Introduction

Whenever I made a bad decision on my body in life, such as when I got one of those single-day washable tattoos in grade 3, my mother would cite Confucius: “Our body, skin, and hair are all received from our parents; we dare not injure them.”1 In other words, she does not trust me to make decisions on my body. Adolescents, however, are notoriously impulsive. They are experiencing puberty, and as they transition into adulthood, adolescents crave for freedom and independence2. Some of them start to drink alcohol, take drugs, and get piercings. Society assumes that adolescents should not be trusted to make decisions about their bodies. Yet is societal distrust of adolescents really justified? 

Adolescent protection and welfare began during the Industrial Revolution, when the world evolved from an agrarian community into an industrialized society4,5. However, massive industrialization caused many agricultural workers to lose their livelihood6. As a result, migration from the countryside into cities drastically increased7. When competition for jobs escalated in urban areas, families sent their children to work to increase the income brought into the household. Without regulations on working conditions or a legal working age8, adolescents suffered injuries9 and were subject to exploitation. Soon, many protests targeted at adolescent protection pressured Britain to pass laws restricting the employment of minors under 14 in 193310. The Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of our society’s concern on adolescent safety. In the contemporary world, the concept of adolescent protection and welfare has “mutated” into a collective distrust of teenagers11,12,13,14. However, in a different and modernized environment, are 14-year-olds better equipped to make wise judgments on their bodies?

This paper argues that adolescents are still unable to make beneficial decisions on their bodies due to new, negative social changes, adolescent health consequences, and the moral obligation of parents to guide their children. The paper interprets “trust” as having a firm belief and confidence in someone’s reliability or judgment15. “Decisions about their bodies” refers to conclusions that affects one’s health or body autonomy16. Finally, “14-year-olds” refers to individuals who are going through the early stages and features of adolescence17,18. The paper will also use the phrase “bodily decisions”. This term is defined as: “intentional choices and commitments made to one’s body.”  Bodily decisions will encompass everything from drug use (legal or illicit) to irreversible body modifications (tattoos, piercings, and transgender procedures).

Unlike the modern world, which has continuously evolved, it is highly unlikely that the adolescent brain has changed much over the past two centuries. The way that adolescents are portrayed in historical literature imply that teenage struggles and habits have not altered. For instance, Shakespeare's tragedy of Romeo and Juliet emphasizes themes of disobedience, strong feelings, and daring actions that are still relevant in today's adolescents19. In other words, the mind of a teenager remains impulsive20. Furthermore, changes in our current environment have negatively impacted adolescent decision making and have made them more prone to making riskier bodily decisions.

For adolescents, a lot of new technological inventions—like social media, online communication, and phones—can have negative effects. Our society has considerably interlinked and changed. This implies that adolescents can readily access nearly whatever they want with current technology21. One psychological effect of the development of electronic devices discourages adolescents to think and deliberate. Technology promotes acting upon impulses, emotions, and desires because it has significantly reduced time taken to consider the consequences of any action22. In the past, letters were the primary means of communication, and messages could take up to months to arrive. Today, adolescents have less time to seek adult feedback or to consider the circumstances. For example, the emergence of smartphones and the Internet has led to an increase in "sexting" between adolescents23. Sharing nudes online have become a type of sexual expression practiced by teenagers24. This example proves that new technological advancements have allowed less time to reflect on the action. Ultimately, poor bodily decisions have become easier to commit, faster, and more broadly consequential due to technological improvements.

The rise of popular culture and social media platforms have also provided adolescents with quicker and easier ways to make bad decisions.25 Consider social media as an example. Some of the most widely used social media sites were created when modern teenagers were still infants. Therefore, this kind of technology has practically become a part of the adolescents’ growing up, with long-term effects26. Social media platforms could play a significant role in introducing young people to the idea of self-harm. In one study, 179 adolescents reported at least 1 hour of social media use every day. Of these same adolescents, 1 in 5 reported having thoughts of self-harm whilst 1 in 8 engaged in actual self-injurious behaviors27. Social media can also create negative body stereotypes and encourage extreme and risky bodily decisions. Many adolescents can become confused, conflicted, or stressed to live up to bodily expectations found on social platforms. Thus, social media can be another distraction or obstacle for adolescents when making good bodily decisions.

