Adolescent & Young Adult Development

Adolescence (age 10-25) is a time of enormous development, growth and change, second only to infancy. It’s when young people explore, figure things out, and take charge by accomplishing the developmental tasks that prepare them for adulthood.

To succeed in completing these tasks, the research shows that young people need these supports, whether through informal networks for formal programming:

Caring adults
Connections to their schools and communities
Basics like food, shelter, and safety
Opportunities to test their values and make a difference

Young people who have these supports in place are more likely to become healthy adults, less likely to be involved in risk behaviors, generally do better in school, and are more likely to believe in their own abilities.

Fact sheets on Adolescent Developmental Stages

(updated in 2023 to be more gender expansive)

Early Adolescence 10-14 English Spanish
Middle Adolescence 15-17 English Spanish
Late Adolescence/YA 18-24 English Spanish

Supports Youth Need

This 7-page guide offers details on how state public health professionals can support these stages of adolescence in their programs and daily work.

Understanding Adolescence

This 5-part video series (updates are in the planning stages) give state public health professionals and their colleagues an accessible overview of adolescent development and supports.