Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Robin Basselin.
Voice 2
And I’m Joshua Leo. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Click here to follow along with this program on YouTube.
Voice 3
“You know a child is growing older when he stops asking where he came from. And he starts refusing to tell where he is going”.
Voice 4
“Younger children are a pain in the head; older children are a pain in the heart”.
Voice 3
“Teenagers say that there is nothing to do. Then they stay out all night doing it”.
Voice 1
These sayings about teenagers are supposed to be funny. But they are often true! Being a teenager can be exciting. But the teenage years can also be difficult. David Dobbs wrote about teenage behavior in National Geographic Magazine. He told this story about his own son:
Voice 5
“One fine morning in May, my 17-year-old son called me. He told me that he had just spent a few hours with the state police. He said he had been driving ‘a little fast.’ What, I asked, was ‘a little fast’? He had been driving down the road at over 180 kilometres an hour. I said ‘That’s more than a little fast!’

Voice 2
Many other parents have similar stories to tell about their own teenagers. Teenagers often take risks, try new things and spend time with friends. But this behavior is more than just fun. Some experts believe that this is how teenagers learn to become successful adults. Today’s Spotlight is on teenage behavior.
Voice 1
A child enters her teenage years at about age 12. During this time her body and brain change. Her teenage years last until about age 20. During these teenage years, there are some behaviors that are very common. For example, teenagers often stay out late at night. Their emotions and ideas change quickly. And they often disagree with their parents.
Voice 2
In the past, scientists have asked why teenagers have these “problems”. But David Dobbs explains that scientists have found a new way to look at teenage behavior. They have found that teenagers are doing exactly the right thing. They are getting ready to move from the safety of home into the outside world.
Voice 1
Adults have much more responsibility than children. A teenager must learn to be independent. He must learn to make good choices. He will soon leave his parents’ house. He must be able to survive alone. David Dobbs tells the radio organization NPR:
Voice 5
“The hardest thing we ever do is leave home. It is a real test. So the reasons not to do it are very strong. Look at the things that are particular to teenagers in almost all cultures – risk, seeking new experience and wanting to be with people their own age. That is the perfect mix of things to push you if you are 14 or 18 years old. These things make you get out and explore the world. It’s hard to do, and the risk is very great. But you have to be able to take risks at that time of your life.”
Voice 2
Scientists have found three main behaviors that help teenagers achieve independence. First, teenagers often take risks. Remember the story of the 17-year-old-boy who was driving 180 kilometres an hour? He is not the only teenager to take this kind of risk.
Voice 1
Risks can lead to danger. But learning to take some risks can be good for teenagers. Through human history, many people who took risks gained something good. Abigail Baird is a psychologist who studies teenagers. She says that a teenager who takes more risks and seeks new experiences does better as an adult.
Voice 2
People often gain something when they take a risk. They may gain a new relationship or more respect from other people. But experts say that teenagers feel very strongly that they have something to gain. They value taking risks more than adults do. And they are more likely to take risks in front of other teenagers. In this way, they gain acceptance from other teenagers.
Voice 1
The second way teenagers learn independence is by seeking out new experiences. These new experiences may be activities like playing sports. Or they could be unhealthy activities such as smoking cigarettes. The new experience could even be something that is against the law – like destroying property. David Dobbs writes in National Geographic Magazine:
Voice 5
“Seeking new experience can lead to dangerous behavior. But it can also produce positive behavior – like the urge to meet more people, for example. This can create a wider circle of friends. This often makes us healthier, happier, safer, and more successful.”
Voice 2
Like taking risks, experience usually leads a teenager to become a more successful adult. Adults must face many new experiences. Teenagers who have had new experiences – both good and bad – are more prepared. It is easier for them to deal with changes as adults.

Voice 1
And it is this desire for new experience that pushes the teenager. She goes out to try new things. As an adult she will have to leave the safety of her parent’s home. So as a teenager she gains experience that she will need as an adult.
