Why are teenagers drawn to dangerous online challenges? “The teenage brain is especially sensitive to excitement and reward”

Why would a teenager drink dish soap for money or drive at high speed against traffic? Dangerous online challenges can seem incomprehensible to adults, but developmental psychologist Wim Beyers says adolescents are particularly vulnerable to this kind of behavior.

“They are simply very sensitive to reckless behavior during that period,” Beyers said on Radio 1’s De wereld van Sofie. He was discussing several extreme challenges that spread through social media over the past summer. In Ireland and Britain, two serious road crashes linked to the so-called wrong-way-driving challenge killed 12 people in total. The challenge involved driving at high speed against oncoming traffic.

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They are simply very sensitive to reckless behavior during that period.

Belgium also saw controversy around YouTuber ISAE, who used livestreams to have young people carry out dangerous and humiliating tasks in exchange for money. The payments could reach 10,000 euros.

Beyers said part of the explanation lies in adolescent brain development. “During adolescence, young people are especially sensitive to stimuli connected with excitement, pleasure and reward. At the same time, their impulse control is still developing.” Brain regions in the prefrontal cortex help people restrain behavior and weigh consequences, but they are still developing during adolescence. According to Beyers, they become much more developed around the ages of 20 to 25.

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During adolescence, young people are especially sensitive to stimuli connected with excitement, pleasure and reward. At the same time, their impulse control is still developing.

That does not mean teenagers cannot assess risks. But the attraction of an exciting experience and the possibility of a reward can sometimes outweigh the long-term consequences. “The whole period of adolescence can be considered a kind of risk period for this type of behavior,” Beyers said.

Peer influence also plays a role. A teenager may feel the need to fit in and behave in ways friends will find impressive. Beyers said this pressure does not require a friend to directly persuade someone to do something dangerous. The expectation that others will watch or approve can be enough, while social media expands the potential audience.

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The whole period of adolescence can be considered a kind of risk period for this type of behavior.