Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence

Listen to so-called talk show "experts" or peruse books about family communications and they'll advise asking kids why they did what they did, why they got in trouble, why they acted so irresponsibly. This is the wrong approach, according to Steinberg (psychology, Temple Univ.; Adolescence; Beyond the Classroom). Teens can't know why they do what they do; they can't think about future consequences when they are emotionally charged. So adults need to optimize healthy development of teens, limiting opportunities for potentially risky behavior to take place at all. The brains of 13 through 20 year olds are very malleable, ready to change and learn in positive, supportive environments. Steinberg focuses on aspects that others ignore—e.g., the "reminiscence bump" (how and why we remember distinctly events from adolescence), the extreme importance of self-regulation (motivation), and why high schools must become more academically demanding and less boring. Be warm, he advises; be firm, be supportive.