When are you actually an adult? - Shannon Odell
Let’s Begin…
Most countries recognize 18 as the start of adulthood by granting various freedoms and privileges. Yet there’s no exact age or moment in development that we can point to as having reached full maturity. If there’s no consensus on exactly when we reach maturity, when do we actually become adults? Shannon Odell shares how scientists define adulthood using stages of brain development.
Additional Resources for you to Explore
Emerging science signals that many of our conceptions of adulthood and maturity are wrong or ill-informed. For a broader overview of teen brain development, check out this lesson or this explainer video of the adolescent brain.
Finally, Frank Green explains why teens sometimes behave like a different species and how younger brains differ from their adult counterparts.
Watch the video and finish the Think section to complete the lesson.
About The Science of Adolescence
The adolescent brain is spectacular! Between roughly the ages of 10 and 25, key connections are forming within the brain, between ideas, and between people. Understanding how this “connecting brain” works can help us facilitate positive development and make healthier decisions, enabling us to take advantage of the remarkable potential of these formative years.
Meet The Creators
- Video created by TED-Ed
- Lesson Plan created by TED Ed
