MEDICAL BIOLOGY INTERACTIVE
Seminars & Tutorials For Health, Law & Education

"If you have a son who does nothing good… deliver him at once into the hands of a merchant who will send him to another country... Nothing else can be done. While he remains with you, he will not mend his ways.” So wrote Florentine merchant Paolo of Certaldo in the 14th century. Teenagers have long frustrated adults with apparent black and white thinking, egocentric thoughts, irrational behaviour and focus on the present. But can raging hormones account for such behaviour and is the teenage brain really an immature structure? In this lecture we will explore some truths and myths regarding the adolescent brain, considering brain development and changes from childhood through adolescence to adulthood. We will examine the effects of drugs such as cannabis and vaping, together with teenage mental health issues. We will conclude by addressing emerging research on the effects of smartphone and social media usage on developing brains.