Colman Noctor

Yeah, I mean, I suppose the experience of risk taking is part of a very normal part of development that needs to happen in order for young people to reach adulthood.

You know, so if you can imagine that adolescence is that bridging space between being a child and being an adult.

You can't really develop without taking some risks.

You know, there can be no growth without change.

You know, so you change from being maybe quite a compliant child to being less compliant.

And maybe again, I think we have a connotation that it's negative when it actually because we think about things like drinking and taking drugs and drugs.

you know, activities that are almost antisocial.

But risk taking is really, it's an integral part of development and growth.

If you didn't have any risk, if you didn't take risks, you wouldn't expand your awareness of the world.

But what we have to understand is that when you're taking those risks, there's other things going on that influence that.

So if you can imagine the neurology of the teenage brain, and we put a lot down to hormones.

A lot of people say, oh, that's teenage hormones.

the neurology is probably something we don't pay enough attention to.

And the teenage brain is very much under construction.

So it's still in that childlike, I want it and I'm taking it.

And they're only starting to develop the skills of self-regulation and being able to manage emotion.

And so when you have the teenager who kind of flies off the handle or has this kind of reflex, almost involuntary response, they might take the F off or something and then automatically straight away, you can see they've just regretted what they've done.

You know, it's almost like the best way to explain the teenage brain is as a very sensitive accelerator and really slow and stodgy brakes.

So the skill set is almost like when you're learning to drive is you almost get that hill start sweet spot much better.

But they're only in the learning phase of trying to