0:00:03 > 0:00:05In the year 2000,
0:00:05 > 0:00:07the BBC began a remarkable experiment
0:00:07 > 0:00:10to follow the lives of 25 babies
0:00:10 > 0:00:15from across the UK, and we've been filming them ever since.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17As they took their first steps...
0:00:19 > 0:00:21..started school...
0:00:21 > 0:00:22Aah!
0:00:22 > 0:00:25..moved house...
0:00:26 > 0:00:28..and made friends.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30It was a quest to find out what makes us who we are -
0:00:30 > 0:00:33nature or nurture?
0:00:33 > 0:00:37In this series, our group are turning 16.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41As they step out into the adult world, everything is changing.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43WOOO!
0:00:43 > 0:00:47# Yeah, we're happy, free, confused and lonely at the same time. #
0:00:47 > 0:00:50Being 16 freaks me out.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52Like, I'm not an adult.
0:00:52 > 0:00:54I'm not ready to be an adult yet.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57- ALL:- One, two, three!
0:00:58 > 0:01:02Our teenagers are coming of age in a world that's changing faster
0:01:02 > 0:01:05than at any point since the 1960s.
0:01:06 > 0:01:10As they prepare for adulthood, I'll be joined by
0:01:10 > 0:01:14clinical psychologist Tanya Barham, who works with teenagers.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17Do you feel like you have to answer straight away?
0:01:17 > 0:01:21'In this episode we'll be looking at how our young people are being shaped
0:01:21 > 0:01:23'by these unique times.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26'From 24/7 communication...'
0:01:26 > 0:01:28Who Snapchats first thing in the morning?
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Me, obviously.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33'..to the increasing pressures to succeed.'
0:01:33 > 0:01:35I need at least AA-stars and two As.
0:01:35 > 0:01:39I'm feeling nervous, because it's, like, my future.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43So join us as we say goodbye to the children we knew...
0:01:44 > 0:01:48..and say hello to the teenagers that they've become.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Over the past 16 years,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09we've watched our children grow up from babies to teenagers.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11Being 16 sucks!
0:02:11 > 0:02:13I want to be, like, 11 again.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And now they're facing some of the
0:02:15 > 0:02:18biggest decisions of their lives.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20What you do in the next two or three years
0:02:20 > 0:02:23will affect you for the rest of your life.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26The lives of today's teenagers
0:02:26 > 0:02:28have been revolutionised
0:02:28 > 0:02:30by an explosion in technology...
0:02:30 > 0:02:33If you took my phone away I don't know what I'd do. It's just...
0:02:33 > 0:02:35I literally don't know what I'd do.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37Oh, my God.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40..and growing up in times of economic uncertainty.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44Trying to find a job and, like...
0:02:44 > 0:02:47Career. That's the only thing which
0:02:47 > 0:02:49worries me about growing up.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58But perhaps the most significant shift this millennium has been the
0:02:58 > 0:03:00changing face of the family.
0:03:02 > 0:03:06And no-one understands this more than Nathan and his family.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13Nathan has grown up with his mother Ruth, father Richard
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and sister Joy in Lanarkshire in Scotland.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26Back in 2000,
0:03:26 > 0:03:29Ruth and Richard made an effort to bring up their children equally
0:03:29 > 0:03:32and this was one of the reasons we chose to film them.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39- I'm doing it. - OK, you move the apple around.
0:03:39 > 0:03:40Throughout Nathan's childhood,
0:03:40 > 0:03:43they both had jobs that allowed them to spend plenty of time at home.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48The couple had married in 1994.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54Though in 2001, with Nathan just a year old, they separated.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00But unlike most couples who break up,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02Richard and Ruth carried on living together.
0:04:03 > 0:04:05That's my mum's room.
0:04:06 > 0:04:08She likes crystals.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13And that's my dad's room.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20He likes...computers and painting and he likes sculpting.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Mum likes purple and Dad likes red.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- INTERVIEWER:- Do you think that your family is the same as everyone else's or different?
0:04:32 > 0:04:34I think everyone else is different.
0:04:35 > 0:04:37Do you like being different or would you rather be the same?
0:04:37 > 0:04:40I would probably like being different.
0:04:44 > 0:04:49Ruth and I have been friends since we were approximately 16 years old.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51- Uh-huh.- We're still the closest of friends.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54Obviously we got married at one point and had children but...
0:04:55 > 0:04:58..that situation changed some years ago
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and now we live in the same house,
0:05:00 > 0:05:01we still co-parent.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05We've both had different partners over that period of time,
0:05:05 > 0:05:10but we have been separated as far as that's concerned.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13As far as the friendship's concerned, it's actually grown.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Well, first of all, in Scottish battles,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21people would come and they would...
0:05:21 > 0:05:24to a place near the battle, and they would put a stone down.
0:05:24 > 0:05:27I like the fact that even though they're not together,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29they still are a family.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Like, other families, like,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34Mum and Dad split up and they move away
0:05:34 > 0:05:36and then the kids have to jump between houses.
0:05:36 > 0:05:41I like how they are there for each other and they're best friends,
0:05:41 > 0:05:43and they're also there for their kids.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45That part up there,
0:05:45 > 0:05:47the English garrison used to impale the heads of the children
0:05:47 > 0:05:48and say to them, you know,
0:05:48 > 0:05:50if they didn't follow the English rule,
0:05:50 > 0:05:51this is what would happen to you.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55'The kids know where they stand.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57'They've got two parents.
0:05:57 > 0:06:01'We live together and it's not like we hide anything.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03'Everything is open and honest.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:06So if they've got issues, they question
0:06:06 > 0:06:09and we have a discussion, you know,
0:06:09 > 0:06:11and we try and work it that way.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18That openness and honesty has also extended to Richard's personal life.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Nathan's grown up, really, from quite a young age...
0:06:24 > 0:06:26..knowing about my sexuality.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30But I was always very open with him
0:06:30 > 0:06:32and very clear with him what it meant.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38He's very comfortable in his own sexuality
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and had his girlfriends and he's very comfortable with that,
0:06:42 > 0:06:44it has no influence on him. And as far as I'm aware,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47I don't think that he thinks
0:06:47 > 0:06:51any less or more of me as a result of it.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54I really think that it's particularly irrelevant to him.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58He gets on with his life and I get on with mine.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03My dad being gay is definitely not an issue, because that's who he is.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04And...
0:07:05 > 0:07:08..it shouldn't be looked at in any other way.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10It doesn't make a difference.
0:07:13 > 0:07:14Attitudes to homosexuality
0:07:14 > 0:07:17have undergone the most dramatic change
0:07:17 > 0:07:20in public opinion that's happened in a generation.
0:07:23 > 0:07:2825 years ago only one fifth of us accepted same-sex relationships.
