0:00:02 > 0:00:03BABY CRIES
0:00:03 > 0:00:04BABY LAUGHS
0:00:04 > 0:00:08In the year 2000, the BBC began a remarkable experiment
0:00:08 > 0:00:12to follow the lives of 25 babies from across the UK.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18And we've been filming them ever since.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22As they took their first steps...
0:00:22 > 0:00:24CHEERING AND LAUGHING
0:00:24 > 0:00:25..started school...
0:00:28 > 0:00:30..moved house
0:00:30 > 0:00:32and made friends.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36It was a quest to find out what makes us who we are.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38Nature or nurture?
0:00:38 > 0:00:41In this series, our group are turning 16.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44As they step out into the adult world,
0:00:44 > 0:00:46everything is changing.
0:00:46 > 0:00:47Whoo!
0:00:47 > 0:00:48# Yeah
0:00:48 > 0:00:53# We're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time... #
0:00:53 > 0:00:55Being 16 freaks me out.
0:00:55 > 0:00:59Like, I'm not an adult. I'm not ready to be an adult yet.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01# It's time. #
0:01:01 > 0:01:03- ALL:- One, two, three, Esher!
0:01:03 > 0:01:04CHEERING
0:01:04 > 0:01:06As they reach this milestone,
0:01:06 > 0:01:09I'll be joined by clinical psychologist Tanya Byron...
0:01:09 > 0:01:13THEY CHEER ..who works with teenagers.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17I'll be revealing why being 16 is such a turbulent time.
0:01:17 > 0:01:19I think they've had enough now.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I'll be finding out about the incredible new science
0:01:22 > 0:01:26that shows how teenagers are being affected by huge changes
0:01:26 > 0:01:28going on in their brains.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31I mean, look, we've got Blackpool Tower in there, the pleasure centre.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33That's your brain, Matt.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39And looking at the massive impact of growing up in a world
0:01:39 > 0:01:42that is radically different to their parents'.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44I spend a lot more time talking to people on social media
0:01:44 > 0:01:46than I do in real life.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50It's a perfect storm.
0:01:50 > 0:01:55Society, physical changes, hormonal changes, and brain changes.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01So join us as we say goodbye to the children we knew...
0:02:01 > 0:02:04..and say hello to the teenagers that they've become.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22Over the last 16 years,
0:02:22 > 0:02:26we've watched our children grow throughout their childhood.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30But in the last few years, they've all undergone
0:02:30 > 0:02:33an extraordinary physical transformation.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35# I'm coming out
0:02:35 > 0:02:38# I want the world to know
0:02:38 > 0:02:40# Got to let it show. #
0:02:41 > 0:02:44He was just a little boy.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48And then suddenly, in the last year, he's really shot up.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50Which, obviously... Also with his voice,
0:02:50 > 0:02:51his voice has changed as well.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53And I've got to the point sometimes
0:02:53 > 0:02:56where I hear this really deep voice in the house, and I'll think,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59"Oh, my God, there's a strange man in the house!"
0:02:59 > 0:03:03Powerful surges of hormones are turning the boys into young men.
0:03:03 > 0:03:05He's taking more care of himself
0:03:05 > 0:03:07because there's ladies.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09Lots of ladies.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18And the girls have turned into young women.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Well, I've got taller since the last time you filmed, definitely.
0:03:25 > 0:03:26And I've grown some boobs.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31She's a woman. She's, you know...
0:03:31 > 0:03:34She's got that youthfulness about her, which is really depressing!
0:03:38 > 0:03:40As they grow into their adult bodies,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43changes are happening in their brains, too.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48It's almost like I've just transformed
0:03:48 > 0:03:50into an entirely different person.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53..preparing them for the adult world to come.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01And he pulls out this, like, turquoise orange...
0:04:01 > 0:04:04No-one captures these brain changes better than Matt.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08And I was like, "Oh, Joe!"
0:04:08 > 0:04:11# Do-re-mi, do-re-mi... #
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Growing up in Surrey with his parents, Kathryn and Graham,
0:04:14 > 0:04:19and older brother, Rob, he always seemed the shyest of our children.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22- Right, Emile?- Yes.
0:04:22 > 0:04:24- Jade?- Yes.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26Matthew?
0:04:26 > 0:04:28Are you here, darling?
0:04:28 > 0:04:29Can you answer, darling?
0:04:29 > 0:04:31- HE WHISPERS:- No.
0:04:34 > 0:04:37Matthew, when he first started, he was very quiet
0:04:37 > 0:04:39and hardly spoke at all.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43He is shy, but it's not really shy because he's scared of things,
0:04:43 > 0:04:45it's more that he's a very gentle child.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Which one shall we have a look at?
0:04:54 > 0:04:57He was often hesitant to explore and try things out.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00He's a bit reluctant to let go of his dad.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04So, the impression that we get is of quite an anxious little boy.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06Where shall I sit down? Where do you want me to sit down?
0:05:06 > 0:05:11When he was three, we tested how he coped with new situations,
0:05:11 > 0:05:12and he was unusually timid.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16I think his reaction is extraordinary, isn't it?
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Here he is, in this garden of earthly delights,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and he's not taking any of the fruit.
0:05:21 > 0:05:23He just doesn't have the confidence
0:05:23 > 0:05:26to go off and explore it by himself.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29This is a pattern that continued throughout his childhood.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32So you're going to come out and have a game with him?
0:05:32 > 0:05:34All right. What do you fancy doing next?
0:05:34 > 0:05:36- Lego.- Hm?
0:05:36 > 0:05:38- Lego.- Lego?
0:05:38 > 0:05:40Can we do something outside when it's nice and sunny?
0:05:40 > 0:05:42We can do Lego outside.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44- Lego outside?- Yeah.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48At 16, Matt has a very different attitude to life.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50CHEERING
0:05:54 > 0:05:56Suddenly it was completely out of my control,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01in terms of just him wanting to go off to parties.
0:06:01 > 0:06:02And so full-on.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05And he'd be like, "Right, next week, I'm doing this on Friday night,
0:06:05 > 0:06:06"that on Saturday night," you know,
0:06:06 > 0:06:08"And I'm staying at this person's house."
0:06:08 > 0:06:10And half the people I didn't know at all!
0:06:10 > 0:06:12He's quite a hedonist. He's a very party animal.
0:06:12 > 0:06:14Joe, do you want a drink?
0:06:14 > 0:06:17'Most weekends we'll go to, like, parties and stuff.'
0:06:17 > 0:06:18- Cheers, Sammy.- That's all right.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Last night, I went to a party and there were about 60 people there.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24Can we order some more drinks?
0:06:24 > 0:06:25The what?
0:06:25 > 0:06:26He just has a go at everything,
0:06:26 > 0:06:29particularly like adrenaline-fuelled sports.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32He's definitely a thrill seeker.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36BELL RINGS
0:06:36 > 0:06:37I really like extreme sport.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40How did you find it?
0:06:40 > 0:06:41It's good, yeah.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43'I feel really excited.'
0:06:43 > 0:06:46You just, like, run off the edge of a mountain, like,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49- with the parachute on you. Just like, "Nope!"- Whee!
0:06:49 > 0:06:51And then, like, you feel the parachute.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53It's really fun. Crazy.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So what's behind this new love of thrills?
0:07:00 > 0:07:03There's no doubt that Matt's upbringing has played a part.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06His parents have given him a secure base
0:07:06 > 0:07:08to allow him to explore the world.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12'Although he is ready to sort of embrace the world,
0:07:12 > 0:07:16'it's like he will do it in his own little way and in his own time.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20'I think it's very important for him to be, you know, away from us.'
