Animals and Lifecycles - Lifecycle of a Human Being Part 2

Young person or adolescent - continued

Puberty, or sexual development, is a time of big changes for young people. Hormones in their bodies drive the changes and they have growth spurts that transform them physically as their bodies develop.

Adolescent boys and girls develop at different rates. Girls may start their sexual development between the ages of 8 and 13, and have a growth spurt between 10 and 14. Boys may start their sexual development between 10 and 13 and keep growing until they are about 16. Teenage boys often look long and lanky because their hands and feet grow first, then their legs and arms, their body and then their head.

Adult

In many countries adolescents are thought of as adults when they are 18 years old, but they continue to develop and mature as people over the rest of their lives. As adults get older their relationship with their parents and other family members changes. They may help to look after elderly parents or grandparents, set up their own home and have children themselves.