The potential consequences bad bodily decisions can inflict on an adolescent’s body and health provide another strong argument against entrusting 14-year-olds. Most adolescents lack a developed prefrontal cortex, a frontal lobe of the brain that specializes in executive function. The prefrontal cortex only fully matures at about 25 years old or more28. This immaturity leads adolescents to prioritize immediate pleasures and rewards over positive, long-term judgments29. Hence, adolescents could make decisions that negatively impact their bodies and cause unrepairable damage. It might be argued that we allow people to make dangerous choices because we believe that they learn from their mistakes and that some degree of freedom is vital. Yet, the potential for irreversible harm justifies a more protective approach for adolescents. The following paragraphs will elaborate on the harmful effects that sexual actions, substance abuse, and bodily alterations can have on adolescent health.

The increased frequency of risky sexual behavior, defined here, as engaging in unprotected sex at a young or illegal age, has been a major problem among adolescents. Risky sexual behavior poses significant risks, including sexually transmitted diseases or infections (such as HIV or STIs), unexpected pregnancies and other long-term health issues30. Furthermore, premature decisions may also lead to psychological and emotional impacts that can result in regret and mental health disorders later in life31. Without a complete and clear understanding of the possible medical consequences, most adolescents are unequipped to balance or understand their sexual decisions.

Additionally, in a world where there are a variety of compulsive narcotics, 14-year-olds are more prone to participate in substance use and unhealthy eating habits. Puberty is a stage when adolescents are more vulnerable to addictions and are “experimenting” with substances such as alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs32. Statistics show that drug use at a young age can lead to long-term addictions and health problems. Naturally, drugs also have a large impact on the adolescent mind. Mental health problems such as depression, developmental lags, apathy, withdrawal, and other psychosocial dysfunctions are frequently linked to substance abuse among adolescents. Moreover, a person's daily life can become alienated from them due to substance usage. Adolescent substance abuse has been associated with declining grades, absence from school and/or extracurricular activities, and a higher risk of dropping out of school. Other consequences also include disengagement from peers, family members and an increased economic and social burden for the user33. For these reasons, adolescents should not be trusted to make bodily decisions, especially when drugs and other substances are present and obtainable in our society.

Tattoos, piercings, and trans-gender surgeries are some examples of irreversible bodily decisions. Again, because their brains have not fully developed in terms of cognition and emotion, adolescents make decisions without thinking through the long-term effects. As an illustration, gender affirming surgeries are complicated medical procedures with substantial, irreversible results34,35. Although for some people, these surgeries are crucial for their wellbeing or identity, the side effects of these surgeries can come at the cost of reduced years of life36. Adolescents are not mature enough to make such a life-changing and important decision. Additionally, adolescent decisions may not align with an individual's long-term preference or identity. Marks and patterns on your body such as tattoos or piercings can cause regret and are extremely difficult to remove. As a result, we shouldn’t trust adolescents to make bodily decisions due to their inability to consider all the outcomes of their choices.

One could further argue that parents have a moral obligation to guide adolescents and teach them what is ethically right or wrong. Adolescents are experiencing a critical stage in the formation of their moral principles and decision-making abilities. Guidance and support are especially vital during adolescence because of the significant physical, emotional, and mental changes that take place during this period.

Specifically, for the purpose of helping teenagers gain a strong moral compass, parents are crucial in establishing moral concepts and social values. Most parents have influence over their children, so it is especially important for them to convey moral principles. They can accomplish this by establishing clear expectations and norms, having open discussions regarding ethical issues, and providing a clear illustration of moral behavior. This guidance will not only lead adolescents to making better choices, but also instill social and ethical values that contribute to their development. Parents fulfill their moral obligation to provide an atmosphere that supports their adolescent children's healthy growth and future achievement by being involved in their lives.

Adolescents, unlike their parents, cannot provide as many ways to help and direct themselves to overcome obstacles and develop their own responsibility. For example, parents serve as role-models to their children37. Parents demonstrate the correct behaviors, traits, and attitudes that adolescents are likely to imitate and follow. Hence, by becoming a consistent and positive role model, parents will teach adolescents to make responsible and integral decisions38. This guidance is also extremely beneficial in fostering independence in an adolescent. Parents can ensure that their children make wise and secure decisions while encouraging self-reliance and autonomy by providing appropriate advice. Thus, parents do have a moral responsibility to guide adolescents and establish correct values for them. They act as important role models for adolescents and are significant in issuing ethical traits for them.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we should still not trust adolescents to make decisions on their bodies. Ultimately, societal distrust of adolescents is justified because of the massive changes in our society, the health consequences caused by poor bodily decisions, and the moral, parental duty in guiding 14-year-olds. The adolescent brain is not capable enough to make smart, long-term decisions, whilst social media and the development of new, addictive substances have made adolescents more prone to making risky decisions. Even though adolescents are going through a stage of development and maturity, in an ever-developing world, we should protect and guide adolescents instead of letting them make decisions freely.

