Catalyst – Teen Brain (2005)
Synopsis
In 1973, Australia lowered the age of majority to 18, the age at which you are legally responsible for your actions. New science, however, is proving that our brains are not actually mature until around the age of 25.
Curator’s notes
We’ve become used to the idea that teenagers are impulsive risk-takers, often doing illegal things, seemingly unaware of the terrible consequences. We’ve blamed erupting hormones but science is suggesting it could have something to do with extraordinary changes in the brain.
This program looks at the implications of this new science and talks to some young people whose impulsive behaviour landed them in jail. This is a confronting program, especially when we see how the law views misdemeanours committed by a young person over 18 but still without a mature brain.
The spine of the program is a teenager’s animated film, which serves to remind us that young people can be inventive and creative as well as frighteningly impulsive. The science is well explained, using a number of clear illustrations of how the brain works. The program makes a very powerful point about this last frontier of science, the brain.
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