0:07:28 > 0:07:30Now it's two thirds.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34And teenagers are more accepting than anyone.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41For Nathan, it's just part of
0:07:41 > 0:07:43the open relationship he has with his family.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49'I think the relationship I have with my dad is very good
0:07:49 > 0:07:52'because I feel confident'
0:07:52 > 0:07:54in speaking to him about things.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Let me see your throat. Open your mouth, let me see your throat.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00- Say, "Ah".- Aaaaah.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Your tonsils are a bit inflamed.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04- Are they?- Yeah.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06I speak to him about school,
0:08:06 > 0:08:08girls, anything.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10Have you been kissing somebody?
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- No.- You've not been swapping...
0:08:13 > 0:08:15tongue saliva with anybody?
0:08:15 > 0:08:17No, not yet.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21'I think it's good that a son should be able to speak to his dad'
0:08:21 > 0:08:23without, like, feeling shy or something.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Ready.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27Front.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Back.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Both my parents are role models in how they live their life...
0:08:36 > 0:08:38..and how they've influenced me.
0:08:41 > 0:08:45I'd say I've been brought up to have good morals...
0:08:46 > 0:08:48..and respect one another
0:08:48 > 0:08:52and, like, treat others how you would want to be treated.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09The attitudes and values we get from our parents
0:09:09 > 0:09:11can last throughout our adult lives.
0:09:11 > 0:09:15It affects our relationships, our political views,
0:09:15 > 0:09:18our aspirations and our education.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22But at the age of 16, there's another very big influence -
0:09:22 > 0:09:24our friends.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28I think the close friend circle is really important.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31They influence you a lot because you really want to be like them,
0:09:31 > 0:09:33you want to fit in.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36So, if you've got different problems or issues and stuff
0:09:36 > 0:09:38and they're just all there for you.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40It seems to be as you get older,
0:09:40 > 0:09:43your friends play a lot bigger part in your life than they did.
0:09:44 > 0:09:48Friends have always been an important part of teenagers' lives.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55But the digital revolution means that they've never been
0:09:55 > 0:09:58as accessible and available as they are for this generation.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03I spend a lot more time talking to people
0:10:03 > 0:10:04on social media than I do in real life.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08There's been times when I've said I'll just be on it for,
0:10:08 > 0:10:11like, ten minutes and it turns into, like, two-and-a-half hours.
0:10:11 > 0:10:16You can pretty much talk to your friends 24/7, whenever you want.
0:10:16 > 0:10:212, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16.
0:10:25 > 0:10:26About 36.
0:10:26 > 0:10:27In the last how long?
0:10:29 > 0:10:30Five minutes!
0:10:34 > 0:10:37Triplets Mabel, Alice and Phoebe
0:10:37 > 0:10:40from the West Midlands have grown up in a close-knit family
0:10:40 > 0:10:43with mother Tracy, father Nigel
0:10:43 > 0:10:46and three elder brothers and sisters.
0:10:46 > 0:10:47- What, them?- Yes.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54For them, the ability to connect with others 24/7
0:10:54 > 0:10:56has had a huge impact.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01I've got 948 followers on Instagram.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05I've got 480 followers on Instagram.
0:11:06 > 0:11:07That's a good 'un.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12I'm going to send everybody a Snapchat.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15I'm sick to death of seeing their feet.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18It's just constant pictures of their feet.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21I don't understand it, but it's not my world to understand any more!
0:11:26 > 0:11:29The sisters were Europe's first triplets of the new millennium,
0:11:29 > 0:11:34and from an early stage, they each had a distinct personality.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37Mabel cries and acts like she wants to be fed,
0:11:37 > 0:11:39but she just wants a little cuddle.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Or whatever. And she just won't suck, she's lazy.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46Alice is the sensible one,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48she does complain when she has a wash,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51but she lets you know what she wants.
0:11:51 > 0:11:53Phoebe is as quiet as a little mouse.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55BABY CRYING
0:11:55 > 0:11:57With a busy family of eight,
0:11:57 > 0:12:02Nigel and Tracy did whatever it took to maintain calm.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04We have to do what fits in with the family,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07rather than doing it by the book.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10That often meant turning to technology for help.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13The family were amongst the highest TV watchers in our group,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16with the television on over 15 hours a day.
0:12:17 > 0:12:18Night-night.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20Goodnight.
0:12:20 > 0:12:23And the girls would fall asleep in front of the screen.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31Today, the triplets are still some of our highest screen users.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35But as teenagers, they've replaced the TV with their smartphones.
0:12:38 > 0:12:40They love social media and the way they use it
0:12:40 > 0:12:43reflects their very different personalities.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48Alice has always been the most outgoing,
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and is careful of her appearance.
0:12:51 > 0:12:52You have to, like,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56make sure the picture is going to look like all the other pictures,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58then you've got to edit it,
0:12:58 > 0:13:00make sure it looks like the same as all the others
0:13:00 > 0:13:02and upload it to see if it matches,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and then if it doesn't, you have to, like, delete it.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09Phoebe has always preferred horses to talking to friends.
0:13:09 > 0:13:15I post a lot of pictures of me and the horses or, like,
0:13:15 > 0:13:17other people with their horses.
0:13:17 > 0:13:22But Mabel's attitude to friends has been transformed by social media.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28When she was younger, Mabel was the least outgoing of the triplets
0:13:28 > 0:13:30and she initially struggled to make friends.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35I was with Alice...and now I'm on my own.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39What's it like being on your own?
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Scared. Cos I want to be all together.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51But at 16, she couldn't be more different.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54- Done, mate.- Done, mate.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Now she's got a large group of friends
0:13:56 > 0:13:59who are in constant communication on their phones.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Mabel's got quite a wide circle.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04She's always off out.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06But that's only been over the last six months.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Mabel used to always be in the house.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13Her conversations on social media have strengthened her friendships,
0:14:13 > 0:14:18introduced her to new people and helped her social life to flourish.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22The last year I've been spending less time with my sisters
0:14:22 > 0:14:24because I've been with my friends.
0:14:25 > 0:14:27She didn't have it before.
0:14:27 > 0:14:31- A gang.- So, that's why she's going out more and doing.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34And she's kind of coming out of her shell,
0:14:34 > 0:14:36- because she was quite introvert. - Yes, she was.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38How many of you want a burger?
0:14:41 > 0:14:44Social media transforms how often young people communicate.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47Across the globe,
0:14:47 > 0:14:50we share over three billion photos
0:14:50 > 0:14:53and send 70 billion instant messages every day.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59But whilst this communication revolution
0:14:59 > 0:15:02has had a positive effect on teenagers like Mabel,
0:15:02 > 0:15:06for many parents, phones are a cause for concern.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11It's the bane of our life, really, the phone,
0:15:11 > 0:15:15because, you know, they... It's the be all and end all to them.
0:15:15 > 0:15:20That phone, from when she wakes up, is flashing all day.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24How on earth they watch a film and look at Instagram or Snapchat.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28I just... "I don't understand." "I can do both."
0:15:28 > 0:15:31"Can you? Great. I can't."
0:15:31 > 0:15:33My answer would be, "Switch it off!"
0:15:33 > 0:15:36But they seem incapable of doing that.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38Why?
