Also called: Adolescent development
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Teen Development
As a teenager, you go through many physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. The biggest change is puberty, the process of becoming sexually mature. It usually happens between ages 10 and 14 for girls and ages 12 and 16 for boys. As your body changes, you may have questions about sexual health.
During this time, you start to develop your own unique personality and opinions. Some changes that you might notice include:
- Increased independence from your parents
- More concerns about body image and clothes
- More influence from peers
- Greater ability to sense right and wrong
All of these changes can sometimes seem overwhelming. Some sadness or moodiness can be normal. But feeling very sad, hopeless, or worthless could be warning signs of a mental health problem. If you need help, talk to your parents, school counselor, or health care provider.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
It sits within Children and Teenagers and Mental Health and Behavior.
The lead U.S. institute for this subject is the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Teen Development
795 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Biomarker Panel for PCOS-Associated Liver Steatosis in Adolescent Girls (COMPASS-pedPCOS)Kayseri City Hospital
- Examining the Effectiveness of an Intervention Protocol Based on Cognitive-Occupational Principles (OP-CO; Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance) for Children and Adolescents With Developmental Intellectual Disability: A Pilot StudyMiri Tal-Saban
- Data Collection Study of Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology ConditionsEunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
- Very Brief Exposure: Development of a Novel Exposure Modality for Social Anxiety Disorder in Transition-Age YouthChildren's Hospital Los Angeles
- Trial Investigating the Efficacy and Safety of Weekly Lonapegsomatropin Compared to Daily Somatropin in Children and Adolescents With Short Stature or Growth Failure Due to Growth Hormone Sufficient DisordersAscendis Pharma A/S
- Sertraline vs. Placebo in the Treatment of Anxiety in Children and AdoLescents With NeurodevelopMental DisordersHolland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
Research already completed
- The Effect of Body Percussion Training on Neuromotor Performance, Attention, and Functionality in Adolescents With Mild Intellectual DisabilityKutahya Health Sciences University
- Physiological Mechanisms of Therapeutic Horseback Riding Intervention Effects in a Psychiatric Population of ASD YouthUniversity of Colorado, Denver
- COMPARING EFFECTS OF NINTENDO EXERGAMING TO A NO INTERVENTION CONTROL GROUPUniversity of Delaware
- Agile Development of a Digital Exposure Treatment for Youth With Chronic Musculoskeletal PainStanford University
- The Psychobiology of Childhood TemperamentNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Growth and Your 13-to 18-Year-OldNemours Foundation
- Stages of AdolescenceAmerican Academy of Pediatrics
Related Issues
- 5 Ways to Promote a Positive Body Image for KidsAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics
- Communication and Your 13-to 18-Year-OldNemours Foundation
- Parenting Teens: Guiding Kids Through Turbulent YearsNational Institutes of Health
- Power of Peers: Who Influences Your Health?National Institutes of Health
- What Is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician?American Academy of Pediatrics
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Adolescent DevelopmentNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Psychology, Adolescent, Adolescent Development. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Teen Development, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.