Is Teenage Rebellion Really Rebellion? A question many often ask is why teenagers feel the need to rebel against their authority figures. Teens often rebel against their authority figures because they feel like they are themselves, adults, and they are also struggling to find their place in society, so they turn to rebellion for help. As Jeanie Lerche Davis, author of the article Teenagers: Why They Rebel, states that teenagers go through three similar phases in their lives which include the need for independence, a separate identity and the authority to test. These stages often last throughout adolescence, which is why teenagers are often thought to be the most rebellious individuals. While reading her, many feel this way before they are even old enough to vote or drive for that issue which leads to rebellion because adults continue to treat now self-proclaimed adults as if they are still adults. This in a sense can cause an insult to the adolescent causing him to retaliate by not following the instructions of the knowledgeable adult. As said in the text “...the area of ​​the brain called the prefrontal cortex is developing. This is the part of your brain that is behind your forehead. It's your thinking cap and your center of judgment... (Davis). This means that they are now able to begin to understand and implement their own ideas, making it difficult for authority figures to express their point of view. That said, the article states that it creates "arguments" between the teen and the parent when in reality they are just trying out their new found skill. That's why when teens react and challenge what the authority figure says, it is considered disrespectful and a form of rebellion. That said, often the authority figure will punish the teen causing more tension between them, which may make the teen more likely to rebel even more in the future. Which wouldn't have been the case if the parents actually understood that he wasn't trying to be disrespectful, rather it was just them trying to advance their own interests. However, as stated in the article, just under half of all teenagers drink, under the age of 40. % experiment with drugs and still less than 25% use these illegal substances regularly. This means that well over half of all teens who are ganged up and said to be doing these illegal acts actually do them, let alone on a regular basis. This means that there is a greater than fifty percent chance that the teenager you think is rebelling by carrying out these illegal acts is actually participating in them. That said, it cannot be taken as a form of rebellion when the odds are in favor of them not actually taking the previously stated substances. However, children are now being pressured at a young age and are now more inclined to have sex, drink and drugs at a young age, given the amount that is talked about in the media, be it TV, radio or social media. As mentioned in the article, adolescents between the ages of 11 and 13 are now more likely to take part in these acts than at any time in history. This is that it is not so much an act of rebellion but rather an act of peer pressure because they want to fit in