0:15:41 > 0:15:44- TANYA:- To find out just how much our teens' phones
0:15:44 > 0:15:46are impacting on their lives,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48we conducted a unique experiment,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51monitoring their phone and social media use over a week.
0:15:54 > 0:15:58Our experts analyse nearly a quarter of million pieces of information
0:15:58 > 0:16:02to build a picture of our teenagers' daily digital activity.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09Each line reveals which apps they use at what time of day or night,
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and the thicker the line, the longer the app was open.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Our scientists discovered that on average,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21our teenage girls spent four hours a day on their phones,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23twice as much as the boys.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25But they also use their phones differently
0:16:25 > 0:16:28and were three times more likely to use social media.
0:16:30 > 0:16:31Right, Alice, can we talk about yours?
0:16:31 > 0:16:34- Sure.- Why do you look...? Your little face!
0:16:34 > 0:16:35- Come here.- I'm coming!
0:16:35 > 0:16:37Come in, come in, come in.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Right, well, you're obviously not using it when you're asleep,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42but literally the minute you wake up?
0:16:42 > 0:16:46Yeah, got to wake up, like, have my morning social media bit, you know.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48Who Snapchats first thing in the morning?
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Me, obviously.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53- But...- No, because I, like, go on Snapchat and check, like,
0:16:53 > 0:16:54what everyone's been posting.
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- Like their story.- Yeah. - That sort of stuff.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03'Our experiment revealed our teens were dealing with nearly 600,000
0:17:03 > 0:17:07'Facebook messages in one year alone.'
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Actually, Mabel, you hold the record
0:17:09 > 0:17:13for the most communications sent in a day.
0:17:13 > 0:17:19About...740...
0:17:19 > 0:17:21sent and received messages in a day.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26'That's an average of a message, every two minutes
0:17:26 > 0:17:27'and Mabel wasn't unusual.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30'One in five of our group
0:17:30 > 0:17:33'was dealing with over 400 messages a day.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37'Today's teens are constantly multitasking,
0:17:37 > 0:17:41'juggling multiple conversations minute by minute.'
0:17:42 > 0:17:45So the question is, what impact, if any,
0:17:45 > 0:17:48is this having on their ability to relate to the people around them?
0:17:52 > 0:17:55'There is some evidence that those who multitask with screens more
0:17:55 > 0:17:58'find it harder to concentrate on what's happening around them.'
0:18:00 > 0:18:02- Are you interested in photography and stuff like that?- Yeah.- Yeah.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04I don't know.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07And research has revealed that for young people,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09even having a phone nearby can
0:18:09 > 0:18:13reduce the quality of their conversation in the real world.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15Psychologist Dr Andrew Przybylski,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18from Oxford University, conducted the study.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23We think that the phone might represent
0:18:23 > 0:18:25many other possible conversations. So it's not just that
0:18:25 > 0:18:29it's distracting because there's a phone there, it might beep.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32It's distracting because it's an enticement, it's a lure.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36There is a whole universe of other conversations
0:18:36 > 0:18:38that are literally at your fingertips.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45So does this mean today's teens are growing up with fewer social skills?
0:18:45 > 0:18:49Or does this generation simply have different etiquette
0:18:49 > 0:18:50around their phone use?
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Are you ever together, like, in the same space
0:18:55 > 0:18:59and you're all on some kind of group chat thing
0:18:59 > 0:19:00with other people who aren't there?
0:19:00 > 0:19:03- Yeah.- Even though that person is sitting over there,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05that is now communicating with you in the group?
0:19:05 > 0:19:09- Yeah.- Does that not seem really weird, or does that feel normal?
0:19:09 > 0:19:11It's a bit weird but it's normal for us now.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13It's made us much more interconnected
0:19:13 > 0:19:14and aware of what's going on.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- So you would see it as a facilitator to communication?- Yes.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19You wouldn't see it as a block to communication?
0:19:19 > 0:19:21- No.- It's enabled people to have conversations
0:19:21 > 0:19:23that they wouldn't otherwise have had.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Whether this intense phone use is good or bad for teenagers
0:19:33 > 0:19:35is impossible to say.
0:19:35 > 0:19:37Things are changing so quickly
0:19:37 > 0:19:39that scientists are struggling to keep up.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Is there high quality evidence for parents that social media
0:19:43 > 0:19:46has either positive or negative effects on young people?
0:19:46 > 0:19:49I have to say no. Absolutely not.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51In fact, there's some evidence to suggest that
0:19:51 > 0:19:55spending time talking with friends on their phones
0:19:55 > 0:19:58prevents teenagers from taking risks in the real world.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02Drug use, alcohol use,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04promiscuous sexual behaviour, is all down
0:20:04 > 0:20:06year on year for at least the last 15 years.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10The alternative to using or being on a mobile phone for five hours
0:20:10 > 0:20:14is not necessarily going out and finishing your studying,
0:20:14 > 0:20:15your revisions for your A-levels.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19The comparison condition for something like
0:20:19 > 0:20:23using your mobile phone for four hours is drinking at a bus-stop.
0:20:30 > 0:20:35Technology has transformed the way all of us interact with each other.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Today's teenagers have grown up with social media.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42And they use it more intensively than anyone else.
0:20:45 > 0:20:48It's too early for scientists to say definitively
0:20:48 > 0:20:53what effect this is having on this generation's social skills,
0:20:53 > 0:20:54but it's clearly broadening the
0:20:54 > 0:20:56range of people they can communicate with.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03And that's having a big impact on teenagers like Taliesin.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12Oh, my God.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17I spend about two our three hours online gaming each day
0:21:17 > 0:21:19as, like, a rough average,
0:21:19 > 0:21:23but during my half-term, there may be two or four or eight.
0:21:23 > 0:21:24It can get quite excessive.
0:21:26 > 0:21:28It's not as bad as gambling, but...
0:21:28 > 0:21:30It probably is, actually.
0:21:30 > 0:21:34Taliesin lives in Essex with his mother Olivia and father Robin.
0:21:35 > 0:21:36Where's your ball?!
0:21:41 > 0:21:44As a toddler, Taliesin loved to make everyone laugh.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- Bear Pooh! - No, not Bear Pooh, Pooh Bear.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57And his quirky sense of humour continued into primary school.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Taliesin has always had a creative way of seeing the world...
0:22:04 > 0:22:05You go again!
0:22:07 > 0:22:11..and in 2005 he demonstrated his individuality.
0:22:14 > 0:22:18We asked all our children to take a series of photographs.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20Oh!
0:22:20 > 0:22:21Oh!
0:22:21 > 0:22:24And Taliesin's set him apart from the rest of the group.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Me. I'm Rudolph.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Emily, Daddy, Mummy...
0:22:33 > 0:22:35One minute he's a Star Wars character
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and the next minute he's an elf.
