This document discusses adolescent brain development and behavior. It notes that the prefrontal cortex, which governs functions like decision making, is among the last parts of the brain to develop. This leads teens to make more impulsive choices driven by emotions and seeking of novelty and dopamine. It discusses issues like marijuana and alcohol use, gaming addiction, social media use, and parenting strategies. It provides tips for rules around screen time, social media monitoring, and drug testing to help guide and supervise teens.

2. Michael Torres, PsyD

3. The Bullet Points:
• The Teen Brain
• Dopamine
• ESSENCE = Positive Potential
• MJ & Alcohol
• Gaming
• Social Media
• Parenting

4. Major Brain Development
• Prefrontal Cortex (front of your head)

5. Prefrontal Cortex Governs
1. Balances emotions
2. Regulates Body movement
3. Attuned communication with self/others
4. Flexibility in Thinking & Responding
5. Soothes Fear
6. Sense of Past, Present, & Future
7. Empathy
8. Morality, ethics and values
9. Intuition (informed by signals from
body)

6. The Big Two…
10.Thinking Ahead
11.Consequences

7. The Amygdala is the Center
for Emotion/Feelings

8. Our Brains develop from the
Back to the Front
• The Emotion/Feeling
system develops before
the Prefrontal Cortex.
• The Emotion/Feeling
system over-rules the
Prefrontal system and
drives choices towards
the pursuit of immediate
gratification rather than
long-term gains resulting
in poor (feeling-based)
decisions.

9. • What you have is a fully
developed car Accelerator,
but in which the Brakes have
not yet been installed.

10. How Many of You Have….?
Why did you do it?
“I felt like it.”
What were you thinking?
“I don’t know.”
Why didn’t you get off the computer?
“I lost track of time.”
Why didn’t you turn it-in?
“I forgot.”
Let’s go out as a family?
“That’s boring…”
Couldn’t you just save the game?
“I had to level-up…you don’t
understand.”

11. This is Why Teens are 3x
more likely to get injured/die
from “preventable” accidents
#1 = Car Accidents
#2 = Suicide
#3 = Homicide

12. MOST TEENS SEEK NOVELTY =
DOPAMINE
• Dopamine is a
neurotransmitter that helps
control the brain's reward and
pleasure centers. Dopamine
also helps regulate
movement and emotional
responses, and it enables us
not only to see rewards, but
to take action to move toward
them. Increased # of DA
receptors in the adolescent
brain.

14. Reward Circuitry
• Dopamine secretion motivates
behavioral choices
• Restless with familiar, more
dopamine is released during
new experiences
• More dopamine available
during adolescence

16. Brainstorm
- Daniel Siegel, MD

17. ESSENCE of Adolescence
• ES = Emotional Spark
• SE = Social Engagement
• N = Novelty
• CE = Creative Expression

18. A Useful Article to
Share with You Teen About
His/her Brain
www.heysigmund.com/the-
adolescent-brain-what-they-need-
to-know/

19. Drugs and Alcohol
- What concerns do you have?
- What has worked well for you?

20. • MJ use before 18 is associated with:
poor attention, reduced overall and
verbal IQ, poor abstract reasoning
and executive functioning.
• Withdrawal Syndrome = irritability,
insomnia, anxiety, and aggression.
Regarding Marijuana

22. • Younger adolescents often take
into account the normative
behavior of older peers. It has been
shown that adolescents who have associated
with older peers face an increased risk for
alcohol and other substance use than
adolescents who did not associate with older
peer groups (in-person or online).
Regarding Alcohol

23. My Experience has revealed (for any substance)…
• Regular MJ use promotes
grandiosity/delusion
• Academic decline, low school
motivation and attendance
• Delinquent behaviors such as
personal theft, shoplifting,
vandalism
• Rejection of family values and
expectations

24. • Increases in pleasure
seeking behaviors: food,
sex, videogames, and other
drug abuse.
• Use of rationalization,
avoidance, denial, and
minimization
• Increased mood instability
• Poor physical health habits

26. Computer Gaming Addiction
Much of this literature stems from evidence
from Asian countries and centers on young
males. The studies suggest that when these
individuals are engrossed in Internet games,
certain pathways in their brains are
triggered in the same direct and intense way
that a drug addict’s brain is affected by a
particular substance. The gaming prompts a
neurological response that influences
feelings of pleasure and reward (dopamine),
and the result, in the extreme, is manifested
as addictive behavior.

28. Restart Program
www.netaddictionrecovery.com
Fall City, Washington
Statistically, approximately 10-15
percent of Internet users show signs
and symptoms of gaming addiction.
With approximately 280 million Internet
users in the United States and growing
every day, some 28 million users may
be in need of some form of support,
intervention, counseling or treatment
for their compulsive use of video
games (based on a 10% prevalence
rate).

29. Although these ever increasing
numbers may seem alarming,
there are plenty of people who
play video games who are not
addicted, who balance their
lives, interact with friends and
family face-to-face,
and enjoy life.

