Why Teen Brains Are More Vulnerable to Addiction

Anika Shetty
Mar 5
3 min read

Growing Up - The Teenage Years:

During young years, humans undergo a list of physical and mental changes, yet the body will still continue growing, changing, and developing throughout the entire teenage years.

An increased level of brain development takes place during these young years and many of those people are prone to having an addictive personality or behaviour due to the brain developing at various rates, hence, these young teens would prefer to go after everything that is exciting or rewarding.

This leads to many teens to not think fully about the long term consequences of their actions, especially relating to addiction related behaviours.

Dopamine Reward System:

One area that adds to the increased chances of teens with the dopamine reward system will be more likely to search out for reward filling behaviours without ever thinking through the long term impacts.

The reason that this happens is due to the fact that teen's reward system is maturing faster than other areas of the brain, so while they are more likely than adults to want to have pleasure inducing experiences that release a high amount of dopamine, very few teens are thinking about the long term consequences, as their reward system is not yet fully developed.

Prefrontal Cortex Development:

Moreover, the other important factor that takes part in why teens safety is being compromised by large risks relating to growing addictions is that the prefrontal cortex area of the brain is still developing, which is responsible for the organisation, planning and assessing of impulse control.

Because of the fact this is still in a developmental state during their teenage years; teens may express greater tendencies to take actions without fully assessing the consequences of what their actions may be, hence, leading to increased chance that they will take part in an action that may lead them to developing an addiction.

Younger people may find it more difficult than older adults to fight temptations and consider future impacts of behaviours.

Ways that Addictions Are Developed:

The combination of a very strong reward system and a developing control system puts teens at greater risk for developing addiction.

Substances that produce large amounts of dopamine, like nicotine and alcohol, provide powerful pleasure sensations. Eventually, the brain depends on these substances to create pleasure and develop an addiction.

Addiction Goes Beyond Substances:

Addiction can develop from non substance behaviours that activate the reward system in the brain.

For example, getting notifications and likes on social media platforms and reaching levels in gaming both produce small releases of dopamine and can create the desire to continue with the behaviour.

How to Make Better Decisions:

Teens may be at high risk for developing addictions. However, knowing how their brains function can help them make better decisions.

Making positive choices with their brains as they continue to grow is vital. This includes things such as limiting screen time, staying active through physical activity, and avoiding other harmful substances.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, the young teen brain is still developing, especially in areas controlling behaviours.

Teens often reach out for enjoyable experiences due to the increased activity of their reward system during youth, which could most likely lead to addiction (if those experiences become addictive).

If young people are aware of the possibility of this happening, they can make more smart choices to support their overall health and wellness.

Teenage brains are majorly affected by different reasons that cause them to develop an addiction compared to adults, and the number of changes that people experience emotionally and physically during youth make a larger difference as their brains continue to change and mature than adults through those years.