0:22:39 > 0:22:43And then he's the manager of a huge company
0:22:43 > 0:22:46and he's having a board meeting, you know.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50It seemed Taliesin just saw the world differently.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53But being different didn't help him make many friends.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56I don't think they understood him.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58They weren't really on his level,
0:22:58 > 0:23:02and so he withdrew into what he found interesting.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07This made school life challenging for Taliesin.
0:23:07 > 0:23:08So when he was 11 years old,
0:23:08 > 0:23:13his family decided to move him to a new school and start again.
0:23:16 > 0:23:19And over the years, his confidence and happiness have grown.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26I just think some things have just come clearly to me now.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28I've not been doubting myself as much.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34I think I've kind of restored myself, in a way, which is good.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Over the last couple of years,
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Taliesin's online gaming has opened up a whole new world of friendships.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46Wait, I just need to document this.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I'm on 300 ping yet I'm still wrecking.
0:23:49 > 0:23:50Still got it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53I kind of started out on Xbox and talking to people
0:23:53 > 0:23:55and then that grew into something bigger.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And then I found a community that I joined
0:23:58 > 0:23:59and then I talk to people on there.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03It's kind of odd to think that he's
0:24:03 > 0:24:06got friends who are in their early 20s
0:24:06 > 0:24:10and 30s, and whatever, but they definitely have friendships there.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12It's not all about the game.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15I'm going to go shotty. Probably get better with it.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19'I've got a few from America, I've got one from the Ukraine.'
0:24:19 > 0:24:21Shots are fired.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24We all just talk about anything, really.
0:24:24 > 0:24:28Like, I like to talk about things that are going on in the world just
0:24:28 > 0:24:30because I'm interested in that kind of stuff.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32You shouldn't have reloaded, man!
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Wait, I didn't even know where you were.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38I've heard him speaking Russian and everything else, which is fantastic,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42cos it means he's using it as a tool.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48Taliesin's social gaming is now a normal part
0:24:48 > 0:24:50of many teenagers' lives.
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Over 90% of boys who video game
0:24:54 > 0:24:57now play in online groups like Taliesin's,
0:24:57 > 0:25:00giving them a place to connect with others.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06The only times we have disagreements is when
0:25:06 > 0:25:09we're calling him for dinner and because he's got his headset on
0:25:09 > 0:25:13he can't hear us. So it goes from, "Taliesin come down for dinner,"
0:25:13 > 0:25:16to, "TALIESIN!"
0:25:16 > 0:25:18That was beautiful.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20'You feel like on a streak, then you kind of go with it.'
0:25:20 > 0:25:23The next thing you know it's three o'clock in the morning
0:25:23 > 0:25:26on a school night and you haven't done your homework yet!
0:25:26 > 0:25:28What the heck!
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Oh, my God, that was hilarious!
0:25:35 > 0:25:40Whether it's online gaming, using social media or watching videos,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43teenagers now spend an average of nine hours a day on screens.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50The social impact of all this may be debatable, but there is one area,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53scientists are certain is being affected,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and that's teenagers' sleep.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59Calvin never gets enough sleep.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02Although he sleeps sometimes for 20 hours in a day,
0:26:02 > 0:26:03he still doesn't get enough sleep.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06He is a nightmare for sleep.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11I go to sleep quite late, and then if I can wake up late, then I will.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Because he'd go to bed and then he'd go on his laptop
0:26:15 > 0:26:17and watch box sets and then he'd watch it on his phone
0:26:17 > 0:26:20and then he wasn't get enough sleep at all.
0:26:20 > 0:26:22Once you're, like, addicted to gaming or something,
0:26:22 > 0:26:25it can be quite hard just to get to sleep.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30He's late to bed at night and late up in the morning.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Morning?!
0:26:33 > 0:26:35Morning? You said morning.
0:26:35 > 0:26:36Where does morning come into it?
0:26:36 > 0:26:39I sometimes go to bed at one in the morning,
0:26:39 > 0:26:41which isn't healthy at all.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44But... I can't help it, really.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47On a school night, I probably sleep around four or five hours,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49in total, and then wake up exhausted...
0:26:51 > 0:26:53..barely being able to function in school.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58And then he has these headaches and he's tired and everything's bleh...
0:26:58 > 0:27:01And it's because he doesn't sleep.
0:27:01 > 0:27:04So I took a bucket of cold water up and threw it over him.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07I saved a bit in the bottom so when he got sat up
0:27:07 > 0:27:09I could throw it right in his face,
0:27:09 > 0:27:14but... It took two days for the mattress to dry out.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23To find out how their screen use might be impacting on their sleep,
0:27:23 > 0:27:26we used activity monitors and sleep dairies
0:27:26 > 0:27:28to monitor our teenagers across a week.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Dr Christopher James Harvey,
0:27:32 > 0:27:36an expert in adolescent sleep patterns, analysed the results.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41Sleep has many different functions.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43One of them is rest and repair.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45The other is growth
0:27:45 > 0:27:47and the other is memory formation and consolidation,
0:27:47 > 0:27:49amongst many, many more
0:27:49 > 0:27:52In the short-term, sleep deprivation will lead to lower mood,
0:27:52 > 0:27:57irritability, lack of concentration, you'll be less able to learn.
0:27:57 > 0:27:58In the long-term,
0:27:58 > 0:28:01sleep deprivation is associated with things like depression, cancer,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09So how are our teens being affected?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13Our data revealed some unexpected results.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14You go to sleep really late.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18- Yeah.- You go to sleep after midnight. Mm-hmm.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21You, on average, are getting just over six hours of sleep a night.
0:28:21 > 0:28:22Yeah.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26This is far less than the recommended nine hours
0:28:26 > 0:28:28teenagers really need.
0:28:28 > 0:28:32But Taliesin's sleep data revealed a few surprises.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35He normally stopped gaming an hour before bedtime,
0:28:35 > 0:28:39crashed out quickly, and his sleep quality was really good.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43If you're getting to bed and falling asleep quickly
0:28:43 > 0:28:45and having a good quality sleep,
0:28:45 > 0:28:48that probably means you're going to sleep at the time that
0:28:48 > 0:28:51you need to go to sleep, that your body wants to go to sleep.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55Chris's research reveals teenagers work
0:28:55 > 0:28:58on a very different body clock to adults.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00In adolescence, this body clock changes.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05So they have a preference to sleep later in the evening,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09and this is a physiological change that they can't control.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12So it's quite normal for teenagers to want to go to bed later
0:29:12 > 0:29:14and then sleep in later.
0:29:14 > 0:29:16So Taliesin may be going to bed late,
0:29:16 > 0:29:19but this is in synch with his body clock
0:29:19 > 0:29:22and he makes up for lost sleep during the week
0:29:22 > 0:29:25by sleeping in at the weekends.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31This isn't ideal, but maybe because his sleep quality is good
0:29:31 > 0:29:33he seems to be coping well.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Surprisingly, the teenager who had
0:29:37 > 0:29:41a poorer night sleep than Taliesin was going to bed early.
