SDERA Parent Workshop August 11, 2015 What happens to the adolescent - PDF document

SDERA Parent Workshop August 11, 2015 What happens to the adolescent brain at puberty?  Puberty brings about changes in arousal and motivation before the adolescent has fully developed their skills in regulating emotion and behaviour. (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.294.1453&rep=rep1&type= pdf)  Hormonal changes = sex-related growth and behaviour, impacts social behaviour and emotional experience  During adolescence: Pruning of grey matter that is unused – other connections strengthened (brain becomes more efficient).  The brain matures at different rates for different regions – first: more basic functions.  Maturation of the prefrontal cortex (decision-making, planning, impulse-control) comes later and continues into adulthood. What parts of the adolescent brain aren't fully mature and what are the implications for their behaviour?  Adolescence involves heightened emotional reactivity and impulsivity due to the way the brain matures o As above – prefrontal cortex matures more slowly than other regions. o In contrast, regions involved in emotional responses (e.g. amygdala) are fully developed and may be even more active than for adults.  Adolescents significantly more likely than adults to make risky decisions (according to studies of risk-taking – driving, sex etc) o Although their intellectual maturity is similar to adults, adolescents more susceptible to peer influence and difficulty controlling impulses, so their decision-making is poorer. o The amygdala may be called upon during decision-making more so than for adults – act according to emotions and instincts.  Heightened responsiveness to rewards + poor impulse-control = less likely to consider consequences of their actions  May prefer decisions that provide immediate rewards o Includes social rewards; thus especially prone to take risks when peer approval is at stake Cross, 2015 1

Recommendations for parents:  Allow healthy risks – encourage independence and thinking about consequences  Talk through decisions – discuss possible actions and consequences. Helping them to learn how to think logically and make healthy decisions.  Provide guidance and realistic boundaries  Positive role-modelling  Educate young people about their brain development to help them become more aware of why they feel and behave the way they do.  Make sure they get enough sleep – poor sleep makes it harder to control impulses, maintain attention  Delay children’s consumption drinking alcohol – can damage the developing brain. o Alcohol appears to damage the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, affecting memory and learning, judgement, decision-making and impulse control. o Adolescents who drink heavily have smaller prefrontal lobes than those of the same age who don’t drink. o Sequential damage that alcohol inflicts on neural tissue:  Proactive parenting o Talk in casual situations o Listen hard and ask lots of questions o Ask questions that need a sentence answer o Check your child understands what was said o Talk about what to do, rather than what not to do o Let your children talk (even if you don’t like what they are saying) o Use praise and positive words (use ‘I’) o Talk s houlder to shoulder… (eg while walking, driving etc) o Try not to solve their problems instead give them a chance to do this by kindly asking things like: “What would you like me to help you with?” o If say ‘ no ’ explain why o Establish rules and consequences bound in love Links for parents: http://raisingchildren.net.au/articles/brain_development_teenagers.html http://www.actforyouth.net/resources/rf/rf_brain_0502.pdf http://healthywa.wa.gov.au/Healthy-WA/Articles/F_I/Information-for-parents-alcohol-and-the- developing-brain http://www.ted.com/talks/sarah_jayne_blakemore_the_mysterious_workings_of_the_adolescent_ brain?language=en www.sdera.wa.edu.au Cross, 2015 2

Developmental Progression of Use of Internet and Social Networking Sites Australia has some of the highest social media usage in the world, with the use of social media increasing significantly with age among young Australians. Statistics from 2009 revealed that 8 to 10 year olds spent approximately 30 minutes per day on social media , increasing to 150 minutes per day on average for 15 to 17 year olds (Australian Communications and Media Authority, 2009). With the increasing popularity of social media since 2009 it is clear that these figures would now be a conservative estimate of average use among school-age children. The 2013 ACMA report verifies that the use of social media has increased from 2009, and that use increases with age. Current statistics describe the use of social networking at 88% for 12-13 year old, 97% for 14-15 year olds and 99% for 16-17 year olds (ACMA, 2013). Development of Social Interaction Online The popularity of social media within Australia, particularly amongst children and adolescents, has seen significant increases in the exposure and adoption of social media by younger children. Due to its rapidly changing nature, official research and statistics cannot always keep pace with activity occurring on social media. It is important to recognise that whilst we provide guidance on trends of use, young people are being exposed to social media at increasingly younger ages, and consequently the information provided can be used as a general guide only. Children‟s social networks, home life, and school environment will all influence when and how young people are exposed to social media. Relevant Reading Australian Communications and Media Authority. (2013). Like, Post, Share: Young Australians‟ experience of social media, Quantitative research report. Australian Communications and Media Authority. Australian Communications and Media Authority. (2011). Like, Post, Share: Young Australians‟ experience of social media, Qualitative research report. Australian Communications and Media Authority. Holloway, D., Green, L. and Livingstone, S. (2013). Zero to eight. Young children and their internet use. LSE, London: EU Kids Online. Cross, 2015 3

Early Childhood: generally from ages 4-8 Entertainment is the primary reason for Internet use among this age group. Consequently, users of this age typically engage in online gaming more than any other age group. Initially young people favour single player games but may shift to multi-player games where they can communicate with others online. Multi-player games become more popular as younger children begin to explore interacting with others in an online environment. Popular interactive sites for this age group may include Moshi Monsters, Disney, Club Penguin and Minecraft. Young people also begin to understand the value of using the Internet to find information about their interests, hobbies, and school assignments and so may begin to explore social media sites such as YouTube, Wikipedia, Yahookids, askkids etc. However, it is important to recognise that the majority of children this age may not always understand how to appropriately process the information they collect. Middle Childhood: generally from ages 8-11 Studies from 2013 indicate that YouTube was the most popular social networking site amongst the 8 to 11 aged group despite the service being intended for users aged 13 years and older. The statistics reported 53% of 8-9 year olds and 69% of 10 to11 year olds had used the YouTube site within the preceding four weeks (ACMA, 2013). Other social networking and gaming sites used by this age group include Moshi Monsters, Club Penguin, Habbo Hotel, Minecraft, Terraria, Instagram and Facebook (ACMA, 2013). From about the age of 10 years social interactions become increasingly important. Although 10-11 year olds continue to play online games at a similar frequency as earlier age groups, the type of game is now most commonly a multi-player game, often with open chat functions. In addition to using chat in multi-player games, some children at this age start exploring more chat specific programs, such as Skype, which are more commonly used by teenagers. Boys and Girls Statistics do reveal some differences in Internet use between boys and girls. An Australian national study found 11% of girls compared to 18% of boys within the ages of 10 to11 indicated they had not used these social networking services within the preceding four weeks prior to the data collection (ACMA, 2013). In addition, boys generally move away from the types of online games played in their younger years and start to engage in online games typically laden with violence and strategy. There is also an increase in the number of girls engaging in multi-player games. Girls, however, tend to spend more time communicating with friends and are more likely than boys to organise offline meetings through the use of chat functions within multi-player games. ACMA (2013) reports also indicate that girls are more likely than boys to send private messages and post status updates. Cross, 2015 4