Puberty is awkward enough for teenagers, but now puberty is starting to occur in children
as young as first grade…
What is happening here and what should we do about it?!
Hey there girls and boys, Trace here for DNews.
In the mid-19th century, puberty didn't start until the later teen years.
By the mid-20th century, it was pre-teen, and today, the National Institutes of Health
says it starts between the ages of 8-13 for girls and 9-14 for boys.
But, and I don't say this often, those numbers aren't really accurate…
Research is showing puberty can start for African-American girls as early as SIX!
Those girls are in first grade.
We all learn puberty starts at different times for different individuals, but when it starts
super early like before age 7 or 8 for girls, and before 9 for boys, it's called precocious
puberty.
This has happened throughout history, but usually due to glandular disorders or a tumor
pressing on the pituitary gland.
Some scientists believe precocious puberty is getting more common.
The age of menarche, or the first menstruation, has gotten younger by four months every decade
for every social, economic, ethnic and racial group from the mid-1800s until the 1960s,
and doctors aren't sure why… theories propose it could be improved health, nutrition, obesity,
or even environmental factors like plastic chemicals, smoking, family structure…
studies have even found emotional stress -- like when a girl has a depressed father, a child
is adopted into a foreign country, or a child is exposed to war -- can all cause early-onset
puberty.
SO MANY THINGS.
To be honest, no one really knows why, they just know it is happening for both boys and
girls.
We have a video explaining some of these theories if you want to know more, but today, we wanted
to know why it matters.
It turns out early puberty, and precocious puberty, can cause some pretty serious side-effects,
because puberty is not just one thing.
Instead, it's a whole series of changes to the body over time.
Puberty is our biology is setting us up for sexual maturity, offspring creation, and adulthood.
So if it starts earlier, that will affect the rest of that kid's life.
For example, the bones have growth plates.
During puberty kids get a growth spurt, but if that spurt starts earlier (like at age
six instead of a few years later), the bones will grow and stop -- causing the person to
be shorter.
That's right, early puberty causes short stature.
On top of that, the earlier onset can change how the child sees their 'chronological peers'
as they may more closely identify with 'biological peers' who may be older.
This "loss of childhood," as it was referred to in some of the research I read, can cause
children to become more sexually active at a younger age, abuse alcohol or tobacco, have
lower academic achievement and delinquency, and put the kids at a higher risk for developing
depression.
On top of that, they could develop eating disorders because puberty often causes weight
gain, and puberty literally has been shown to make girls more cognizant of the relationship
between diet, exercise, and weight.
There are even more serious risks like adult-onset asthma, type 2 diabetes, and breast cancer!
Even though no one really knows entirely why this is happening, it's important to note,
physically maturing early does not mean a child is prepared for adulthood mentally.
Yes the brain is changing during puberty as well as the body, but the rational part of
the brain doesn't stop developing until age 25.
People are people, and we can't always control our biology, but we can control our social
reactions to it.
So keeping open and honest communication will go a long way to helping young-adults adjust!
It is the new normal; it's nothing to be ashamed of, and increasing awareness and acceptance
while scientists do more research on why it's happening will help everyone understand it
better, we hope.
Knowing yourself and your body can be incredibly empowering.
TLC has this show called 'I Am Jazz' about a transgender teen who has a whole different
picture of the regular drama of going through adolescence.
And you can watch it now by downloading TLCGo -- the app will let you watch all the episodes
of that and a bunch of other TLC shows, on your phone or tablet.
Check out the app with the link in the description...
... And if you want to know a bit more about why this might be happening, check out this
video.
Do you remember going through puberty?
What was the worst part for you?
I kept getting GIANT ZITS right on my nose.
It was the WORST.