0:29:41 > 0:29:42Alice.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Alice, so you take about 37 minutes to get to sleep,
0:29:46 > 0:29:51which is actually more than the average for your age.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Taliesin, it only takes you about 16 minutes,
0:29:54 > 0:29:55just over a quarter of an hour,
0:29:55 > 0:30:00which is actually kind of more what we would expect for your age.
0:30:00 > 0:30:04So you get to sleep much more quickly than Alice does.
0:30:04 > 0:30:09There's a clear reason why Alice is taking longer to get to sleep.
0:30:09 > 0:30:12You are on your phone a lot, aren't you?
0:30:12 > 0:30:14- Yes.- Yes. So, if you look, we've got,
0:30:14 > 0:30:17here we go, from 7.00pm up until you go to sleep,
0:30:17 > 0:30:20you are basically on your phone solidly
0:30:20 > 0:30:24until you literally switch your phone off when you go to sleep.
0:30:24 > 0:30:28- Is that right? - Yes, put it on my bedside table.
0:30:28 > 0:30:29On the bedside table, yeah.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Alice is far from unusual.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Half our teenagers check their phones
0:30:39 > 0:30:41at sleep time and studies show that
0:30:41 > 0:30:44those who spend more than four hours a day on screens
0:30:44 > 0:30:46can spend up to an hour getting to sleep.
0:30:46 > 0:30:51Partly, it's because the blue light from screens can reduce sleepiness,
0:30:51 > 0:30:53but it's more than that.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56You're stimulated so you're more awake, in a way.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59So you've got other cortisol, you've got adrenaline in your body.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03So the fact that you do so much activity with your phone,
0:31:03 > 0:31:05it kind of explains to us why it takes you
0:31:05 > 0:31:07almost 40 minutes to get to sleep.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11The best way to get a good night's sleep, it seems,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14is to put the screens away an hour before bedtime.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19But something else is keeping our teenagers up late.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21It's GCSEs.
0:31:21 > 0:31:24And this may be, in our competitive times,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26causing increasing stress.
0:31:29 > 0:31:35Het, growing up in North London, is certainly feeling this pressure.
0:31:35 > 0:31:36Since you're closer to your exams
0:31:36 > 0:31:38and you've just got so much more workload
0:31:38 > 0:31:41and you get to that point where you realise that your exams
0:31:41 > 0:31:43are not a year away,
0:31:43 > 0:31:46they are actually, like, just a few months away.
0:31:46 > 0:31:47I can revise if I wake up early.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50If I wake up early on a school day, I'm not going to revise.
0:31:50 > 0:31:53Het is hoping to get all As in her GCSEs.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58I need to get these grades for me to do what I want to do.
0:31:58 > 0:31:59I want to achieve those grades
0:31:59 > 0:32:02because that's what I want my future to look like.
0:32:02 > 0:32:04Het was encouraged to succeed from a young age.
0:32:08 > 0:32:10Her mother and father, Tajal and Vijay,
0:32:10 > 0:32:14moved from India to England in the 1990s,
0:32:14 > 0:32:18and they've always had high hopes of what Het would achieve.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Basically, it depends on Het,
0:32:20 > 0:32:23what she wants to become in her future,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26but I wish to make her an astronaut.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31Experts have suggested that improved exam results in London,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34may be partly due to the drive to succeed
0:32:34 > 0:32:37instilled in the children of migrant families.
0:32:38 > 0:32:41When I'm doing the serious work I like a quiet environment.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45See, that's not how I concentrate. I need music.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48All the time when you're at home, you have music on your...
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Which proves I am working, because I listen to music while I work.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Het's always shared her parents' ambitions.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01In 2008, we gave our children a series of tricky choices
0:33:01 > 0:33:04about the future.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Would you rather be rich and can buy anything you want,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10or be popular and be liked by everyone?
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Het was clear in her mind.
0:33:14 > 0:33:15Both.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18I'll need both.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20She wanted it all.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23That's sounds a lot like me now.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26I want a balance of things, but I do want it all as well.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28I see what eight-year-old Het was saying.
0:33:28 > 0:33:30It makes sense to me. I want to something that I love
0:33:30 > 0:33:34as well as get the recognition for it, as well as get a good pay,
0:33:34 > 0:33:35as well as be happy about it.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38When we filmed her aged 12,
0:33:38 > 0:33:40Het had swapped her mother's ambition
0:33:40 > 0:33:45of her becoming an astronaut for some impressive goals of her own.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47First thing would be to be an actress,
0:33:47 > 0:33:50and then slowly move on to my singing career,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54and have my own, I guess, band and my album.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56And then kind of have my own fashion line,
0:33:56 > 0:34:00so do fashion designing too, and have my own album with that, along,
0:34:00 > 0:34:03so doing movies as well, so doing everything at a time.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07Today, Het's ambitions are more academic,
0:34:07 > 0:34:09a career in astrophysics,
0:34:09 > 0:34:12but her high expectations for her GCSEs
0:34:12 > 0:34:14have had a worrying setback.
0:34:14 > 0:34:18So, my last marks didn't go so well.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21Unfortunately I didn't get the grades that actually I wanted.
0:34:21 > 0:34:23I thought I could have done better.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I was hoping for, like, at least a few A-stars
0:34:28 > 0:34:30and then As but I got two Bs.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35I didn't get As in, like, the sciences,
0:34:35 > 0:34:36which I was really shocked about
0:34:36 > 0:34:38and I didn't get an A-star in maths either,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41which was surprising since I've been getting A-star
0:34:41 > 0:34:42for quite a long time.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46It does, like, lead to thoughts where I'm, like,
0:34:46 > 0:34:47"What would happen if I didn't get the grades?"
0:34:47 > 0:34:50I need at least AA-stars and two As.
0:34:50 > 0:34:54I can't get Bs, it's not me.
0:34:54 > 0:34:55It's not my thing.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58With the exams just a few weeks away,
0:34:58 > 0:35:02the pressure in school has reached fever pitch.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05I have, like, 25 exams.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08So I've started revision and I get a lot of stress
0:35:08 > 0:35:09from school as well.
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Like, every week they remind us that we only have this many weeks left.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15The teachers will be walking up the stairs, and they will be like,
0:35:15 > 0:35:17"Why are you walking so slow? Your GCSEs are in this many weeks."
0:35:17 > 0:35:19I'm just like, "But I'm walking up the stairs!"
0:35:19 > 0:35:21I'm extremely stressed.
0:35:21 > 0:35:24I'm scared I'm just going to blank out or like I'm going to fall asleep
0:35:24 > 0:35:26or I'm going to faint. And people will think I've just fallen asleep.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Like something bad is going to happen, I know.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32'The pressure right now is, it's...'
0:35:32 > 0:35:36It's, I really, really... Urgh!
0:35:37 > 0:35:41Het has set herself a strict revision timetable.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45So I've started revision, I just wake up, eat, dress, study.
0:35:45 > 0:35:49I do approximately six to eight hours a day.
0:35:50 > 0:35:54Today's teenagers are expected to do twice as much homework
0:35:54 > 0:35:57than their parents did a generation ago.