0:07:20 > 0:07:22Goodbye. Shall I ring you later?
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- Nope.- To say good night? - No.- Oh, can't I ring you, please?
0:07:25 > 0:07:28- No, no.- Oh, please?- No!
0:07:28 > 0:07:31And encouraging his love of sport has opened up opportunities
0:07:31 > 0:07:34to develop friendships and his confidence.
0:07:34 > 0:07:38- Yay!- Well done. Superb, well done.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40And what's your favourite position, then?
0:07:40 > 0:07:43- Do you like defence, attack? - Striker.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44CHEERING
0:07:44 > 0:07:46But Matt's transformation is far greater
0:07:46 > 0:07:48than just gaining more confidence.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55'New science is revealing an extraordinary change
0:07:55 > 0:07:58'happening deep inside the brain of every teenager.'
0:07:58 > 0:08:02What we want to look at today is both of your brains
0:08:02 > 0:08:04and then compare the differences.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08And what we're particularly going to look at is the part of the brain
0:08:08 > 0:08:11that is involved with how we register pleasure.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14The pleasure centre of the brain.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18Whilst inside an MRI scanner, Matt and his dad, Graham,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21will be given a shot of delicious sugary syrup.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23You'll get a little bit of liquid.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25And, please, don't suck on it.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27OK, first scan starting now.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31The sweetness will stimulate the walnut-sized part of the brain
0:08:31 > 0:08:33called the nucleus accumbens,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35otherwise known as the pleasure centre.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40OK, so we're going to start the study now.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43It's here that our feelings of excitement come from.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47Surges of the hormone testosterone,
0:08:47 > 0:08:50that transforms boys' bodies during puberty,
0:08:50 > 0:08:55also acts on the brain of both boys and girls.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57OK, we're all finished and I'm coming to get you out.
0:08:57 > 0:09:00And the effects can be explosive.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04So we've got Matt's brain here on the left,
0:09:04 > 0:09:05we've got Graham's brain here on the right.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08So let's now see how that area responds
0:09:08 > 0:09:10while you're drinking that sugar syrup.
0:09:11 > 0:09:17You can actually see in your brains this really big difference.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20I mean, look, we've got Blackpool Tower in there,
0:09:20 > 0:09:21the pleasure centre there.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24- That's your brain, Matt.- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Graham, bit of a damp squib.
0:09:26 > 0:09:27THEY LAUGH
0:09:27 > 0:09:30But you enjoyed the sugar, but we're not seeing that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32So mine didn't respond at all to the sugar?
0:09:32 > 0:09:34- HOLLY:- Yours did not respond at all.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39What we know is, in teenagers, you crave pleasure more,
0:09:39 > 0:09:43you seek pleasure more and, when you have pleasure,
0:09:43 > 0:09:47you experience it more intensely than we do as adults.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53These differences in the way the adolescent brain reacts to pleasure
0:09:53 > 0:09:58may explain why so many teens have such an appetite for fun.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00- ALL:- One, two, three, Esher!
0:10:00 > 0:10:03They quite literally feel things more strongly
0:10:03 > 0:10:05than at any other time in their lives.
0:10:10 > 0:10:14Whether it's having a drink or falling through the sky,
0:10:14 > 0:10:17nothing feels as thrilling as when we're 16.
0:10:17 > 0:10:18I think that's good, yeah.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20THEY LAUGH
0:10:21 > 0:10:25The idea that the teenage brain is different from the adult brain
0:10:25 > 0:10:27is really surprising.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Because it's developing, the brain of a teenager functions differently,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35and this explains some other big changes in our teens,
0:10:35 > 0:10:38like becoming more self-conscious.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40SHEEP BLEAT
0:10:46 > 0:10:48For Megan in South Wales,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52this has brought about a very obvious transformation.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Yeah!
0:10:58 > 0:11:01She's grown up helping her parents, Gaynor and Rhodri,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03on a busy working farm.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06I like chasing them,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09because they always be scared.
0:11:09 > 0:11:10We, um...
0:11:10 > 0:11:12We don't go away much.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15We're on 24/7 beck and call, at the end of the phone.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18There's so much to do, really.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21She's been brought up to be active and practical.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Look at these toys!
0:11:26 > 0:11:29Come on, then. Which toy are you going to go for?
0:11:29 > 0:11:31But, even from the earliest age,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34her rejection of anything she thought of as too girlie
0:11:34 > 0:11:36seemed to be part of her nature.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Obviously, the tomboy instinct reigns!
0:11:42 > 0:11:46Megan continued to be a tomboy throughout her childhood.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48I'm the dad!
0:11:49 > 0:11:53I like holding them, because they slither over my hands,
0:11:53 > 0:11:57and they make them all nice and clean.
0:11:57 > 0:11:58SHE LAUGHS
0:11:58 > 0:12:03I'm tomboy and Rhys is a girlie girl!
0:12:03 > 0:12:06She never worried about anything like her clothes or her appearance.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09It's quite boring, choosing clothes all morning
0:12:09 > 0:12:11and then you waste out all your day.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13You went fishing or something.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19And she felt the same when we last filmed her at 12.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I'm not one to wear dresses, but...
0:12:24 > 0:12:27- BOTH:- Whirl, s-s-s!
0:12:27 > 0:12:31She was a bit of a tomboy and nothing ever matched
0:12:31 > 0:12:32and she wasn't...
0:12:32 > 0:12:35You know, she didn't care what she looked like
0:12:35 > 0:12:36and she was right ragamuffin.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Oh, they're so cute!
0:12:38 > 0:12:40But she's changed so much.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Yeah, I heard Claire's was really good
0:12:42 > 0:12:44- for, like, Gatsby headpieces.- It is.
0:12:44 > 0:12:48She's very much conscious about how she looks and stuff now,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50compared to how she was.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52So this is more me.
0:12:52 > 0:12:56Now she's 16, being a tomboy is a distant memory
0:12:56 > 0:12:59as she gets ready for a party with her friends.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02I think it'll be quite nice to have, like,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04a party where everyone, like, dresses up.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05Are you wearing pearls?
0:13:05 > 0:13:07'Cos it's, like, a Gatsby theme.
0:13:07 > 0:13:12'So it's, like, black-tie and gold and silver and sparkly.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:15- If I go like that... - Yeah. Oh, that looks so pretty.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16Ooh!
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Ooh, that's nice.
0:13:18 > 0:13:20- What is it?- I don't know.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27I feel like a princess.
0:13:27 > 0:13:29I'm just sat here, in my dressing gown.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Megan's new-found attention to her looks is normal.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38All our teenagers are more concerned with their appearance
0:13:38 > 0:13:41and their body image than they ever were as children.
0:13:46 > 0:13:48Back when they were seven,
0:13:48 > 0:13:52we asked all of them how they felt about their bodies.
0:13:52 > 0:13:56First, they told us which of these images was most like them.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59So which of these body shapes is most like yours?
0:14:00 > 0:14:02And then we asked them whether
0:14:02 > 0:14:05they'd prefer to look like any of the others.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07A.
0:14:07 > 0:14:10On the whole, they were happy with the way they were,
0:14:10 > 0:14:11or just didn't care.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I don't know.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19At 16, they're much more critical of their appearance.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21Which one looks the skinniest?