Voice 2
There is a third and last behavior that helps teenagers gain independence and become adults. Teenagers like to be around people of their own age. Their friends are very important. They are learning the skills of surviving in a community. David Dobbs explains this also:
Voice 5
“Teens want to be around people in their age group for a powerful reason. They want to invest in the future instead of the past. We enter a world made by our parents. But we will live most of our lives in a world run by people our own age. Knowing, understanding, and building relationships with them is very important for success.”
Voice 1
Adults need to have good relationships with their communities. This is important for feeling peaceful and happy. But it is also important for a person to survive. That is one reason why teenagers are influenced by their friends. They are preparing to be social adults in their communities.
Voice 2
So there are good reasons for teenagers to take risks, try new things and spend time with friends. Knowing this does not make the teenage years easier. Teenagers will still make mistakes. But hopefully their teenage behavior will help them to become successful adults.
Voice 1
The writer and producer of this program was Rena Dam. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, “Teenage Behavior”.
Voice 2
You can also leave your comments on our website. Or you can email us at radio@radioenglish.net. You can also find us on Facebook – just search for Spotlight Radio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
Question:
What do you think is the most difficult part of being a teenager? Did you take risks when you were a teenager?
The most thing difficult is knowing what you want and what you need to do … to my i don’t take risk exactly but i want to try new somthing .
I think that the most difficult is many doubts and touble feelings that mix at the same time in the teenager brain. When I was younger, I used to study a lot and play with my friends, because I hated to take risks or dangerous situations, though I enjoyed resolving math challenges.
actually I think the biggest difficult part teenagers is they don’t know what they are want. And they consider themselves knowing every experiences and things so they hate hear any advice from their parents or any adult. they consider these advices reducing respect for themselves.
In the beginning most risks for teenagers they are want to be more free they don’t want feel of responsibility just funny and joking with their friends and sometimes that will be more risks for adults because they don’t have responsibility so they will not can working and successful .
1- difficult part their don’t care for safety of others and sometimes we should that stopped them in order of develop them better
2-yes, I and my friends sometimes was fell unsafely
1- I think, the most difficult part of being a teenager is when you know that your life it will be different.
2- Yes. When I was15 years old, I jumped from 15 feet. I am now grateful that I did not break my legs.
Hello.
I think the most difficult part of being teenager is seeking the risks and trying been any things
I passed teenage years and now when I listen this radio, I feel regret because I didn’t try lots of new and strange things such as travel without my parents.
It’s so funny at this time, but when I was teenagers, it’s is not unacceptable
I wish, I will be stronger to through my safe zon more and more.
Thanks for reading.
the most difficult thing in teenager’s life are they leave safety portent house to out side. and they will be independent and they gain most of thing from outside others
In my opinion the most difficult part of being a teen is dealing with anxiety n stress and worrying about the future .the most teenagers now a days are depressed and have Social anxiety and not wanting to live our houses ,and about the Second I’m still a teenager but haven’t take a lot of risks .
The most important part of being a teenager is that you want to be independent, to be free from your parents, to make your own decisions but some are not mature enough to choose their right path. Some teenagers only do the things they want, they don’t care their parents’ advice. They think they do the right things, and when they fail, they feel scared and depressed but don’t dare to tell their parents because they are ashamed,
When I was a teenager, I didn’t take risk because I was a shy girl then. I’m afraid of failure. I wish I could take risks so that I can learn more.
I think the most difficult part is change them face so the teenagers phaps they hate themselves, no i didn’t take a risk when I a teenager
I think the most difficult part of being a teenager is being that i want to do all things at once. And i donot have goal to seeking for.
i think to of normal of being a teenager is the most difficult part because this is the most important stage in a persons life but the most difficult is the risks that you face after this stage ,Actually despite of that for me i was happy by find my friends in my side because i know to there is asolution to evre problems
No, I was not taking risks and was afraid not to do things like teenagers, and now I’m 22 years old and am ready to explore the world and try new things
Now you’re 24 are you still want to explore the world?
-I think the most difficult part of being a teenager is dispersion , angry and uncontrollable feelings
– yes , I did
Thank you spotlight you are an amazing people and amaizng specks♥️✔️
Being a teenager – that’s like you have to start a new stage, and begining to do or learn something new is never easy. In my opinion, the most difficult we have to face at the ages is how we absorb that new things. Because it affects quite a lot of our lives later and the stage as we start to become adult particularly.
