Whatever! The Science Of Teens

Science reveals that irrational, inexplicable teenage mood swings aren't only normal, they're helpful and beneficial - even if they are painful for parents and teens alike. Teenagers may be sulky and surly one moment, exuberant and ecstatic the next. And it's more than hormones that brings on these extreme teen mood swings, it's their developing brains that are also to blame. Teens are at a cerebral crossroads; their brains driving new ways of thinking and feeling, and how teens learn to manage their moods can either empower or derail them for the rest of their lives.

Teens are re-writing the rules of sex but while their bodies suddenly become adult, they're not necessarily in sync with their chief sex organ - the teen brain. Whether they're having sex or not, whether their parents like it or not, teenagers are sexual beings. Today's teens are having sex earlier, clocking up more partners and are more sexually adventurous than ever. It all starts with puberty, the human sexuality switch, but it's the teen brain that drives this change, influencing teen sex lives in surprising ways.

Binge drinking is a teen issue that has shaken a cocktail of concern. But is this just media hype? Through a range of experiments, this second episode of Whatever! The Science Of Teens exposes the true dangers behind what used to be seen as just a harmless rite of passage.