Why Teenagers Take Dangerous Risks

Do you worry that your teenager is smoking cannabis, drinking alcohol, having sex or getting in with the wrong crowd? I discuss why teenagers take risks and share my top tip for managing their risky behaviour. Risky behaviour has been the hallmark of adolescence for millennia, but today’s world perhaps poses greater challenges than at any point in human history. Increased access to stressful, inappropriate, even dangerous information on social media and the internet is part of every teen’s life. But novelty seeking and risk-taking behaviour are actually an important and healthy part of adolescence. They help teenagers to develop autonomy and start living lives independent of their parents.