failure to establish their identity through a process of trial and error will result in isolation, anxiety and depression.

Risk-taking is not only negative and discovering novel situations is an important way that our teenagers learn about life.

However, this does not mean that as parents we should allow our teenagers free rein and not continue to set boundaries on their behaviours. We have to constantly guide their way to ensure the best outcome for their developmental trajectory. As the teenage brain is being pruned and shaped, it is critical that for the majority time they participate in healthy experiences.

We can think of this pruning process as clipping away at the branches on a tree, with the purpose of only leaving the good and strong branches behind.  If teenagers’ brains don’t develop in healthy ways, the end of this process results in having an ‘unhealthy’ brain that is vulnerable to ongoing mental health disorders.

Government and societal initiatives should be supporting those young people who do not have the luxury of good homes and parents. Many youths who engage in criminal activity are victims of abuse and neglect. They often suffer from untreated mental illness, particularly ADHD and depression and typically use substances to self-medicate their symptoms. These young people struggle at school and without the proper support, they tend to drop out and are at risk of joining gangs and partaking in crime. Their age does not allow for good judgement and they are both biologically and psychologically extremely vulnerable to having ongoing problems. It is critical to address these issues early so as to avoid managing perpetuating and escalating struggles. 

It is important that community programs are funded to protect the innocent young people who are also often the victims of teenage crime.