Evidence: Applies the same workshop-based techniques to teenagers. Evidence level: expert opinion.
Teens, 12–18 years
Teenagers move toward a more mature sense of who they are, separate from their parents, and turn more to friends - while their brains keep maturing into their 20s.MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) · Adolescent development ↗
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What your child is developing
Thinking and learning
- Early teens often think in black-and-white terms; by the middle teens, abstract thinking grows.American Academy of Pediatrics · Stages of adolescence ↗
- The frontal lobes, which handle impulse control and complex decisions, keep maturing until well into the 20s.American Academy of Pediatrics · Stages of adolescence ↗
Identity
- It is normal to start separating from parents and forming their own identity; this can bring conflict.MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) · Adolescent development ↗
Social and emotional
- Friends become more important, and peer pressure may peak in the middle teens.American Academy of Pediatrics · Stages of adolescence ↗
Feelings
- Body changes make many teens self-conscious and worried about how they compare with peers.MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine) · Adolescent development ↗
- Pre-teens feel a growing need for privacy and may push back strongly against limits.American Academy of Pediatrics · Stages of adolescence ↗
When to talk to a doctor: Know the signs of anxiety and depression, and get help early if mood or behaviour changes last.World Health Organization
The research behind it
What each study found comes first, then the kind of study and where it was published. We prefer systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and check for new research every month.Long-term studies show identity develops gradually through adolescence and into adulthood, and is a less turbulent process than often assumed. Teens with a more settled identity tend to be better adjusted and to live in warm families.
Using data on more than 350,000 adolescents, the study found that digital technology use explained at most 0.4% of the variation in well-being - a negative but very small association on average.
Idea roots
Educators whose ideas connect to this stage. Open one to see what modern research supports and what it does not. Erik Erikson 1902–1994 Erikson made identity the central task of adolescence; long-term studies show it forms gradually. Cai Yuanpei 1868–1940 Cai Yuanpei argued for balanced education - body, mind, morals and the arts - which matters as schoolwork grows. Jean Piaget 1896–1980 Piaget placed the start of abstract reasoning in adolescence.
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What you can do together
- Help your teen set a goal that matters to them, plan the steps, and check progress along the way.Harvard Center on the Developing Child · Activities for adolescents ↗
- Encourage talking themselves through tricky situations to manage impulses.Harvard Center on the Developing Child · Activities for adolescents ↗
- Support volunteering on a cause they care about.Harvard Center on the Developing Child · Activities for adolescents ↗
- Agree screen and phone rules together, including protecting sleep.American Psychological Association, 2023
Free tools for this age
How we choose tools Khan Academy ↗ Courses and practice in maths, science, coding and more, organised by grade. Ages 6–18 · Khan Academy (non-profit) StoryWeaver ↗ Thousands of free picture books, many in several languages. Ages 2–12 · Pratham Books (non-profit) Scratch ↗ Make animations, games and stories with code blocks and share them. Ages 8–16 · MIT Media Lab CodeAI (formerly Code.org) ↗ Free courses from block coding to text coding, including the Hour of Code. Ages 4–18 · CodeAI PhET Interactive Simulations ↗ Interactive physics, chemistry and maths simulations that run in the browser. Ages 8–18 · University of Colorado Boulder
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Health and safety essentials
Sleep in 24 hours8–10 hoursAASM 2016
Physical activity60 min a day, moderate to vigorousWHO 2020
- Mental health of adolescents (WHO fact sheet) · World Health Organization
- Health advisory on social media use in adolescence · American Psychological Association
- Social Media and Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory · US Surgeon General
- Physical Development in Girls: What to Expect During Puberty · American Academy of Pediatrics
- Physical Development in Boys: What to Expect · American Academy of Pediatrics
- Vaccines and immunization ↗ · World Health Organization
- Safety and prevention ↗ · American Academy of Pediatrics
Further reading
Classic parenting books with a note on the evidence. Links go to publisher details and library holdings (WorldCat). No affiliate links.Evidence: A psychiatrist's account of the teenage brain for parents and teens. Evidence level: expert opinion.