Endnotes

1.     Columbia University (No date of Publish) Selections from The Classic of Filiality (XiaoJing) afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/classic_of_filiality.pdf

2.     National Cancer Institute (No date of publish) Puberty cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/puberty

3.     National Library of Medicine (Published in 2011) Adolescents and the risks that affect them ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK53412/

4.     Britannica (Last updated on 13th June 2024) Industrial Revolution britannica.com/event/Industrial-Revolution/The-first-Industrial-Revolution

5.     History (Last updated on 27th March 2023) Industrial Revolution history.com/topics/industrial-revolution/industrial-revolution

6.     National Geographic (Last Updated on 19th October, 2023) Industrialization, Labor, and Life education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/industrialization-labor-and-life/6th-grade/

7.     Khan Academy World History (No date of publish) Industrialization and Migration khanacademy.org/humanities/whp-1750/xcabef9ed3fc7da7b:unit-3-industrialization/xcabef9ed3fc7da7b:3-2-global-industrialization/a/industrialization-and-migration-beta#:~:text=Many%20farming%20or%20peasant%20families,work%20in%20the%20new%20factories

8.     Wikipedia (Last updated on 11th June 2024) Child Labor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour#:~:text=Children%20who%20worked%20at%20an,feed%20and%20support%20the%20family

9.     Boston university (Last updated on 18th October 2017) The Industrial Revolution sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/ep/ep713_history/ep713_history4.html

10.  Wikipedia (Last updated on 11th June 2024) Child Labor en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour#:~:text=Children%20who%20worked%20at%20an,feed%20and%20support%20the%20family

11.  Ildeniz B. Arslan-Spinger Link (Published on 12th January 2023) When Too Much Help is of No Help: Mothers’ and Fathers’ Perceived Overprotective Behavior and (Mal) Adaptive Functioning in Adolescents

 link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-022-01723-0

12.  Dimitris I. Tsomokos-Nature mental health (Published on 13th February 2024) Bullying fosters interpersonal distrust and degrades adolescent mental health as predicted by Social Safety Theory nature.com/articles/s44220-024-00203-7

13.  University of California-SciTechDaily (Published 13th February 2024) From Social Harm to Neural Scars: The Science Behind Bullying’s Lasting Effects scitechdaily.com/from-social-harm-to-neural-scars-the-science-behind-bullyings-lasting-effects/

14.  Diana Divencha-Developmental Science (Published on 30th November 2017) Teenagers Might Have a Problem With Respect But It’s Not the One You Think developmentalscience.com/blog/2017/11/29/teenagers-might-have-a-problem-with-respect-but-its-not-the-one-you-think

15.  Oxford Languages-Dictionary (No date of publish) Trust google.com/search?sca_esv=12bca82f3fd61d55&rlz=1C5CHFA_en__1096__1100&sxsrf=ADLYWIIDsoSTW5ocvk3OoUoYyaKjWx-bqw:1719651408283&q=trust&si=ACC90nwXlEU2j3qee_ajN1FbIPWBSJE0Gy6d-Ep0A91gk13jH_aLlJlmkpYgN5aOdHF8ZmeKouYG8S0ncRDffP5idCHtvOnrYA%3D%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwir5c_auICHAxWcWEEAHXKLDUEQ2v4IegUIFxCrAQ&biw=1470&bih=743&dpr=2

16.   Oxford Languages-Dictionary (No date of publish) Decisions google.com/search?sca_esv=5ab8962a38650a00&rlz=1C5CHFA_en__1096__1100&sxsrf=ADLYWIIus-TW8dWUDI3jm83w3pqvI-uNNA:1720338359176&q=decisions&si=ACC90nytWkp8tIhRuqKAL6XWXX-N0twxIE9_N1za2VanhHNSYoSZo3Uh9Oaq2cSCFzikfSCfM6Cl0OSDmVx-0b4iZkXVhGlfvRYY2Old7YnX75-Fyc4bv90%3D&expnd=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig7Krmt5SHAxW5n44IHStsDLgQ2v4IegQIJxBn&cshid=1720338359775602&biw=1404&bih=738&dpr=2

