With all those raging hormones, every teenager is bound to “lose it” at one time or another. But a recent study suggests that adolescents’ attacks of anger may indicate something more serious than your standard puberty-related mood swings
Adolescence
Teens Taking ADHD Drugs to Get Good Grades: How Big a Problem Is It?
Students have been taking stimulants to get ahead since the 1930s. Is there any reason to believe the problem is bigger today than ever before?
Teens Improve on Most Risky Behaviors, but 1 in 3 Text While Driving: CDC
Despite constant fears that each generation of teens behaves more dangerously than the last, a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that overall, the kids are all right — at least …
Do Family Dinners Really Reduce Teen Drug Use?
Families who eat dinner together are in many ways better off than those who don’t, but contrary to previous findings, a large new study concludes that family meals do little to reduce teen drug use long-term.
Profanity in Teen Novels: Characters Who Curse Are Often the Most Desirable
An analysis of teen best-sellers reveals enough profanity to make a sailor blush. Do you know what your kids are reading?
Distracted Teen Driving: The Hazards of Having Friends in the Car
Why teens are more likely to crash when transporting passengers.
Brain Changes in Video Gamers: Addiction or Just People Having Fun?
A new study finds changes in brain regions associated with addiction in frequent video gaming teenagers. But the findings raise questions about whether such research is really relevant to the understanding of true addiction.
Teens’ IQ May Rise or Fall Over Time
The brain undergoes more change in adolescence than at any other time of life, save before birth and during infancy. That may help explain why teenagers’ IQ can fluctuate significantly over time, as a new study finds, registering …
Children Who Hear Swear Words on TV Are More Aggressive
When children are exposed to violence on TV and in video games, studies show they tend to become more aggressive themselves. But a new study reveals that even just exposure to swear words in media may lead children to become more …
Two Questions Can Help Doctors Spot Teen Alcohol Problems
Two questions asked during a regular pediatrician’s visit could help identify youth with drinking problems, according to a national expert group convened by the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), which …
New Efforts to Crack Down on Residential Programs for Troubled Teens
The first legislation aimed at regulating residential programs for troubled teens was introduced on Thursday in the House and the Senate. The bill would crack down on hundreds of programs housing thousands of teens, many of which …
The Half-Baked Teen Brain: A Hazard or a Virtue?
Teenagers have a bad reputation. They’re moody, they thrive on drama. They take risks that terrify their parents and seem blithely unaware of the potential consequences of their actions. The reason for this, as scientists have …
New York City Mandates Sex Ed Classes for Public School Kids
When New York City’s public school students return to classes this year, there will be a new addition to their curriculum: sex education classes that will include instruction on how to use a condom and strategies for resisting …