0:35:58 > 0:36:00I'm struggling right now,
0:36:00 > 0:36:02so for me to imagine what it will be like next year
0:36:02 > 0:36:05or the year after or at university...
0:36:05 > 0:36:06I don't know. I get perplexed.
0:36:06 > 0:36:09I'm like, "What will happen to me?"
0:36:09 > 0:36:12It scares me, but hopefully future Het will sort it out.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16And Het's not alone.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19The number of pupils worrying about exams
0:36:19 > 0:36:22is rising year on year across the UK.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27I definitely put a lot of pressure on myself.
0:36:27 > 0:36:29It's just more the voice in the back of your head.
0:36:31 > 0:36:33And what's it saying?
0:36:33 > 0:36:35Study! Study!
0:36:35 > 0:36:37Everyone gets stressed before exams.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40Even the teachers. Just cos, it's just that moment of panic,
0:36:40 > 0:36:42thinking, "Have you done enough?"
0:36:42 > 0:36:43If you don't get, like, the marks you need,
0:36:43 > 0:36:44you can't do what you want
0:36:44 > 0:36:46and then your family's disappointed,
0:36:46 > 0:36:49you're disappointed, the school is disappointed.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52I think it's the first time you
0:36:52 > 0:36:56truly see your child under some stress and anxiety.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59I think Helena has been put through a tremendous amount
0:36:59 > 0:37:01of unnecessary pressure.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04There have been instances where she's been told at school,
0:37:04 > 0:37:07"This is the most important thing you do in life,
0:37:07 > 0:37:11"if you do not succeed in this, you will fail," et cetera.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15I can see why some teenagers go under.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Why teenagers don't cope with...
0:37:18 > 0:37:21Because it's so stressful and it's almost like
0:37:21 > 0:37:24if you don't succeed at school, you're a failure.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29And there's a biological reason
0:37:29 > 0:37:32why our teens may be more susceptible to stress,
0:37:32 > 0:37:34and it seems that this is related
0:37:34 > 0:37:37to the way we produce the hormone cortisol.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45To see how stressed Het has been, we took some samples of her hair,
0:37:45 > 0:37:47where cortisol is deposited.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49Your hair looks lovely. So, Bianca, you are going to
0:37:49 > 0:37:50talk through the results,
0:37:50 > 0:37:52so do you want to tell Het what we are seeing here?
0:37:52 > 0:37:56Sure. Let me show you first the result.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00So, based on an average hair growth of one centimetre per month,
0:38:00 > 0:38:03we can actually see the cortisol exposure
0:38:03 > 0:38:05that we would have across a month.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Then the month before, the month before and this,
0:38:08 > 0:38:10reliably, up to six months.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13The levels are generally typical.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18But we can see that two months ago these levels were elevated.
0:38:18 > 0:38:20It's very different, isn't it?
0:38:20 > 0:38:22What can you tell us about your life two months ago,
0:38:22 > 0:38:25that might explain why Bianca found
0:38:25 > 0:38:28such a significantly greater amount of cortisol
0:38:28 > 0:38:30in that part of your hair?
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Well, I guess it was a very important period
0:38:32 > 0:38:34as I was taking my GCSE exams.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37During her exams, Het's cortisol levels soared,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39but before and after,
0:38:39 > 0:38:42her levels were well within a normal, healthy range.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44So that feels quite healthy.
0:38:44 > 0:38:45It does, yes.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Het's stress was relatively short-lived
0:38:49 > 0:38:52but for many of today's teenagers,
0:38:52 > 0:38:56short-term stress is slipping into longer term problems.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00Young women in particular are reporting greater levels
0:39:00 > 0:39:02of mental health difficulty.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06Indeed, it's estimated that at least one in four young women
0:39:06 > 0:39:09will show symptoms of psychological difficulties,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12and these can include anxiety and depression.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17The reasons why have been hotly debated by experts and parents.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22There's so much mental health problems now as well.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- I don't think there's more mental health problems.- I bloody do.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27No, I think it's more visible.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31That's all that is. You know, just because of media.
0:39:31 > 0:39:34I don't think there is anything to be depressed about.
0:39:34 > 0:39:36I think Facebook's got a lot to do with it.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39And Facebook, I mean, it's so damn superficial.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43We're all having a lovely time and it's families smiling.
0:39:43 > 0:39:48That's not life. That's not how it is, really.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53So, again, are we all pretending to live in this kind of superficial,
0:39:53 > 0:39:55"Aren't I wonderful?
0:39:55 > 0:39:58"Aren't I having a lovely life? Look how great this is."
0:39:58 > 0:40:00And it's not true.
0:40:00 > 0:40:02It doesn't seem quite healthy to me,
0:40:02 > 0:40:04not to have a time where you're not...
0:40:05 > 0:40:08Where you can be totally yourself because...
0:40:08 > 0:40:11And there was a time to me, when you were at home with your family,
0:40:11 > 0:40:13you know, your guards were down,
0:40:13 > 0:40:15you were just the person with the people that have known you
0:40:15 > 0:40:20since you were small and you could be yourself and natural.
0:40:20 > 0:40:24It seems to me now that that's lost a little bit.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29As well as the pressure of living life constantly online,
0:40:29 > 0:40:31our teenagers are working hard for their exams
0:40:31 > 0:40:33in uncertain economic times.
0:40:35 > 0:40:37Nowadays you get good exam results
0:40:37 > 0:40:39you go on to university and you fight like hell
0:40:39 > 0:40:41to get a training place,
0:40:41 > 0:40:43to get a job that might be good.
0:40:45 > 0:40:49As young people, our teenagers are half as likely to own a house
0:40:49 > 0:40:52or have a standard of living greater than their parents
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and this uncertainty is unsettling.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01Combine this with the pressures of social media
0:41:01 > 0:41:02and the fact that biological changes
0:41:02 > 0:41:05make adolescence a challenging time anyway,
0:41:05 > 0:41:07you've got a perfect storm.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11So what's important is how teenagers develop the resilience
0:41:11 > 0:41:12to manage these challenges.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20The reason that Het manages to prevent her stress from escalating
0:41:20 > 0:41:23is because she has found a release from the pressures of life.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31It's something she's been doing since she was a young child.
0:41:33 > 0:41:34Dancing!
0:41:34 > 0:41:38UP-TEMPO MUSIC PLAYS
0:41:43 > 0:41:47When I dance I forget about who's watching, who's there.
0:41:47 > 0:41:49It's just me listening to the music and doing what I want.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Five, six, seven, go!
0:41:51 > 0:41:54'It's a passion,'
0:41:54 > 0:41:56because it gives me joy and nothing else!
0:41:56 > 0:41:59One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08And Het's not the only one finding ways
0:42:08 > 0:42:11to deal with challenging times.
0:42:13 > 0:42:17Rebecca in Essex is also feeling the pressure of exams.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18You need to make a list,
0:42:18 > 0:42:21everything that you need cos this is practice for your exam
0:42:21 > 0:42:22and I'm not going to be there.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24So write down all the equipment,
0:42:24 > 0:42:26everything that you're going to need.