0:14:21 > 0:14:22Er, that one.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Yeah, D.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28I'd say D's most like mine, not very much muscle, but a tiny bit.
0:14:30 > 0:14:31Probably that one.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Cos I'm, like, really skinny.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Unlike when they were seven, given the choice,
0:14:37 > 0:14:39most of them would prefer a different body.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42That one.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44Yeah, I'd like to be taller,
0:14:44 > 0:14:45less fat.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49I guess B or C.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51I'd prefer myself with a slimmer frame.
0:14:54 > 0:14:55I am a bit too skinny.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58I'd just like to be able to put on a bit more weight myself,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02cos, like, sometimes being called anorexic, it's not too great.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10We all know that teenagers are more self-conscious,
0:15:10 > 0:15:12but science is revealing why.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17It seems this could be down to a particular change in their brains.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25When we do experiments with adults and teenagers, if we scan your brain
0:15:25 > 0:15:29and ask you to think about other people judging you,
0:15:29 > 0:15:34we see this huge amount of activity in the front part of a teenage brain
0:15:34 > 0:15:37much, much more than in the front part of an adult's brain.
0:15:37 > 0:15:38This is the prefrontal cortex.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41It's to do with how we perceive others
0:15:41 > 0:15:43and how we think others perceive us.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47And at your age, the prefrontal cortex, the front of the brain,
0:15:47 > 0:15:50is undergoing massive, massive changes.
0:15:50 > 0:15:52And while it's changing,
0:15:52 > 0:15:56it's much more active so that you would get quite obsessed
0:15:56 > 0:15:59with what other people think about you.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Alongside these brain changes,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09there's something unique about this generation of teens
0:16:09 > 0:16:12that's fuelling a preoccupation with their appearance.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17They're growing up in a world of smartphones and social media,
0:16:17 > 0:16:20where they're constantly posting selfies,
0:16:20 > 0:16:22which are then judged by others.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29# Sometimes I hate myself
0:16:29 > 0:16:31# Sometimes I love myself... #
0:16:36 > 0:16:39The combination of a world obsessed with selfies
0:16:39 > 0:16:43and a brain extra-sensitive to the judgment of others
0:16:43 > 0:16:46means that it's no surprise that today's teenagers
0:16:46 > 0:16:48are preoccupied with how they look.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58And, at 16,
0:16:58 > 0:17:02there's another important reason for wanting to be attractive to others.
0:17:04 > 0:17:08Everyone is, like, obsessed with getting a boyfriend,
0:17:08 > 0:17:12getting with someone, being in a relationship and all that.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Like, who did something with who and who kissed who?
0:17:16 > 0:17:19And that's like... Everyone talks about it.
0:17:19 > 0:17:23I think, at 16, some people, probably most people,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27are ready in some way to have a, sort of, more physical relationship.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Charlie is one of the first of our teenagers
0:17:36 > 0:17:38to be in a long-term relationship.
0:17:38 > 0:17:39I can't bend like that.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44She's been with boyfriend Paddy for eight months.
0:17:46 > 0:17:48We was at a party.
0:17:48 > 0:17:50We was just talking and then...
0:17:50 > 0:17:52I can't remember what actually happened,
0:17:52 > 0:17:53but she threw Coke over me.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56You was eyeing up different people.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59And then, I thought, "No."
0:17:59 > 0:18:01Took me a while to forgive her.
0:18:01 > 0:18:02Aw!
0:18:02 > 0:18:06After the party, he invited me round his on Valentine's Day
0:18:06 > 0:18:09and he like kissed me on the head and I just looked up at him
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and then he just kissed me. I was like, "OK."
0:18:12 > 0:18:14It was fun.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19It's a relationship her mum, Toni, is concerned about,
0:18:19 > 0:18:24because, when she was 16, she was already pregnant with Charlie.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26Let me change your nappy first.
0:18:26 > 0:18:30She had no contact with Charlie's father, just a teenager himself.
0:18:32 > 0:18:35It's a pattern she's seen repeat through the generations.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43My great-nan had my nan at 21,
0:18:43 > 0:18:48and then my nan had my mum at 17,
0:18:48 > 0:18:49my mum had me at 21,
0:18:49 > 0:18:51I had Charlie at 17.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56'So I'm hoping Charlie will be 21 or older.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58'That is the plan.'
0:18:59 > 0:19:02Toni went on to have three more children after Charlie.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09Against all the odds, she re-sat her GCSEs
0:19:09 > 0:19:12and eventually built up a successful career as a nurse.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17But life was tough as a young mother.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22We haven't physically got the time to concentrate solely
0:19:22 > 0:19:25on doing activities with the children, because we have to work
0:19:25 > 0:19:30at least six days out of seven just to live.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34Seeing her mum struggle influenced how Charlie saw her own future.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38When I grow up, I would like to be a vet.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42I would like a big house, have a couple of pets
0:19:42 > 0:19:44and no children.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Toni hopes that Charlie has the opportunity
0:19:48 > 0:19:50to get what she wants from life.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54I would be gutted if she fell pregnant now
0:19:54 > 0:19:56or any time before she's 20,
0:19:56 > 0:19:59because I want her to do all the things I didn't.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07'I'm working on the basis I'll have a future with Charlie.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11'I haven't got a lot to offer, but I'll try.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16'It's the first girl I've actually loved, like, properly.'
0:20:22 > 0:20:25Makes you feel, like, special and wanted by someone.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27It's nice, I like it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37The teenagers' feeling of first love is so powerful
0:20:37 > 0:20:40because of the combination of surging sex hormones
0:20:40 > 0:20:44acting on brains that are extra-sensitive to pleasure.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51It's a recipe for one thing.
0:20:54 > 0:20:56I have spoke to Charlie in the summer.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59We spoke about sex
0:20:59 > 0:21:01and then, a few weeks down the line,
0:21:01 > 0:21:03Charlie was honest with me and said that, actually,
0:21:03 > 0:21:07she had a couple of times and I said, you know,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10not to be ashamed of it if that's how you feel about each other.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12It is nice when you meet the right person,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14as long as I know that you're safe.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16You all right?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I'm going to cry.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20I felt, actually at that point,
0:21:20 > 0:21:23it wasn't a mother-daughter conversation.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25It was on a level -
0:21:25 > 0:21:28"Let's talk about the realistic side of this
0:21:28 > 0:21:31"and how we're going to move forward."
0:21:31 > 0:21:35# Let's go all the way tonight
0:21:35 > 0:21:36# No regrets... #
0:21:36 > 0:21:38A third of teenagers will have lost their virginity
0:21:38 > 0:21:41by the time they're 16,
0:21:41 > 0:21:44which isn't much different from their parents.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48But teen pregnancies are at an all-time low,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52and some research suggests this generation is having less sex
0:21:52 > 0:21:54with fewer partners than their parents did.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01When I was younger, sex was just kind of,
0:22:01 > 0:22:04"Let's just try that," and now it's more kind of,
0:22:04 > 0:22:08"Oh, I've found a mate and I'm going to stick with him."
0:22:08 > 0:22:10She does get it and she does say to me,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13"I don't want kids until I'm married," so...
0:22:15 > 0:22:17..fingers crossed.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20I'm not saying that mum was stupid for doing it.
0:22:20 > 0:22:23Well, she was at that age, but I'm here.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26But I wouldn't...
0:22:26 > 0:22:28like, be silly like that.
0:22:31 > 0:22:33The sexual feelings that emerge during puberty
0:22:33 > 0:22:36can make for a confusing time.
