By Barbara Byers and Kelly Manoukas
Swimming pools and hot tubs bring years of enjoyment. They offer an opportunity to spend time with friends and family, while also providing many health and fitness benefits, such as stress-release. However, it is important not to lose sight of safety first. It should be a way of life for everyone around the swimming pool—especially young children and thrill-seeking teens.
It is not uncommon for parents to be perplexed at times about their teen’s behaviour. In fact, a growing body of research on the teen brain is helping experts understand its physiology and what actually leads them to participate in thrill-seeking activities and risky behaviour. Research in the cognitive development of the teen brain specifies the part responsible for controlling impulses and regulating behaviour is not fully developed. This means the development of the pleasure-seeking, thrill-seeking, risk-taking part of their brains is outpacing the growth of the parts which control inhibitions. Teens are especially motivated by risks and thrills when in the presence of their peers. Therefore, this helps explain why teens are at an increased risk of drowning.
“We know that as our children enter adolescence, they gain increased freedom and independence, spending more time with friends, and making decisions in unsupervised settings,” says Dr. Jean Clinton, an associate clinical professor, department of psychiatry and behavioural neuroscience at McMaster University, division of child psychiatry. “The teenage brain is under construction; the thrill-seeking, pleasure-seeking part of their brain is developing at a faster rate than the judgment and impulse inhibition skills that adults have.”
Further, a recent Angus Reid public opinion poll commissioned by the Lifesaving Society, revealed the following about Canadian parents of teens:
- Ninety-seven per cent are confident about their teens’ ability to stay safe around water; however, 47 per cent have either never taken swimming lessons or took swimming lessons more than five years ago;
- Less than half (46 per cent) say they worry very little or not at all about their teens’ safety around water, despite the fact that one in five (19 per cent) say their teens will participate in water activities unsupervised this summer, and nearly half (48 per cent) say their teens will participate in both supervised and unsupervised water activities this summer; and
- Twenty-eight per cent of parents believe their teen would jump in to save a friend if they unexpectedly fell into a swimming pool (20 per cent if it was a lake).
These statistics are particularly concerning because the teenage brain is still developing, says Dr. Clinton.
“Teens have to take risks—it’s part of their development,” she explains. “But we want them to take safer risks. Programs like Swim to Survive+ (a Lifesaving Society initiative that builds upon the original Swim to Survive program), will arm them with the necessary skills they need to take safer risks when they are with their friends.”
Parents know their kids are going to be around water this summer and, while they may feel confident their teens will be safe, the fact is, many have not had the proper training to be safe and many of them would impulsively jump in to save a friend. With the Swim to Survive+ program, the Lifesaving Society aims to equip teenagers with practical life-saving skills that will prepare them for their increased independence and freedom, and hopefully reduce the incidents of drowning long-term.
