30 People Share Reckless Teenage Decisions They Somehow Survived

We all do dumb things as teenagers. The notion of consequences can completely go out the window because, realistically speaking, when you’re underage, there’s a lot you can get away with. But you’re also much more prone to putting yourself in dangerous situations.

But once you’re an adult and start looking back, some memories will actually make you think, “Wait, did I really do this?” And that’s when it dawns on you just how irresponsible you were. And so, users on TikTok shared the moments that made them realize how lucky they are to still be alive. Here’s what they said.

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Life does feel different when you’re young. The lack of responsibilities, the free time, the groups of friends, and the feeling that there are few consequences. Sometimes, all we want is to go back to those days, but at the same time, we probably wouldn’t make the smart choices and decisions we make today. That's partly because of a small part of our brain called the prefrontal cortex.

Teenagers put themselves in such precarious situations partly because their prefrontal cortex isn't fully developed. This region evaluates risk, controls impulses, and predicts consequences, and research shows it doesn’t fully mature until around age 25. Basically, they’re all gas and no brakes, and well, that’s how they end up in the backseat of a stranger’s car in the middle of the night.

Then there are the stories of people who found themselves in situations they never would have gotten into because of their friends. It’s no coincidence that our parents used to ask us, “If they jumped off a bridge, would you follow?” when it came to our friends. That’s because peer pressure can make us do crazy and uncharacteristic things just to please our peers, but that’s not all.

According to a study led by Laurence Steinberg and Mairtin MacLean, when teenagers used driving simulators while surrounded by friends or schoolmates, their brain’s reward circuitry became activated — something that did not happen in adults. This led them to take more risks and change their behavior. And at times, they may not even want to take those risks, but their brains simply don’t cooperate.

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