0:22:38 > 0:22:42Two years ago, Eve had something big to tell her dad.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49'I was scared of telling my dad, I mean,
0:22:49 > 0:22:51'cos I'd only just found out.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54'Like, I waited a few months to tell my dad, because I was scared.'
0:22:54 > 0:22:56So I was going to, like, write him a note.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58I remember I wrote him a note and I put it in a bottle
0:22:58 > 0:23:02and I put it in his room and he just didn't find it!
0:23:02 > 0:23:05For, like, three days, I left this note there
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and he just didn't look at it, so I took it out and I was like,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11"You know what? I won't do that. I'll tell him." So I called him.
0:23:11 > 0:23:15It was late. I was driving back at 11 o'clock at night,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17and my phone went.
0:23:17 > 0:23:18So, I answer it...
0:23:19 > 0:23:22..and she comes on and she just says...
0:23:22 > 0:23:23Er...
0:23:23 > 0:23:28"I want to tell you something, but I don't want to talk about it."
0:23:28 > 0:23:30So, I'm like, "Right...?"
0:23:30 > 0:23:31And, um...
0:23:33 > 0:23:34I said, "OK, go on, then."
0:23:34 > 0:23:36- And she said...- "Dad?" And he went, "Yeah?"
0:23:36 > 0:23:39And I was like, "I'm gay." And then I put the phone down.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Coming to terms with being gay has been a big journey for Eve.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54She spent much of her childhood
0:23:54 > 0:23:56living on a Christian retreat in Worcestershire.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Bunny ears!
0:23:58 > 0:24:02So her early life was shaped by strong traditional beliefs
0:24:02 > 0:24:04about relationships and family.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Dear Lord, God bless Mummy, God bless Daddy,
0:24:07 > 0:24:09God bless Holly and God bless me,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and please help me and just be round my bed and me to have no bad dreams.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14Amen.
0:24:16 > 0:24:19Aged eight, her world was turned upside down
0:24:19 > 0:24:22when she lost her mother, Caroline, to cancer.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29- Feeling a bit sad?- A bit.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32But I prefer writing to her just as if she's on a long holiday.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Yeah.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35Well, she really is,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38because I'm going to get there eventually, aren't I?
0:24:40 > 0:24:44Isn't it, don't you keep asking questions until you get a no?
0:24:44 > 0:24:46Oh! Oh, Tim!
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Last year, her dad, Tim, remarried.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52So Eve now has a stepsister, Rosie...
0:24:54 > 0:24:56..and a supportive stepmother, Pam.
0:24:56 > 0:24:59LAUGHTER
0:25:01 > 0:25:04There's been a lot of change for Eve in the last few years.
0:25:04 > 0:25:05Am I alive?
0:25:05 > 0:25:07It's not surprising it took her a little while
0:25:07 > 0:25:09to come to terms with her sexuality.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12- No, not...- Not you, personally.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15I think I had probably, like, known something was slightly different.
0:25:15 > 0:25:18You know, when you're 11 and everybody's talking about
0:25:18 > 0:25:21having crushes on boys, you have no idea what they mean.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25But when I was 13 or 14, I kind of realised that the way they
0:25:25 > 0:25:28were talking about boys was the same way that I'd sort of been...
0:25:28 > 0:25:31thinking about all my best friends.
0:25:31 > 0:25:32I'd had crushes and just not realised.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I hadn't been paying attention, really, to the way I was feeling.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38And that was quite scary to think about originally,
0:25:38 > 0:25:41because I didn't know anyone else who was like that.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43I'd not seen it on TV or anything.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45I didn't realise that it was a thing.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48And then later, when I just turned 14,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51I was reading about relationships and I came across the word lesbian
0:25:51 > 0:25:55and I thought, "Oh, my gosh, why did I not know there was a word for it?
0:25:55 > 0:25:57"I didn't know other people were like this." So it was thrilling.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01It was such a sigh of relief and straight after that,
0:26:01 > 0:26:02I told everyone.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07My first thought was, "Well, thank God she's not pregnant,"
0:26:07 > 0:26:10then, as far as I'm concerned, all that she needs to know
0:26:10 > 0:26:11is that it's not a problem.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16What her sexual orientation is or what sexual identity she has
0:26:16 > 0:26:19isn't the issue, it's whether she's able to take that
0:26:19 > 0:26:21where she wants to take it
0:26:21 > 0:26:25and live a happy and fulfilled life with that.
0:26:25 > 0:26:28He sent me a long message about how it didn't matter
0:26:28 > 0:26:31and that he still loved me and everything.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33And then at the bottom, he put,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35"Remember I'm the coolest dad in the world, lol."
0:26:35 > 0:26:37And it was funny.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39I've got the message somewhere, saved.
0:26:44 > 0:26:45As Eve's grown-up,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48there's been a huge change in attitude to being gay.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52The age of consent is now the same as it is for straight sex,
0:26:52 > 0:26:56and same-sex marriage has been legalised.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59He doesn't like the mud. He's trying to get out of the mud.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01A generation ago, the average age for young people
0:27:01 > 0:27:05to tell friends and family they were gay was 25.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08But today, it's 16.
0:27:09 > 0:27:11I told you in the changing rooms,
0:27:11 > 0:27:14which is not the best scenario to have chosen to tell you.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16But you were like, "Oh.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18"I mean, I was pretty sure you were anyway."
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I remember someone saying, "I'm not inviting her to my sleepover,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24"because I'm scared she's going to watch me get changed."
0:27:24 > 0:27:26'Finding relationships is difficult,
0:27:26 > 0:27:29'so I've not had a serious relationship ever.
0:27:29 > 0:27:34'I have been out with one lesbian, which didn't last long.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36'Like, less than a week.'
0:27:36 > 0:27:38SHE LAUGHS
0:27:38 > 0:27:42And I've basically exhausted all my options for people my age already,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45and I've only been out with one person.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Eve has found one way to connect with other gay teenagers.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54While social media might be a source of pressure for some teens,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56it's a lifeline for Eve.
0:27:57 > 0:28:00Eve spends a lot of time on the internet.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03The dominant part of her social life is virtual.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07It's almost as if it's a safety net...
0:28:09 > 0:28:13..for people who might not have a great social life.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14It gives them another option.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21The internet's definitely somewhere where I am content.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24A lot of the friends I have who are gay are online,
0:28:24 > 0:28:26just because it's the easiest place
0:28:26 > 0:28:29to, like, find people who are similar to you.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31My time will come. I'm confident about that.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Next year, you'll come visit and I'll have a girlfriend,
0:28:34 > 0:28:35probably, maybe. I don't know.
0:28:38 > 0:28:42The new digital world means teenagers can explore
0:28:42 > 0:28:46the rocky road of love in ways their parents could never have imagined
0:28:46 > 0:28:48a generation ago.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54This urge to experiment and explore is part of being 16.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00Teenagers are biologically driven to experiment.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02The exciting cocktail of sex hormones
0:29:02 > 0:29:05and a brain stimulated by thrills
0:29:05 > 0:29:07means that they're irresistibly drawn
0:29:07 > 0:29:10to love, sex and other temptations.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17Back in South Wales,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20Megan is getting ready to celebrate her 16th birthday
0:29:20 > 0:29:22in the barn on her parents' farm.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28Before even my 15th birthday,
0:29:28 > 0:29:31I'd already booked my 16th birthday party in the barn,
0:29:31 > 0:29:35because I wanted to do something big for my 16th.
