Teenager facts for kids

A teenager, or teen, is a young person whose age falls within the range from 13–19. They are called teenagers because their age number ends with "teen".

Usage by ordinary people varies, and also varies in different societies. Most societies traditionally had a formal ceremony to mark the change from childhood to adulthood. During puberty, rapid mental and physical development occurs. Adolescence is the name for this transition period from childhood to adulthood.

In the United States, teenagers from the ages 13-14 go to middle school while teenagers from the ages of 14-18 typically go to high school. In the United Kingdom (UK); teenagers and non-teens are mixed in secondary school. Teenagers attending secondary school (high school in the US) generally graduate at the age of 17 or 18.

Timing of puberty

On average, girls begin puberty at ages 10–11; boys at ages 11–12. For girls, puberty begins around 10 or 11 years of age and ends around age 16. Boys enter puberty later than girls-usually around 12 years of age-and it lasts until around age 16 or 17.

Images for kids

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  Upper body of a teenage boy. The structure has changed to resemble an adult form.

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  G. Stanley Hall

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  Teenage sisters

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  Teens using online communication

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  Japanese gyaru girls in Tokyo

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  Portrait of a noble girl c. 1571

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  Teenage girl texting

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  A young U.S. Marine in the Vietnam War, 1965

See also

In Spanish: Adolescencia para niños