Recently, I was in high school health class for the BodiMojo project and asked the teacher whether she was incorporating any of the cool adolescent brain research that is coming out. You know (or maybe not), the research that shows how the teen brain is exploding with growth, soaking up learning and experimentation, refining certain areas for executive functions… and how substance use can cause damage during this vulnerable time??
Yes, the school is referring to this latest research, she tells
me. “Great!” I exclaim. “What do the kids think about it?” I ask this feeling
excited by the prospect of an equally ebullient response.
“It’s not my brain!”
WHAT? Yes, that’s the teen response she gets. Is it just cool to me, a geeky grown up who gets inspired easily with modern science? Oh, has nothing changed even with the advent of brain scans that SHOW what is going on?
If I knew what alcohol or drugs did to the intricate working of the brain when I was 15, I would have thought twice about some of the shenanigans I got involved in. But alas, I had a pretty level head like many other teens pushing the envelope.
Still, I left the high school deflated.
Then, as if the universe was feeling my lament, there have been a series NPR segments about the very topic of the teen brain after binge drinking and what meth addiction looks like (literally, the use of virtual tool that morphs your face – the intent is to appeal to teen vanity). Worth a listen or a peek. I then came to some YPulse postings – my daily news on the happenings in teen market – to learn about Montana’s public health campaign to stop crystal meth use. Ok, if brain scans won’t do it, these series of videos should make a kid stop and ponder, and hopefully not ever consider it (hence the campaign slogan: “Not Even Once.”) I write this with a warning. Watch before sharing with kids as the ads depict the extreme physical, emotional, and social consequences of being hooked on something as addicting as crystal meth. Not pretty. But that’s the point.
Fear tactics often fail. I’ll be curious to learn how The Meth Project does over the long haul. In the meantime, PBS's Frontline has a great website on the Teen Brain – a bit easier to digest.
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