0:29:38 > 0:29:41It'll be the first grown-up style party she's had
0:29:41 > 0:29:44and many of her friends will be bringing their own alcohol.
0:29:45 > 0:29:49The whole idea of a party has been redefined by this age,
0:29:49 > 0:29:54where it's more focused around drinking and alcohol.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57I think everybody has to experiment in parties,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00like, trying out and testing your...
0:30:00 > 0:30:01alcohol limits.
0:30:01 > 0:30:03I think you learn from your mistakes.
0:30:06 > 0:30:11Having a party at home means Megan's parents can keep an eye on things.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14There is an element of alcohol involved very often.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17We're quite relaxed, or...
0:30:18 > 0:30:19..lenient in that respect.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23Yeah. I'd sooner they... If they are going to experiment with drinking,
0:30:23 > 0:30:26that they do it under supervision
0:30:26 > 0:30:29and not when they go to a big town or a city.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Learning to take risks responsibly
0:30:32 > 0:30:35is something Megan has always been encouraged to do.
0:30:35 > 0:30:37Oh, whoops!
0:30:37 > 0:30:38Whoops-a-daisy!
0:30:38 > 0:30:40When Megan falls over, I don't make a fuss,
0:30:40 > 0:30:43unless there's blood pouring from everywhere.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48I've never put a stair gate up. I'm not a believer in stair gates.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51They've got to learn by their own mistakes.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54They've got to learn by their own little experiments.
0:30:54 > 0:30:55Come on, Megan.
0:30:55 > 0:31:01I can't abide children that are constantly, "Oh, I've got an owie."
0:31:01 > 0:31:03Oh, that does my head in.
0:31:06 > 0:31:11And it's not just at home that Megan's learnt to look after itself.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13There's dangers in anything,
0:31:13 > 0:31:16whether you went to Legoland and fell off a ride there
0:31:16 > 0:31:19or whether you got knocked over by a sheep.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21We try and be safe. We try and keep them out of danger.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24We know where the sheep are going to run and things, so...
0:31:24 > 0:31:27Yeah, there is an element of danger whatever you do.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29Ready, go.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36- Turn!- Meg, look where you're going out the big window.
0:31:36 > 0:31:37CAR HORN BEEPS
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Megan's also grown-up taking responsibility for herself
0:31:40 > 0:31:42in other ways.
0:31:42 > 0:31:455, 35.
0:31:45 > 0:31:49She's always been expected to pull her weight on the farm.
0:31:49 > 0:31:51Are you going to carry it to the car?
0:31:53 > 0:31:55There's a pound for parking.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57- There you, then. Thank you. - Thank you.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00As a result of her upbringing,
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Megan is unfazed by putting on her own party.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Megan won't let anybody get involved.
0:32:06 > 0:32:10She just takes all the planning under her own wing
0:32:10 > 0:32:12and she will organise the whole lot.
0:32:15 > 0:32:18She's organised the DJ, she's made a cake.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24After months of planning, the big night has finally arrived.
0:32:24 > 0:32:27Megan hopes it'll be a night to remember.
0:32:27 > 0:32:28CORK POPS
0:32:28 > 0:32:29THEY CHEER
0:32:29 > 0:32:33# I just came to say hello. #
0:32:33 > 0:32:34Perfect!
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Right, we're all going to sing a birthday, a happy birthday to Megan.
0:32:40 > 0:32:42CHEERING
0:32:42 > 0:32:44# Happy birthday...
0:32:44 > 0:32:46# ..to you! #
0:32:48 > 0:32:50WHISTLING AND CHEERING
0:32:50 > 0:32:53# I want to run away
0:32:54 > 0:32:57# I want to run away... #
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Very soon, the teenage instinct for hedonism
0:33:00 > 0:33:03and the search for thrills kicks in.
0:33:03 > 0:33:05# I want to run away
0:33:05 > 0:33:08# Just you... #
0:33:10 > 0:33:14After just half an hour, the night's supply of alcohol has been drunk.
0:33:15 > 0:33:21I am trying to give them water to diffuse loads of alcohol.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30We feel it's better that they do learn from a young age, really.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32All right. Good stuff.
0:33:32 > 0:33:33Otherwise, it hits them all in one go
0:33:33 > 0:33:37and they just rebel against the whole way they were brought up.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39I think they've had enough now.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49Whilst teenage brains are wired to experiment and push the boundaries,
0:33:49 > 0:33:53today's teens are probably more sober and sensible
0:33:53 > 0:33:55than their parents were.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58But like every teenager that's lived before them,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02they're more likely to go overboard if their friends are doing the same.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06Better out than in!
0:34:09 > 0:34:14I'd say my friends probably have more influence than my family.
0:34:14 > 0:34:16Friendship groups, there's a lot of pressure in there
0:34:16 > 0:34:18and stuff like that.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21I'd probably get pressured to drink even if I didn't want to.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24Seems to be, as you get older, your friends pay a lot bigger part
0:34:24 > 0:34:26in your life than they did.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29So, the kind of decisions that they make will definitely influence.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33One of those things, you have to fit in or, like,
0:34:33 > 0:34:34you just get pushed out.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40Teenagers may feel that peer pressure comes from other people,
0:34:40 > 0:34:43but new research is revealing, once again,
0:34:43 > 0:34:47that it's also linked to changes happening in their brains.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Here at the science Museum in London,
0:34:57 > 0:35:01researchers are investigating how teenagers' assessment of risk
0:35:01 > 0:35:04is affected by what others think.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12We ask to rate the riskiness of everyday situations,
0:35:12 > 0:35:17like just crossing a street on a red light or cycling without a helmet.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20Would you change the rating of the risk of a situation
0:35:20 > 0:35:23if other people tell you it's risky or it's not risky?
0:35:23 > 0:35:26Teenagers are asked to rate on a sliding scale
0:35:26 > 0:35:29how risky they think different situations are.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36They are then told what other teenagers thought
0:35:36 > 0:35:38and asked to assess the risk again.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44The results are showing that young adolescents
0:35:44 > 0:35:48are over three times more likely to conform to what their peers think
0:35:48 > 0:35:49than adults do.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54If you ask teenagers, they're well aware of the risk of situations
0:35:54 > 0:35:55and it seems to be really
0:35:55 > 0:35:58that the social context is triggering their behaviour.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01You don't want to be the one that's different from the other people.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03You don't want to be the weird person.
0:36:06 > 0:36:08Using the latest scanning techniques,
0:36:08 > 0:36:11scientists have discovered that there is heightened activity
0:36:11 > 0:36:15in the brain's pleasure centre when teenagers are making risky decisions
0:36:15 > 0:36:17in front of their friends.
0:36:18 > 0:36:22This, combined with more activity in the prefrontal cortex -
0:36:22 > 0:36:25the part that makes us so sensitive to others' opinions -
0:36:25 > 0:36:29may explain why teens are more likely to succumb to peer pressure.
0:36:31 > 0:36:34Once again, their brains just can't help it.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Peer pressure isn't just from the outside -
0:36:46 > 0:36:48it's from within, too.
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Taking risks in the presence of friends
0:36:51 > 0:36:55makes the brain's pleasure centre fire even more strongly
0:36:55 > 0:36:59and, sometimes, this combination can have dangerous consequences.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10In January 2016, Jamie Craven was out with his friends.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Jamie did get in with a bad lot.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19They were known to be naughty lads,
0:37:19 > 0:37:21who did stupid things.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Um...
