Most teenage girls don't plan to get pregnant, but many do.
Teen pregnancies carry extra health risks to both the mother and the baby. Often, teens don't get prenatal care soon enough, which can lead to problems later on. They have a higher risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure and its complications. Risks for the baby include premature birth and a low birth weight.If you're a pregnant teen, you can help yourself and your baby by Getting regular prenatal care Taking your prenatal vitamins for your health and to prevent some birth defects Avoiding smoking, alcohol, and drugs Using a condom, if you are having sex, to prevent sexually transmitted diseases that could hurt your baby A teenager, or teen, is a young person whose age falls within the range from thirteen through nineteen (13–19). They are called teenagers because their age number ends in "teen".
Someone aged 18 or 19 is also considered a young adult. Usage by ordinary people varies, and also varies in different societies. Most societies traditionally had a formal ceremony to mark the change from childhood to adulthood. During puberty, rapid mental and physical development occurs.Adolescence is the name for this transition period from childhood to adulthood.
In the United States, younger teenagers go to middle school while teenagers from the ages of 15 through 17 typically go to high school. In the United Kingdom (UK), teenagers and non-teens are mixed in secondary school. Teenagers attending secondary school (high school in the US) generally graduate at the age of 17 or 18. "Teen" and "Teenagers" redirect here.
For other uses, see Teen (disambiguation). "Adolescents" redirects here. For the band, see Adolescents (band).For the song by Incubus, see Adolescents (song).
For the 1966 French documentary, see Adolescence (film). Two teenagers listening to music Teenagers of diverse backgrounds in Oslo Adolescence (from Latin adolescere, meaning "to grow up")[1] is a transitional stage of physical and psychological human development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to legal adulthood (age of majority). [1][2][3] The period of adolescence is most closely associated with the teenage years,[3][4][5][6] though its physical, psychological and cultural expressions may begin earlier and end later.For example, although puberty has been historically associated with the onset of adolescent development, it now typically begins prior to the teenage years and there has been a normative shift of it occurring in preadolescence, particularly in females (see early and precocious puberty). [4][7][8] Physical growth, as distinct from puberty (particularly in males), and cognitive development generally seen in adolescence, can also extend into the early twenties.
Thus chronological age provides only a rough marker of adolescence, and scholars have found it difficult to agree upon a precise definition of adolescence.A thorough understanding of adolescence in society depends on information from various perspectives, most importantly from the areas of psychology, biology, history, sociology, education, and anthropology. Within all of these perspectives, adolescence is viewed as a transitional period between childhood and adulthood, whose cultural purpose is the preparation of children for adult roles. [11] It is a period of multiple transitions involving education, training, employment and unemployment, as well as transitions from one living circumstance to another.The end of adolescence and the beginning of adulthood varies by country and by function, and furthermore even within a single nation state or culture there can be different ages at which an individual is considered (chronologically and legally) mature enough for society to entrust them with certain privileges and responsibilities.
Such milestones include driving a vehicle, having legal sexual relations, serving in the armed forces or on a jury, purchasing and drinking alcohol, voting, entering into contracts, finishing certain levels of education, and marriage.Adolescence is usually accompanied by an increased independence allowed by the parents or legal guardians and less supervision as compared to preadolescence. In popular culture, adolescent characteristics are attributed to physical changes and what is called raging hormones. [13][14][15] There is little evidence that this is the case, however.In studying adolescent development,[16] adolescence can be defined biologically, as the physical transition marked by the onset of puberty and the termination of physical growth; cognitively, as changes in the ability to think abstractly and multi-dimensionally; or socially, as a period of preparation for adult roles. Major pubertal and biological changes include changes to the sex organs, height, weight, and muscle mass, as well as major changes in brain structure and organization.
Cognitive advances encompass both increases in knowledge and in the ability to think abstractly and to reason more effectively. The study of adolescent development often involves interdisciplinary collaborations.For example, researchers in neuroscience or bio-behavioral health might focus on pubertal changes in brain structure and its effects on cognition or social relations. Sociologists interested in adolescence might focus on the acquisition of social roles (e.
g. , worker or romantic partner) and how this varies across cultures or social conditions. [17] Developmental psychologists might focus on changes in relations with parents and peers as a function of school structure and pubertal status. [18]
