Adolescents and young adults are generally known for their tendency to engage in more risky behaviors. This could make them a group that opposes public health advice, which aims to prevent pandemics. But a Harris Insights & Analytics survey highlights that this is not the case.
Referring to the data, the Harris survey states that teens take the pandemic very seriously, wear the mask and are informed about the dangers of the disease. The fact that teens have taken the pandemic at least as seriously as other generations is surprising, but research into teens' brains may explain why.
Adolescents' brains, faced with rewards and unknown consequences, tend toward rewards, according to a 2012 study by the Yale School of Medicine. But this only happens when the risks are unknown. Once adolescents were fully informed of the exact risks associated with a decision, they stayed as far away from the risk as adults.
Dan Sneider-Cott, a social worker, told Healthline: "We know from brain development studies that the front of the brain, where decision-making takes place, is not fully connected to the rest until the early 20s. "But in general, this generation is informed and concerned because it reads through social media and takes the pandemic seriously."
This group, for the most part, is more aware, has greater knowledge, and is serious about preventing disease and living a healthy life.
Source: Healthline
