Early adolescence is a time of immense brain development cognitively, emotionally and socially. At the same time, adolescents begin to encounter newer cultural realities and group bonding pressure as they move away from the comfort and structure of home.

Each trimester, Trending with Teens will take a brief look at an issue or challenge that middle school and high school students in Denver, Colorado, and nationally are facing. The goal is to raise parental awareness of these issues and to provide strategies and resources for guiding your teen through these challenges.

Read More - Protecting Your Teen Begins at Home
Start with an assessment of what is around your house that could be a temptation. Then think about your teen’s previous level of impulse control as a younger child. The rule of thumb is: the less internal control your child has, the more external control they need.
Read More - Energy Drinks
It’s hard not to walk into any convenience store located near a high school or middle school after the final bell has rung and not find teenagers purchasing Red Bull, Monster Energy and 5-hour Energy drinks. While the target demographic for these products is...
Read More - Electronics and Sleep Disruption
Our students are now surrounded by electronic devices daily. From laptops for homework, phones for staying in touch with friends, TV programming, and with a whole variety of gaming options, there is hardly a break from these devices. When it comes to sleep...
Read More - Fortnite: The Dopamine Induced Craze
If you’ve been around children, teens, or young adults since the fall of 2017, you are probably tired of hearing about the video game Fortnite (unless of course, you are one of the many parents who are joining in on the fun). It is estimated that 125 million people...
Read More - Smartphones
As discussed in Previous Trending with Teens articles, smart phones trigger the same Dopamine response in the brain as occurs with gaming. Given their ever-present nature, the excitement of a “ding” from the phone when using apps like Instagram intrudes upon...