AVERAGE TEENAGER

FIND OUT

1. The average girl is growing fastest between 14 and 15, while boys start about two years earlier.
Answer: False. It is the other way around. The average boy is growing fastest between 14 and 15, while girls start about two years earlier.

2. Changes in teenagers' lives cause them to be moody.
Answer: It's true. This is because of the rapid fluctuation in hormones.

3. Very few teenagers behave badly. Most are very well-behaved and never try activities that are regarded as bad such as smoking, drinking, having under-age sex etc.
Answer: Not true. Actually, very few teenagers behave perfectly. Many do activities that are regarded as bad, like smoking, drinking having under-age sex etc.

4. At the age of 15, average teenagers' intimate relationships don't last longer than four months.
Answer: Yes, these relationships are short but they are more intense than in adults.

5. Modern teenagers experience as much stress as adults.
Answer: It's true. There may be a connection between teenagers' high stress levels and lack of sleep, exercise as well as excessive use of technology.

6. While it seems that most teenagers have a mobile phone, less than 50% of them have one.
Answer: False. Much more than 50% of teenagers have a mobile phone. For example, about 80% of American teenagers have one.

7. The average American teenager spends more than 500 Euros on the high-school prom dance.
Answer: It's true. The dress, tickets, styling, car, photos all cost a lot and sometimes parents use their sons and daughters to show their own high status.

8. Things that teenagers worry about the most are not getting enough friends on Facebook, losing their mobile phone and not looking attractive.
Answer: That's false. Things that teenagers worry about the most are: being bullied, not getting into college, not being accepted, not finding a partner, being financially dependent.