0:42:29 > 0:42:31Can I have a look? Is that...? Is that how it's meant to be?
0:42:31 > 0:42:33- Yeah!- OK.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35It looks like a frog!
0:42:35 > 0:42:38Rebecca was brought up in a close-knit Jewish community
0:42:38 > 0:42:42with her mother Gill, father Mark, and brother David.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Her family have always put a high premium
0:42:47 > 0:42:49on education and achievement.
0:42:49 > 0:42:55I would like to think that Rebecca will go on to study, erm...
0:42:55 > 0:42:56and then, when, I don't know,
0:42:56 > 0:42:58hopefully if she finishes university,
0:42:58 > 0:43:01I'd love to see her travel.
0:43:01 > 0:43:04But Rebecca didn't share the confidence in her ability
0:43:04 > 0:43:06that the adults had.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09My teacher thinks I'm very good at my schoolwork
0:43:09 > 0:43:12but I don't think that I am.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15What's the worst thing that can happen?
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Me getting a D minus.
0:43:18 > 0:43:20Why is that so bad?
0:43:20 > 0:43:23Because that's the worst you can get.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26And now, in her crucial GCSE year
0:43:26 > 0:43:30she's been dealing with some life-changing news.
0:43:30 > 0:43:35After 23 years of marriage, Mark and Gill have decided to get divorced.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38Mark and I separated in August.
0:43:40 > 0:43:44I told Mark I didn't want to be with him any more and...
0:43:44 > 0:43:46Mark moved out.
0:43:50 > 0:43:54I don't think anyone who's separated will tell you it's easy.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56However much you want it or however much it's the right thing,
0:43:56 > 0:43:58it's not easy.
0:43:58 > 0:44:03About 20% of children experience divorce in their family,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06double what it was in the 1970s.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Unsettling times, such as parents separating,
0:44:11 > 0:44:14can reduce academic achievement in teenage years.
0:44:17 > 0:44:21But Rebecca has some advantages which have helped to protect her.
0:44:21 > 0:44:25Her Jewish background has always been extremely important.
0:44:27 > 0:44:30It's given her a strong sense of identity
0:44:30 > 0:44:32and a close-knit group of friends.
0:44:33 > 0:44:36And the highlight of what's been an unsettling year for Rebecca,
0:44:36 > 0:44:38is a trip with them to Israel.
0:44:41 > 0:44:42APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:44:42 > 0:44:45We're now heading from the airport
0:44:45 > 0:44:47to the holy city of Jerusalem.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50CHEERING
0:45:05 > 0:45:09OK.
0:45:09 > 0:45:10But for every teen,
0:45:10 > 0:45:13the move away from family and towards friends
0:45:13 > 0:45:16is a natural part of growing up.
0:45:16 > 0:45:21But studies have shown the support of friends is more than that.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23It can make young people more resilient
0:45:23 > 0:45:27and help them to adjust more quickly to parental separation.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31My friends are really, extremely important in my life.
0:45:31 > 0:45:35Really, really, really, really important.
0:45:35 > 0:45:36Ellie.
0:45:36 > 0:45:37This is scary.
0:45:40 > 0:45:41Oh, Ellie!
0:45:43 > 0:45:47'We make so many good memories together that I will never forget.'
0:45:47 > 0:45:49So, that's something.
0:45:51 > 0:45:52Yes, Ellie!
0:45:52 > 0:45:54Thank you! Oh, we made it!
0:45:55 > 0:45:57Rebecca is already proving she has the strength
0:45:57 > 0:46:02and support to take on challenging experiences.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06I've grown up both physically and mentally,
0:46:06 > 0:46:08like, I feel like I'm a lot more mature now.
0:46:08 > 0:46:10I'm a lot more confident.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12I'm a lot smarter.
0:46:13 > 0:46:16I've just developed more as a person.
0:46:30 > 0:46:35At 16, our teenagers are beginning to make some important decisions
0:46:35 > 0:46:37about their future.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Most of them will be preparing for the world of work.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44But nowadays, they're also four times more likely to take A Levels
0:46:44 > 0:46:46and go on to university.
0:46:46 > 0:46:50And with this will come the first big separation from their family.
0:46:54 > 0:46:57For most young people, this happens at 18.
0:46:57 > 0:46:59But for one of our teenagers,
0:46:59 > 0:47:02the decision to move away from home has come early.
0:47:02 > 0:47:05And this means separating from his parents
0:47:05 > 0:47:11and the best friend he's ever had, his identical twin brother.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13My name's Ivo.
0:47:13 > 0:47:15My name's Alex!
0:47:17 > 0:47:19The twins have shared the same genes
0:47:19 > 0:47:22and upbringing from the moment of conception.
0:47:24 > 0:47:28And right through their childhood, they've done everything together.
0:47:28 > 0:47:33They are doing the same life in the same environment,
0:47:33 > 0:47:36doing the same things, more or less, day in, day out.
0:47:37 > 0:47:38We don't treat them any differently.
0:47:38 > 0:47:40They're not treated differently as individuals.
0:47:40 > 0:47:43They experience the same things.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46People have often struggled to tell them apart.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49- Are you Ivo or Alex?- Ivo.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51- Alex, can I play?- I'm Ivo!
0:47:51 > 0:47:54- I'm already confused. Who's Alex and who's Ivo?- This is Alex.
0:47:54 > 0:47:58And they've sometimes struggled themselves.
0:47:58 > 0:48:00Ivo, which one is you here?
0:48:00 > 0:48:02- That one? You think that one's you? - Yes!
0:48:02 > 0:48:05No, that's not you, that's Alex.
0:48:05 > 0:48:07Alex, how are you and Ivo different?
0:48:07 > 0:48:13I've got a different T-shirt and some different trousers.
0:48:13 > 0:48:16But we are not different, we are the same.
0:48:19 > 0:48:24But recently, there've been signs that their relationship is changing.
0:48:24 > 0:48:25We've gave them their own rooms.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28So, up to that point they'd been sharing a room,
0:48:28 > 0:48:31and then around that time Ivo had his hair cut really short.
0:48:32 > 0:48:35I got my hair cut so people can tell us apart.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38- Yep.- It never really got to me, though.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40- But it's just irritating. - Just one of those things.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42..telling them your name over and over again.
0:48:42 > 0:48:43We definitely have different hair.
0:48:43 > 0:48:47Different chins, different personalities.
0:48:47 > 0:48:53As I've been described as more effervescent and more chatty.
0:48:53 > 0:48:54So why do we need a second one?
0:48:57 > 0:48:59But Ivo's, like...
0:48:59 > 0:49:02- Intense...- Stubborn. - I wouldn't say stubborn, Alex.
0:49:02 > 0:49:04- I would say stubborn. - I would say you're stubborn, then.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08- That way?- No, the other way. - That way.- Other way. Other way.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10- Not that way?- Not that way.