17.  Britannica (Last updated on 12th June 2024) Adolescence britannica.com/topic/secondary-education

18.  Wikipedia (Last updated on 2nd July 2024) Adolescence en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolescence

19.  Psychology Today (Last updated on June 9th, 2016) The Invention of Adolescence psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199501/the-invention-adolescence

20.  Mass Cultural Council (No date of Publish) Brief History of Adolescence and Youth Development massculturalcouncil.org/creative-youth-development/boston-youth-arts-evaluation-project/brief-history-of-adolescence-youth-development/

21.  American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) (Last Updated in April 2020) Internet Use in Children

aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-Online-059.aspx

22.  Jim Taylor-Psychology Today (Published on 7th January 2013) Is Technology Creating a Generation of Bad Decision Makers?

psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-power-prime/201301/is-technology-creating-generation-bad-decision-makers

23.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 16th July 2019) Sexting, Mental Health, and Victimization Among Adolescents: A Literature Review

 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6650829/

24.  Swathi Krishna-Psychiatric Times (Published on 31st December 2019) Sexting: The Technological Evolution of the Sexual Revolution

psychiatrictimes.com/view/sexting-technological-evolution-sexual-revolution

25.  Jim Taylor-Psychology Today (Published on 7th January 2013) Is Technology Creating a Generation of Bad Decision Makers?

psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/the-power-prime/201301/is-technology-creating-generation-bad-decision-makers

26.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 26th May 2020) Association of Social Media Use and High-Risk Behaviors in Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study

 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284392/

27.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 26th May 2020) Association of Social Media Use and High-Risk Behaviors in Adolescents: Cross-Sectional Study

 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7284392/

28.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 3rd April 2013) Maturation of the adolescent brain

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3621648/#:~:text=The%20development%20and%20maturation%20of%20the%20prefrontal%20cortex%20occurs%20primarily,the%20age%20of%2025%20years

29.  Valerie F. Reyna-Sage Journals (Published in September 2006) Risk and Rationality in Adolescent Decision Making: Implications for theory. Practice and public policy journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2006.00026.x

30.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 6th December 2018) Risky Sexual Behavior among Adolescents: The Role of Decision-Making, Problems from Cannabis Use and Externalizing Disorder Symptoms

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6404745/#:~:text=Increases%20in%20risk%2Dtaking%20behaviors,to%20STIs%20or%20unplanned%20pregnancies

31.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 29th July 2000) Psychiatric disorders and risky sexual behavior in young adulthood: cross sectional study in birth cohort ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC27440/

32.  Partnership to End Addiction (Last updated in September 2023) Teen Brain Development Teen Behavior and Preventing Drug Use

drugfree.org/article/teen-brain-development/#:~:text=And%20because%20the%20internal%20reward,than%20adults%20to%20developing%20addiction

33.  Ojjdp-gov (No date of publish) Consequences of youth substance abuse ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/pubs/drugid/ration-03.html#:~:text=Consequences%20of%20youth%20substance%20abuse&text=Young%20people%20who%20persistently%20abuse,with%20the%20juvenile%20justice%20system

34.  National Library of Medicine-NIH (Published on 13th June 2018) Gender Dysphoria: Bioethical Aspects of Medical Treatment

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6020665/#:~:text=Gender%20affirmation%20surgery%20is%20the,perform%2C%20even%20for%20experienced%20surgeons

35.  Wikipedia (Last updated on 6th July 2024) Gender-affirming surgery en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gender-affirming_surgery

36.  Kenny Walter-HCP Live (Published on 3rd September 2021) Mortality Rate Much Higher for Transgender People hcplive.com/view/mortality-rate-higher-transgender-people

37.  American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry-AACAP (Last updated in March 2017) Role Models and Children

 aacap.org/AACAP/Families_and_Youth/Facts_for_Families/FFF-Guide/Children-and-Role-Models-099.aspx

38.  Karen Stephens (Published in May 2004) Parents Are Powerful Role Models for Children exchangepress.com/library_pe/5231004.pdf