0:37:24 > 0:37:27They have been previously in trouble with the police.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29I knew some of them were on drugs.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31That was frightening.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33That night, he didn't come home.
0:37:35 > 0:37:38Jamie is diabetic and, without his insulin,
0:37:38 > 0:37:41his mum knew he could go into a coma.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46Scared for his safety, she posted a cry for help on social media.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00- Mummy.- You big boy...
0:38:00 > 0:38:04Jamie was four-years-old when he was diagnosed with type one diabetes.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07No! Not that one!
0:38:07 > 0:38:10It meant a childhood learning to cope with daily blood tests,
0:38:10 > 0:38:13injections, and a very careful diet.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17I need some breakfast before I go to bed.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19Breakfast before you go to bed?
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Yeah, yeah, because that's me...
0:38:21 > 0:38:23That makes me better.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28Over the years, Jamie and his mother
0:38:28 > 0:38:31have learned together to manage his condition,
0:38:31 > 0:38:34but, when we filmed with them in 2012,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38Sharon was beginning to worry about the dangers that might lie ahead.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42I do worry, also, about when he gets a bit older and he starts drinking.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46That's my next hurdle, I think,
0:38:46 > 0:38:50and I am not looking forward to that one at all.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Sharon's fears were realised in January,
0:38:57 > 0:38:59when Jamie returned home drunk,
0:38:59 > 0:39:0224 hours after going missing and passing out.
0:39:07 > 0:39:09I didn't know what was wrong with him
0:39:09 > 0:39:11when I first went into his bedroom.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16He wasn't responsive, and then, all of a sudden, he just went blank,
0:39:16 > 0:39:17and he started fitting.
0:39:19 > 0:39:20And I...
0:39:20 > 0:39:23tried to shake him to bring him round,
0:39:23 > 0:39:25because I'd never seen this before,
0:39:25 > 0:39:27so I hadn't a clue what was going on.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31And then it was obvious to me that...
0:39:31 > 0:39:33he was in a coma - a diabetic coma.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39I thought, "Right, you need to get sugar in him,"
0:39:39 > 0:39:44so I was rubbing jam in his gums, inside his mouth.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Whilst I was doing that, I was on the phone to the paramedics.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52It's somebody's life,
0:39:52 > 0:39:54and it... It's frightening that, "Oh, my God,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56"I'm going to do the wrong thing."
0:39:57 > 0:40:00And then the ambulance came out.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04It was quite scary, being in hospital,
0:40:04 > 0:40:05because I wasn't really...
0:40:07 > 0:40:08..sure what was going to happen.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14This incident was a turning point for Jamie.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19It's been kind of a wake-up call, really.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22It's a lesson in what...
0:40:22 > 0:40:24what to and what not to do.
0:40:24 > 0:40:25Yeah.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Since then, Jamie's got a job.
0:40:29 > 0:40:30Thanks, Jamie.
0:40:30 > 0:40:33As well as taking responsibility for his health and finances,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37he's taking another big step towards independence.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42Well, it's a Yamaha Aerox 50
0:40:42 > 0:40:43and it's...
0:40:43 > 0:40:48Well, it's my bike and I've just been doing it up.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51I want to be able to get places by myself
0:40:51 > 0:40:53and not have to rely on people to take me.
0:40:54 > 0:40:56OK, Jamie. All right?
0:40:56 > 0:40:59There's going to look after you out there, only you.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02- Yeah.- All right? Very important to understand that.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04When you're ready.
0:41:04 > 0:41:07Keep looking, Jamie. Keep looking. Look at me.
0:41:07 > 0:41:09Slowly. Keep going, Jamie.
0:41:09 > 0:41:11That's doing good. Keep going.
0:41:18 > 0:41:19OK, then, Jamie.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22- Well done.- Thank you. - You've done well.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25- You keep that safe and you keep safe.- I will.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28# Everything is changing
0:41:28 > 0:41:30# And I've been here for too long. #
0:41:30 > 0:41:33It feels like...like I'm free,
0:41:33 > 0:41:36cos I've been waiting for weeks to go out on it.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42And now I can, so I'm really happy.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51The group of friends we have when we're 16
0:41:51 > 0:41:55is critical in helping us to define who we are,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58and research shows it can have an impact on us
0:41:58 > 0:42:00for the rest of our life.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03Our friends at 16 can influence how likely we are
0:42:03 > 0:42:07to graduate from college, the amount of money we'll go on to earn,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10and even how much we'll drink.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22# I'm no saint
0:42:22 > 0:42:24# I bathe in sin
0:42:24 > 0:42:30# This world is cruel, but we made it. #
0:42:30 > 0:42:33Rhianna Lees, growing up in East Yorkshire,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36has a group of friends who share a cynicism of the world,
0:42:36 > 0:42:39which she expresses in her songs.
0:42:39 > 0:42:42# We're not insane
0:42:42 > 0:42:45# So damaged from the breakages
0:42:45 > 0:42:48# You'll be this way
0:42:48 > 0:42:51# Life is what you make of it
0:42:51 > 0:42:53# We're not the same
0:42:53 > 0:42:57# Someone fix my wicked brain. #
0:42:58 > 0:43:02I don't think that I'm going to get to do what I want to do,
0:43:02 > 0:43:04to be honest. I think I'm going to end up stuck somewhere,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06which I don't want to do. And then you just...
0:43:06 > 0:43:08You pay your bills and you die -
0:43:08 > 0:43:10that's pretty much what happens in life!
0:43:11 > 0:43:13The friendship group she's got...
0:43:15 > 0:43:18I'm guessing they're a kind of outsider group.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21We're kind of just, like, a ragtag bunch of people,
0:43:21 > 0:43:23who are slightly mentally insane.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26# Can I say
0:43:26 > 0:43:29# That I miss you? #
0:43:31 > 0:43:34"The weird people" is kind of where we are.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37She is a much giddier person with her friends, you know,
0:43:37 > 0:43:41chortling and shrieking and carrying on.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44I do get on really well with my mum, of course, but I just...
0:43:44 > 0:43:46prefer to spend time with my friends.
0:43:50 > 0:43:53For Rhianna, friends have always been a source of strength
0:43:53 > 0:43:55because, from an early age,
0:43:55 > 0:43:58she's had to cope with troubles in her parents' marriage.
0:43:58 > 0:44:01I don't think Daddy's coming home for tea tonight, so it's just...
0:44:01 > 0:44:03But he never comes home!
0:44:03 > 0:44:04- You what, darling?- Stop it!
0:44:04 > 0:44:08If Rhianna marries somebody like Andy, I would be furious.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12It's not good, because he's not spending time with his family.
0:44:12 > 0:44:16Working mum Tanya was always frustrated that Rhianna's dad, Andy,
0:44:16 > 0:44:19contributed so little to the household.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23I resent horrendously the fact that he won't do what I think is,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26you know, his duty -
0:44:26 > 0:44:28take his responsibilities seriously.
0:44:30 > 0:44:31Life's too short.
0:44:32 > 0:44:34You know? Just, what's the point
0:44:34 > 0:44:36- in worrying yourself to death over something?- Right...
0:44:36 > 0:44:39The world won't stop just because the washing-up's not done.
0:44:39 > 0:44:40Move it.
0:44:42 > 0:44:45The atmosphere at home had an impact on Rhianna.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Oh, sorry, sweetheart.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52When she was six, her mum sought professional help.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56Children are very sensitive to conflict in the household.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58As a child psychiatrist,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01if I could only ever do one thing to help children,
0:45:01 > 0:45:03it would be to reduce family conflict.
