MedPage Today (4/26, Fiore) reports, “Modern youth may roll their eyes at the statement, but researchers recently confirmed its truth: being an adolescent today is a whole lot different than it was years ago.” According to a paperpublished online April 25 in The Lancet, “the adolescent phase in human development now lasts much longer than it once did,” lasting from about ten to 24, “expanded at both ends by an earlier onset of puberty and a delay of mature social roles, respectively.” The length of the period and “‘heightened sensitivity’ to peer pressure…can lead to a greater likelihood of substance misuse and abuse,” the paper concluded.
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— “Kids Today Really Are Different,”Kristina Fiore , MedPage Today, April 25, 2012.