31. COMPULSIVE INTERNET USE SCALE (CIUS)
The following questions should be answered about
your use of the internet for private purposes.
Answers can be given on a 5-point scale: (0) Never,
(1) Seldom, (2) Sometimes, (3) Often, (4) Very often.
1. How often do you find it difficult to stop using
the internet when you are online?
2. How often do you continue to use the internet
despite your intention to stop?
3. How often do others (e.g. partner, children,
parents, friends) say you should use the internet
less?
4. How often do you prefer to use the internet
instead of spending time with others (e.g.
partner, children, parents, friends)?

33. Screenagers Movie
https://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=LQx2X0BXgZg
0 – 1:03

36. FOMO?

37. FOMO (fear of missing out) is a real thing, and
it’s adversely affecting teenagers on social
media. At least that’s what the results of a new
study conducted by researchers from the
United Kingdom’s University of
Glasgow would suggest. According to the
recently presented findings, the “pressure to
be available 24/7” and the perceived necessity
of “responding to posts or texts immediately
can increase anxiety.” And despite the fact
that kids these days are more reachable and
plugged in than ever, it comes at a high cost,
with scientists finding feelings of anxiety
around “missing out.”

39. Being Thirteen

40. Survey released at the
2016 Consumer Electronics Show

41. The Role of Compulsive Texting in Adolescents’ Academic
Functioning - Bowling Green State University and
University of Michigan (2015)
This study examined the relations among
frequency of texting, a specific type of problematic
texting (i.e., compulsive texting), and adolescents’
academic achievement and attitudes about school.
211 Adolescents in 8th and 192 11th grades
participated in this study. Results indicated that
teens’ compulsive texting was significantly
positively related to their frequency of texting and
negatively related to their grades, school bonding,
and perceived scholastic competence. It is
noteworthy that the negative relation between
compulsive texting and academic functioning held true
only for females and not for males.

42. Lin LY et al. Association between social media use and depression among
U.S. young adults. Depress Anxiety Jan 19, 2016
Social-Media Use and Depression: What Is the Connection?
Young adults with greatest social-media use
have more depressive symptoms.
Investigators have now examined depressive symptoms in a
nationally representative sample of 1787 young adults (age
range, 19–32) who responded to a survey on depressive
symptoms and use of a wide variety of social media. Of the
participants, 50% were female, 58% were white, and 56% were in
a committed relationship; about two thirds had attended at least
some college. Median time using social media was 61 minutes
per day and 30 visits per week. Only 3% reported no social-media
use. 26% of respondents reported depressive symptoms in
the previous week at a level that has been linked to a high
likelihood of clinical depression. Being female, having a
lower education level, and being in the oldest age group (27–
32 years) were associated with higher depression scores.

43. What are Your Rules
and Guidelines with
All This?

44. 1. Screen Time Parental Controls
2. Our Pact – Parental Control &
Screen Time Mgmt
3. Familoop – Parental Control &
Screen Time Monitoring
4. Kidslox – Parental Control
5. Family Dashboard – Parental
Controls, Screen Time & App
Blocker
iPhone/iPad and Android Apps for
Screen Time Supervision

46. • I pay for your phone, then I get
to follow you on social media.
• I agree never to Comment, Like,
• Share or Otherwise Announce
My presence. I am there but not there.
• And I will keep my opinions to myself.
Until I can’t.

48. Parents must honestly assess their own
technology/drug/alcohol habits/usage in
order to establish legitimacy with their
son/daughter and role model healthy
behaviors.
All technology is Off 1 hour before bedtime.
Bedtime should be determined so that We
get at least 8.5 hours sleep/night.

50. Desktop computers are located in
public, family areas.
If concerned about laptop use,
then All laptop use will be done in
public locations in the house.

51. Cell Phones are powered-off and
placed on kitchen table.
If necessary, We will use a basic cell
phone for routine communications
and urgent needs.

52. If concerned about cell phone usage, then
We as a family will download a Screen time
monitoring app.
If concerned about cell phone usage, then
We/I will randomly check your phone’s text
message and/or social media apps.
If you refuse to unlock your phone, then
We/I will confiscate your phone
until you Unlock it in
our presence.

53. If we suspect drug/alcohol abuse, then we/I
will drug test you.
If We/I suspect drug/alcohol abuse, then we/I
will search your bedroom and belongings. If
needed We/I will conduct this search with a
family member/friend/
coach/police officer.
If you refuse to be tested, then we will
remove all privileges from your life until you
do so. In addition, We/I will arrange a

55. http://choices.scholastic.com/story/help-i-cant-put-down-my-
phone#.VxV5L9JTlcc.facebook
https://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/
https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/college-age-young-
adults
http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/social-media-overuse-
teen-anxiety/
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/11/teens-social-
media-night-risk-harm-mental-health-research?CMP=twt_gu
http://www.heysigmund.com/the-adolescent-brain-what-they-
need-to-know/
http://www.sundancecanyonacademy.com/social-medias-impact-
on-self-esteem-its-effects-on-teens-today-infographic/

57. Michael Torres, PsyD
Clinical Psychologist
Adults, Adolescents & Consultation
1516 Oak Street #313 Alameda
510-910-2640
www.drmichaeltorres.com
mtorrespsyd@gmail.com