I didn’t take risk when I was a teenager. Yes, this is probably the biggest flaw of mine
I think a difficult part of being a teenager is they don’t know what are you do and i want everything without thinking risks or dangerous situations
and me teenage she very quiet with my parents
I believe that one of the most difficult aspects of being a teenager isthat life is full of temptations and pitfalls. There are material temptations as well as spiritual temptations to contend with. Included are: a love affair, an online game addiction, a tobacco addiction, being tempted by money which leads to theft, and so on.And there are a plethora of such things in our daily lives. Every one of them is new and strange to us when we are teenagers, and we want to experience them all at least once in our lives. If you do not remain steadfast and sober, they will wreak havoc on your future. But, in any case, if everything in one’s life goes smoothly, it becomes extremely tedious. We won’t learn anything, and we won’t be able to mature. All of the risks and challenges are beneficial to us in some way
I am a teenager so I also understand some advantages and drawbacks. I know that teenagers are some difficulties and there are some risks
good job
Unfortunately I didn’t take any risks till now . I really want to feel like I am free and don’t fear of anything , go to a cafe and sit alone or go in a vacation with my friends .
I think the difficult thing is stress and depression .
I think that are many dangerous things teenagers do , and these thing could not goes away from our life , as smoking, drinking , … etc.
The most important step in a teenagers life is looking for their future and looking a job , it is so important
I think the hard part about being a teenager is building relationships.
yes I do
i think the part difficult in my live it is i can’t Knowledge about whate is my passion and i can’t Knowledge about whate is my favrite skills \ No i didn’t take risks in my teenager
I think the most difficult thing friends make me bad or good they should choose a good friend they don’t want responsibilities one do things to be more fun
Exactly I did take risk on my learning part I entered technical health institute. Didn’t enter a faculty but was a good risk to achieve my goals to travel to UK now I prepare my self to travel to work on my field a radiation technologies on UK to improve my own financial level I do desire achieving a good living for me and my family
As a teenager it is not easy at all to take many choices I’d love to remind my teenager years in the future with happiness and be proud
It seems to me that the hardest part of being teenager is leving home your parents house especialy if your not used to become indepandent,for taking risk i didn’t do it before but i do want to try seeking a new experiences.
I think the most difficult part of being teenager , is having problems with parents
Honestly, i didn’t take arisk when am teenager . But i always looking to new experiences
I think the most difficult part is feeling the change of yourself, your thinking,your voice, your body. And your desire of being free without anyone to control you.
The second bad thing is when your family misunderstand you, and treat you badly if you make something wrong.
When I was a tenageers I want to leave the home and I want to make problems with my teachers and my mom .. but now I’m pretty well .. and I learn more from this period of age although it was difficult for me.
Choose the good friends you have to do good things with them. No, I don’t. I choose great ways to stay.
The most difficult part of being a teenager what want to be in the future because when when I was teenager I wasted my time on useless things like watching anime, drama and so on.And now I’m 22 years old but I don’t have any experience and I don’t know what I want to do .Currently I am learning English I wasted a lot of time to learn English but it’s useless .I wish this time I do it.I think I didn’t do any risk when I was teenager.
For me as I was a teenager I wasn’t a seeking experiences teen , I wasn’t any of these but now I started to be
The most difficult thing for me as a teen is th absence of a person who could understand my thoughts and behaviours without judgement and wondering
I think the most difficult part of being a teenager is they don’t know what is they want and always ready to take risks and do anything.
Yes I did, I took many risks when I was a teenagers. That’s the most happy time in my life. Love spotlight!!!
Difficult parts of teenagers lives when he not find someone to understanding what happened inside her mind ,obsessed by successful live and full degrees.
Because I’m a teenager person and in my humble opinion i think that the life is difficult and need to choose all your decisions to yourself also for your family.
Of course you need to have some risk to learn how this life work
I think the most difficult part of being a teenager is the trust, no one can trust teenagers.
No and i am still afraid of taking a risk
something harm u have 2 do it ….
