Understanding Teen Behavior

Teens still have rights within the library.

From Kelsey Bogan's "Don't Shush Me!" blog, this article gives practical ways to deal with teen behavior in any library setting.

This article by Allyson Evans is on page 14 of this issue of Young Adult Library Services.

Resources from the IMLS grant project focused on improving teen services across the United States.

From the blog, "Hi, Miss Julie" by librarian Julie Jurgens, which focuses on inclusion and equity in library services.

Report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. "This report examines the neurobiological and socio-behavioral science of adolescent development and outlines how this knowledge can be applied, both to promote adolescent well-being, resilience, and development, and to rectify structural barriers and inequalities in opportunity, enabling all adolescents to flourish."

Fact sheet from the National Institute of Mental Health

From the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, this short article gives an overview of the differences between teen brains and adult brains.

From the American Psychological Association: "New research now turns an old assumption on its head, as psychologists seek to optimize social contexts and environments for developing minds."

Study from the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences. "This finding suggests that the higher level of risk-taking observed among adolescents may reflect a higher tolerance for the unknown."

Search Institute has identified 40 positive supports and strengths that young people need to succeed. Half of the assets focus on the relationships and opportunities they need in their families, schools, and communities (external assets). The remaining assets focus on the social-emotional strengths, values, and commitments that are nurtured within young people (internal assets).

From the National Academies of Sciences, this book focuses on measured impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adolescents. The link goes directly to the section on Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Effects.

Research highlight article from the National Institute of Mental Health shows that the pandemic had "measurable changes in brain development" for teens.

The 2022 study from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) showed that 84% of public schools reported that the pandemic negatively impacted student behavior.

"In a small study supported by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), researchers found that teen brains looked as though they had aged an average of about 3 years during only 10 months of the pandemic. This effect mirrors what is known to happen in teen brains after they are exposed to adversity or traumatic events."