0:45:03 > 0:45:04Thank you.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07What's helped Rhianna to cope
0:45:07 > 0:45:10is that she's always been a sociable child.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13If you actually swing on these two branches...
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Spending time with her friends was a release from the stresses of home.
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Over the years, things haven't improved,
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and, last year, her parents' marriage reached breaking point.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32Things hadn't been right for a long time - living separate lives, etc.
0:45:32 > 0:45:36And it all erupted one night when, um...
0:45:36 > 0:45:39for the first time in my life, I was really honest with him.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41Um, we had a fallout.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45Two days later, I was evicted by the police
0:45:45 > 0:45:50with a black bin liner full of some work clothes and that was it.
0:45:50 > 0:45:54And we don't speak any more, at the moment.
0:45:56 > 0:45:57Well, I can't speak to Tanya,
0:45:57 > 0:46:00because she has a restraining order against me.
0:46:03 > 0:46:05Although the restraining order
0:46:05 > 0:46:07doesn't prevent Andy from seeing Rhianna,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10there's been little contact between them since he moved out.
0:46:12 > 0:46:17I've seen Rhianna perhaps six times in a year.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21She's turning into a young lady, and I'm missing Rhianna growing up.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25And, er...
0:46:27 > 0:46:29HE EXHALES
0:46:30 > 0:46:31- Blimey. - HE SNIFFS
0:46:34 > 0:46:37# Get going, get going, get going
0:46:37 > 0:46:40# You leave and you leave and you're leaving
0:46:40 > 0:46:43# Get going, get going, get going
0:46:43 > 0:46:47# I don't want you any more. #
0:46:50 > 0:46:52- It looks a mess.- He's meant to.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55- He's a mentally insane supervillain. - Yeah, OK.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58Research shows that children who seek support from others
0:46:58 > 0:47:01during a family breakdown adjust more quickly.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05The female Joker look is what I'm going for, really. Um...
0:47:05 > 0:47:08Rhianna's been spending lots of time with her friends
0:47:08 > 0:47:12and, next month, they're all going to her favourite comic convention.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14How long have I got to do this?
0:47:14 > 0:47:19Comic Con is a comic convention and there's loads of people cosplaying,
0:47:19 > 0:47:21which is dressing up as a favourite character,
0:47:21 > 0:47:24and kind of living as them, and just...
0:47:24 > 0:47:26You know, just for that day.
0:47:26 > 0:47:28They get to dress up as Star Trek characters
0:47:28 > 0:47:31and get really excited it if they go to see Derek Nimoy or...
0:47:31 > 0:47:34- Leonard Nimoy.- Leonard Nimoy. Sorry.- Nimoy.
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Nimoy. Well, Finding Nemo, it's all the same sort of thing.
0:47:37 > 0:47:38Jesus Christ, Tanya.
0:47:39 > 0:47:44# The revolution starts tonight
0:47:45 > 0:47:47# Grab what you've got... #
0:47:47 > 0:47:50'It's fun to meet people who share the same interests as you.
0:47:50 > 0:47:55'We have no shame when it comes to each other, so we just say whatever.
0:47:55 > 0:47:57'And it's kind of comforting to know
0:47:57 > 0:48:02that you've always got someone who will be there for you.'
0:48:02 > 0:48:04# The revolution starts tonight. #
0:48:04 > 0:48:09Our interests are things outside of what you would call "society."
0:48:09 > 0:48:11We like... In school, we're segregated to,
0:48:11 > 0:48:13like, different groups.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16The "popular people" and the "jocks" look at you strangely,
0:48:16 > 0:48:19but, with this little group that we've got going on here,
0:48:19 > 0:48:23- none of us will judge each other, if you know what I mean.- Yeah.
0:48:23 > 0:48:25No, we're strange. We're strange.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29- THEY CHANT:- Strange and proud! Strange and proud!
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Strange and proud! Strange and proud!
0:48:31 > 0:48:33# We're all they've got
0:48:33 > 0:48:36# Force them outside
0:48:37 > 0:48:39# We're all they've got
0:48:39 > 0:48:41# Force them outside
0:48:41 > 0:48:43# Revolution starts tonight. #
0:48:48 > 0:48:51Lots of teenagers think one tribe is a really safe place to be.
0:48:51 > 0:48:54There is groups, though. Like, there is divisions,
0:48:54 > 0:48:56and people do, sort of, stick in a group.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58I hang out with people from, like, the music room.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00You know, the kind of "alternative" crowd.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04The, like, bitchy girls, the, like, football boys...
0:49:04 > 0:49:07And I hang out with people who are kind of smart.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10Like the kind of "geeky" kind of people.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13The, like, not nerdy boys and the nerdy girls...
0:49:13 > 0:49:16But I think that's fine, really, cos that's what...
0:49:16 > 0:49:18That's the kind of thing of growing up, really.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21You make a strong group of friends and you stay with them.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28These teenage tribes are remarkably universal.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32Research has revealed that there's a distinct pattern
0:49:32 > 0:49:35to the way teenagers organise their social bonds,
0:49:35 > 0:49:36wherever they live.
0:49:37 > 0:49:43We surveyed 22 different schools in Scotland for 15-to-16-year-olds,
0:49:43 > 0:49:45and we asked them who their friends were,
0:49:45 > 0:49:48and also to describe something about the group that they belong to.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50So these are the kind of labels and the identities
0:49:50 > 0:49:53that these young people tend to adopt at this time.
0:49:53 > 0:49:55So we've got the smart kids, we've got the Goths,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58we've got the computer kids, we've got the nice girls,
0:49:58 > 0:49:59the sexy girls...
0:49:59 > 0:50:00What are the neds?
0:50:00 > 0:50:03"Neds" stands for non-educated delinquent.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06We basically find these groups appear again and again.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09This has been replicated in Canada and America.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12There's been some work done in Germany, some work in India,
0:50:12 > 0:50:14so, again, all over the world, we see these types.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17We also tend to see a kind of social hierarchy.
0:50:17 > 0:50:20The lowest tend to be the drug groups,
0:50:20 > 0:50:24and the sports groups tend to be quite highly placed.
0:50:24 > 0:50:26The smart group, unfortunately,
0:50:26 > 0:50:28doesn't tend to be placed very highly
0:50:28 > 0:50:30in terms of the peer hierarchy.
0:50:30 > 0:50:33Actually, so peer-based popularity seems to be based on
0:50:33 > 0:50:37your attractiveness and stylishness, and those are the key facets
0:50:37 > 0:50:39that kind of determine where you rank.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43So what happens to the members of these different groups
0:50:43 > 0:50:46when they leave school and enter adulthood?
0:50:47 > 0:50:50Researchers who tracked them throughout their lives
0:50:50 > 0:50:52found that the creativity and empathy
0:50:52 > 0:50:56of the alternative kids like Rhianna gave them a better chance than most
0:50:56 > 0:50:59of having a successful, well-paid career.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01The sporty group did too,
0:51:01 > 0:51:04though they had higher levels of drinking than most.
0:51:04 > 0:51:08But the smart kids, who at school were the least popular group,
0:51:08 > 0:51:11as adults were the most successful of all.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28One of the reasons their teenage years
0:51:28 > 0:51:30will have such a big impact on their future life
0:51:30 > 0:51:33is because their brains are still plastic,
0:51:33 > 0:51:35and so easily shaped by experiences.