0:49:10 > 0:49:13The thing about being twins is that you're just lumped together,
0:49:13 > 0:49:15you're seen as an entity, a single entity.
0:49:15 > 0:49:18I think that's maybe fine when you're small
0:49:18 > 0:49:21but when you become a teenager, you want to be an individual.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25You want to be different, you want to be seen to be different.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28For Ivo, this means striking out on his own
0:49:28 > 0:49:31for the first time in 16 years.
0:49:32 > 0:49:38He's applied for a college place in Canada, 3,000 miles away,
0:49:38 > 0:49:42which would mean him spending the next two years away from his family.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Although Ivo will be studying in Canada,
0:49:47 > 0:49:50his father's brought him to Wales for the interview.
0:49:51 > 0:49:54We're here for this, sort of what is effectively a 24-hour process.
0:49:54 > 0:49:56The interview is sort of 24 hours, it's quite...
0:49:56 > 0:49:58It seems quite an intense thing.
0:49:58 > 0:50:00You have to spend a night and
0:50:00 > 0:50:04then you have a series of mini interviews with the committees.
0:50:04 > 0:50:06They're just constantly observing you
0:50:06 > 0:50:08and they're sort of testing to see how you work.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13I'm feeling nervous.
0:50:13 > 0:50:18It's just, it's a lot cos it's like my future.
0:50:18 > 0:50:22And it seems like there'll be lots of competition.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24Cos I like to think that people that go...
0:50:24 > 0:50:26that apply to this want to change the world.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36I have to come to terms with the reality that,
0:50:36 > 0:50:38you know, this could happen.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40He could be offered a place and then,
0:50:40 > 0:50:43well, that means that he could go and live in another country
0:50:43 > 0:50:46for two years and...
0:50:47 > 0:50:49..I just have to get on board.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54It's his life. I can't stop him doing what he wants to do.
0:50:54 > 0:50:58He needs to go out there and do what he wants, whatever that might be.
0:50:58 > 0:51:01It could be quite a different chapter
0:51:01 > 0:51:04in both of our lives as...
0:51:04 > 0:51:07well, one half of us could be on the other side of the world.
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Alex doesn't want him to do it, but he won't say that to his brother.
0:51:12 > 0:51:14Erm...
0:51:14 > 0:51:15I think he would just miss him.
0:51:19 > 0:51:20Breaking up the brothers.
0:51:21 > 0:51:25For the first time, the twins are facing life apart.
0:51:26 > 0:51:28I'd feel sad about leaving him
0:51:28 > 0:51:32because we're a big part of each other's lives and...
0:51:34 > 0:51:36..I've never really lived without him.
0:51:39 > 0:51:42Ivo will have to wait to see whether he's got a place
0:51:42 > 0:51:44before he can plan his move away.
0:51:51 > 0:51:56As each of our teenagers makes their first steps towards independence,
0:51:56 > 0:51:59it's fascinating to see how they're being affected
0:51:59 > 0:52:01by the changing society around them.
0:52:04 > 0:52:07Whether it's different kinds of families...
0:52:09 > 0:52:10..the rise of social media...
0:52:13 > 0:52:17..or the need for resilience in a world that's moving faster
0:52:17 > 0:52:18than ever before.
0:52:22 > 0:52:27It's a real privilege to see these young people as they turn 16.
0:52:27 > 0:52:33They represent an entire generation coming of age at a unique time.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36As they move from childhood to adulthood,
0:52:36 > 0:52:41only time will tell how their experiences will shape them
0:52:41 > 0:52:43and their future.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50And with their exams over,
0:52:50 > 0:52:54it's the school prom that marks that coming of age.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57It's just, like... It's gone so fast.
0:52:57 > 0:53:01Like I was in first school, like, it feels like last week.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04And now I'm, like, going to college.
0:53:07 > 0:53:10I think it's hard to let go as a mum.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13Cos you don't stop being their mum, even if they're like in their,
0:53:13 > 0:53:15I guess in their 40s!
0:53:16 > 0:53:20Cos we're the youngest, I think it's just,
0:53:20 > 0:53:23they're starting to feel older and older,
0:53:23 > 0:53:25so they just want us to stop growing.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Just buying prom dresses is heartbreaking...
0:53:33 > 0:53:36£250 each a minimum, by the way!
0:53:36 > 0:53:38# Slow down
0:53:38 > 0:53:42# Won't you stay here a minute more?
0:53:42 > 0:53:46# I know you wanna walk through the door
0:53:46 > 0:53:49# But it's all too fast... #
0:53:49 > 0:53:54To be honest, like, I don't feel as if I've changed that much.
0:53:54 > 0:54:00# I pointed to the sky and now you wanna fly... #
0:54:00 > 0:54:01I'm proud of Nathan.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06Enjoy seeing him as a young man,
0:54:06 > 0:54:10and I'm going to enjoy seeing him in the next five or six years,
0:54:10 > 0:54:12develop into what, you know...
0:54:12 > 0:54:14a man, fully.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16I'm looking forward to that.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18# Here's to you
0:54:18 > 0:54:20# Every missing tooth
0:54:20 > 0:54:23# And every bedtime story... #
0:54:23 > 0:54:25I definitely want my own place.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27Start my own family.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31A new life, really. You can do what you want when you're older.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33You can be whoever you want to be, so...
0:54:35 > 0:54:41As a mother, you definitely start to almost grieve the...
0:54:41 > 0:54:44their leaving. But it's going to happen.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46It is going to happen.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48# Slow down
0:54:51 > 0:54:53# Whoa
0:54:57 > 0:54:59# Slow down... #
0:54:59 > 0:55:03It'll be fascinating to see how their lives continue to develop.
0:55:05 > 0:55:09And for many, this begins with their exam results...
0:55:09 > 0:55:12What the...?
0:55:12 > 0:55:14Come on. Come on! Come on.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17- You done good?- Yeah.
0:55:17 > 0:55:20I got a B in Higher PE.
0:55:20 > 0:55:24I got an A in Art. An A in English.
0:55:24 > 0:55:25A B in Modern Studies.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29I got six A*s, five As and a B!
0:55:29 > 0:55:31A C in Maths.
0:55:31 > 0:55:32- You passed the maths?- Aye.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34CHEERING
0:55:34 > 0:55:36I didn't fail anything!
0:55:36 > 0:55:40MUSIC: Changing by Sigma featuring Paloma Faith
0:55:55 > 0:55:58For this free Open University booklet about young people
0:55:58 > 0:56:04and changing times, call 030 0303 2061.
0:56:04 > 0:56:08Or go to the BBC Child Of Our Time website and follow the links
0:56:08 > 0:56:09to the Open University.
0:56:09 > 0:56:11# Ooh-oh-oh-oh
0:56:11 > 0:56:14- # Gotta let go - Ooh-oh-oh-oh
0:56:14 > 0:56:17# Ooh-oh-oh-oh Ooh-oh-oh-oh
0:56:17 > 0:56:21- # Ooh-oh-oh-oh - Gotta let go... #