I think the most difficult thing about being a teenager is about uncontrolling our feelings, when we were teenagers, we completely cancel our minds.
yeah, I did, and I’m regret for that but it’s okay
we are in this life to learn right?
the difficult part when I was a teenager is mood swings.
I guess the most difficult part of being a teenager is wondering about everything why you are here why you born exactly in this family. What would your life be like if you were born in a different country and circumstances? It’s that endless stream of thoughts . I didn’t take much risks because I have a family who trying hard to make me happy, safe and offer to me everything I want and to be honest I don’t like that at all. Meanwhile, my family still wants to interfere in my decisions to ensure that I don’t make wrong decisions .
My opinion the most difficult thing that happen to the teenagers is the change of their hormones make them see the women as a tool of p0rn thing
And yes i take some risks and i think those risks are helped me a lot things
You must choise the good friends during of time teenager because it she is that specify your future
I think the most dificult part of being teenager. firstly, you don’t have a knoweledge what you need. Secondly, always you feel anxiety and full for simple things espially when Iyou don’t achieve your goeals, dreams or what you need. In addition , the case of teenagers it’s a difficult part of our life. therfore, perants must be help them teenagers to avoid this case for peaceful such as they must be to correct mistakes and they don’t anger at them. They provide them with support material and moral to achieve them dreams and them goals and icrease them knoweledge and develloped them hoppies and skills. Finally, I don’t take risks when l were a teenger because I’m a quiet girl l don’t like to fall mistakes and problems.
Thanks spotlight for these informations.
Personally, i think that this teenage years period represents a physical and moral transformation begining point to the child in his own life, that him alone who feel this transformation from childhood to adult phase.
This period is very difficult for the child and his parents as well. This period requires a very huge amount of care that parents have to show to their own child in this moment.
This special phase should to be distinctive and characterestic as more as the other ones.
The parents should to survey, guide and lead them child to right way to follow.
These parents have to teach them son a lot of things about the Outside world to protect them child out of outside world problems.
Parents should not allow to them children to contact them friends severel times in day and shouldn’t let them passing time out of home very late, to avoid so dealing at risks, begining of bad habits and seeking out new expériences that can be very hard, dangerous and destroyed for him in this age. For help him to be succsful adult in the futur and the community at all.
I th ink it is taking new risks.
I am still not a teenager.
the most difficult that you don’t know what you are doing ,but at the same time i feel it’s the most funniest part of my life even it was some risk we do. just one thing i regretted it when i was teenager it’s i don’t listen to my parents when they give my advice.
-I think there are many things that make the teenage period difficult Like Mood swings, tension in the parent relationship, not knowing what you want from this life, and inability to control emotions.
-No, I didn’t. For most of my teenage, I suffered from depression, moreover, there were two years during the covid pandemic and quarantine.
I think, The most difficult is knowing what you want? and what you need? to do any thing
By our community and culture , we didn’t do anything that effected for my behavior so we try to be a good person , and we try to choose good friends by asking my parents.
Wonderful
i need form someone help me to be good in English
Depend on yourself, bro, and do not wait for anyone to help you. The help would come later.
I think the most difficult part is emotional changes that may lead you to make a bad decision that influences your present and future falling in love at that age may break your heart later when your partner and you release it was a fake love depending on emotions only not on the reality also. Yes, I took a few risks in my teenage, and I regret avoiding taking more risks at that age which would had made me more prepared and experienced. And I wish that I would had started learning English early.
I think the most difficult part of being a teenager is can’t understand parents what they want .
Yes I do take many risks in my teenager
In my opinion the difficult part of being a teenager is you feel nobody understanding your thinking and emotion . and If you don`t know what are your skills or goals and you feel lose .
You can do it if you keep trying don’t stop and don’t think that you’re late because everything will happen on it’s time and now I’m23 and I have one year left to graduated from college and I just start to learn now and it’s okay
Actually, they made a big mistake and said why did you hit me? I’m right.
I remember my dad throwing me out of the house because I was smoking in the park.
After that
I stopped smoking
Is very good I liked
Yea im and
think the part difficult this age 13 to 25
the most difficult part for teenager is mood swing