0:51:41 > 0:51:45In Glasgow, identical twins Alex and Ivo
0:51:45 > 0:51:49are making the most of the many opportunities they have.
0:51:49 > 0:51:52Monday, we have ceilidh band and orchestra.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55Tuesday, we have Woody, who's an English tutor.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Wednesday is my day where I don't have anything.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Thursdays, I do volunteering.
0:52:00 > 0:52:03Fridays, I have choir. And Saturdays, I have RCS.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07On Sundays, I have a piano lesson.
0:52:07 > 0:52:09I'll have to do nine past eight.
0:52:09 > 0:52:11Is it? Are you sure? Have another look. What do you think it is?
0:52:11 > 0:52:15Alex and Ivo have always had a busy and supportive home life.
0:52:15 > 0:52:19They quickly developed a natural curiosity about the world...
0:52:21 > 0:52:25..and a love of learning - something that they still have today.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31It's always about maintaining high standards and just getting better.
0:52:31 > 0:52:32We have to practise a lot.
0:52:42 > 0:52:44This is my room.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Everywhere I go, I'll collect something.
0:52:47 > 0:52:49A thing from Shakespeare's house.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51A small bit of Orgonite.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53A bullet casing. Some glass.
0:52:53 > 0:52:56Just interesting bits and bobs.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58I have a busy mind.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02I get bored in school a lot, so I doodle.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05Basically, I just rip up parts of my jotters and I just doodle.
0:53:05 > 0:53:08I'd like to be pushed a bit harder, you know.
0:53:08 > 0:53:12It's always important to learn, just to keep on learning new skills.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15Cos if you didn't learn, well, then, what's the point of living?
0:53:15 > 0:53:18You just learn, you take in new experiences,
0:53:18 > 0:53:21you try and just do as much as you can.
0:53:25 > 0:53:28As teenagers learn and take in new experiences,
0:53:28 > 0:53:32rich connections are fostered and strengthened.
0:53:33 > 0:53:37During this time, the brain is very flexible,
0:53:37 > 0:53:39meaning teenagers think more creatively
0:53:39 > 0:53:42than at any other time of their lives.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47And you can see this with a very simple test.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Right, we're going to do a test, a task, and it's a competition.
0:53:53 > 0:53:55- OK.- You're up against each other.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58'Alex and his mum, Berenice, have a grid of matchsticks
0:53:58 > 0:54:03'and instructions to remove some of them in order to make new patterns.'
0:54:03 > 0:54:05The time starts now.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Off you go.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14It's an unusual task that requires them to think out of the box.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20They have five minutes to solve as many as they can.
0:54:25 > 0:54:26OK. We're done.
0:54:26 > 0:54:29Matches down. How many problems did you solve?
0:54:29 > 0:54:31- Two.- You solved two problems.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33How many problems did you solve?
0:54:34 > 0:54:41- BOTH:- One, two, three, four, five, six,
0:54:41 > 0:54:44seven, eight, nine, ten,
0:54:44 > 0:54:4611, 12.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48Hmm, I'm struggling to know who did better there.
0:54:48 > 0:54:52- Um, yes. So you're the winner. Congratulations.- Gosh!- Yay.
0:54:52 > 0:54:55Very difficult. It's not my kind of task at all, I have to say.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57Did you feel that you were really having...?
0:54:57 > 0:54:59You were struggling to use your brain
0:54:59 > 0:55:02in a way that felt quite unusual for you?
0:55:02 > 0:55:04Yes. Uh-huh. Definitely out of my comfort zone.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09'Scientists have found that teenagers perform this task
0:55:09 > 0:55:11'better than adults.'
0:55:13 > 0:55:18And it's to do with differences in the way their brains function.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20Stick them up here.
0:55:21 > 0:55:24What we're looking at in this test is the difference between the way
0:55:24 > 0:55:27the teenage brain works and the adult brain.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30So I've got two brain scans here - one is an adult, one a teenager.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34Anybody want to guess which is adult, which is teen?
0:55:34 > 0:55:37So that one is a teenager, and that one is an adult.
0:55:37 > 0:55:40OK, so this is the teen, this is the adult. You're correct. Why?
0:55:40 > 0:55:41What are you seeing differently?
0:55:41 > 0:55:45- That one's got more grey matter than that one.- Brilliant.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47Brilliant. Exactly right.
0:55:47 > 0:55:49So the teenage brain here, it's denser, right?
0:55:49 > 0:55:51It's got more grey matter.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54It's got more neurones - more brain cells, basically.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59What we see with the teenage brain is, boys,
0:55:59 > 0:56:02you are much more flexible in your thinking.
0:56:02 > 0:56:05Now, the reason for this is, developmentally,
0:56:05 > 0:56:09when you're a teenager, you have a huge amount of grey matter,
0:56:09 > 0:56:11and lots and lots of neurones.
0:56:11 > 0:56:14But, over a process which is called pruning,
0:56:14 > 0:56:17which is basically neurones that aren't used very often,
0:56:17 > 0:56:21brain cells that aren't used very often as you develop into adulthood,
0:56:21 > 0:56:22are sort of pruned away,
0:56:22 > 0:56:25and what happens is we get stronger connections
0:56:25 > 0:56:28between the parts of the brain that we use regularly.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34As we become adults, and the rich connections are strengthened,
0:56:34 > 0:56:40the ones we don't use wither away, and our brains become more fixed.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43The process of becoming an adult in our teenage years
0:56:43 > 0:56:47is about pruning the infinite possibilities that are there.
0:56:48 > 0:56:53Our experience as teenagers has such an impact on later life
0:56:53 > 0:56:57because, at 16, the brain is still developing
0:56:57 > 0:57:00and new pathways are being shaped.
0:57:00 > 0:57:04So what we do as teenagers is not only important now,
0:57:04 > 0:57:08it fundamentally shapes our brain for later life.
0:57:10 > 0:57:13The choices our teenagers are making this year
0:57:13 > 0:57:17will leave their mark on the very structure of their brain.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19THEY CHEER
0:57:21 > 0:57:24I think they've had enough now.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Whether it's who to love,
0:57:26 > 0:57:28how to have fun...
0:57:28 > 0:57:30Strange and proud! Strange and proud!
0:57:30 > 0:57:32..where to belong,
0:57:32 > 0:57:35being 16 is more than just a moment in time.
0:57:35 > 0:57:41It's an age that fundamentally shapes you and the adult you become.
0:57:41 > 0:57:45The future is a very odd thing and anything could happen,
0:57:45 > 0:57:48so I'm kind of looking forward to it.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51I-I will jinx it if I say exactly what I want,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54cos life never works out.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Being responsible and, like,
0:57:57 > 0:57:59just being independent, that seems good.
0:58:01 > 0:58:03# Here comes the sun
0:58:03 > 0:58:05# Here comes the sunshine... #
0:58:05 > 0:58:08It'll be fascinating to see how our teenagers
0:58:08 > 0:58:11continue to forge their unique journeys through life.
0:58:11 > 0:58:13# Here comes the sun
0:58:13 > 0:58:17# Here comes the sunshine
0:58:17 > 0:58:20# Whoa. #
0:58:20 > 0:58:23For this free Open University booklet
0:58:23 > 0:58:26about young people and changing times, call...
0:58:30 > 0:58:33..or go to the BBC Child Of Our Time website
0:58:33 > 0:58:36and follow the links to the Open University.
0:58:46 > 0:58:48# Here comes the sun
0:58:48 > 0:58:51# Here comes the sunshine. #