Teens are not adults science says....

Teenagers are not adults according to scientific research.

The National Institute of Mental Health has found that the frontal lobe of the brain is not fully developed until one is in thier late teens or early 20's. This is the part of the brain that's in charge of problem solving and judgement.


It helps explain so much risk-taking behavior,' says psychiatrist Dr. Charles Staunton, associate medical director for Child and Adolescent Services at Butler Hospital in Providence.

So, what's a parent to do? Don't treat teenagers as if they're adults, Holler advises.

'People take their hands off more with teenagers because they look, walk and talk like adults,' she says. 'But you can't do that.'"

This scientific research could help bolster arguments for states wanting to put in tougher guildlines for teen drivers.