Racist Tweets From Teens and the Adolescent Brain: Trying to Withhold Judgment

The online magazine Jezebel published a long and disgusting list of racist, sometimes violent tweets sent out by mostly teenagers in response to the re-election of the President. Today, editors reported on efforts to track down the schools the kids attend, in order to alert them to the behavior.  I don't blame Jezebel and I hope the people charged with educating these kids intervene while there's- perhaps- still time to correct their self-destructive behavior if not their poisoned thinking. One thing that should be kept in mind, though, is the neurological development level of the kids who are now being exposed, disciplined and in some cases very publicly punished. The American Bar Association's Juvenile Justice Center has an excellent article on the subject: crimjust_juvjus_Adolescence.authcheckdam. Bottom line is we don't learn to control impulse well until much later than has been previously believed. Actions have consequences and these kids are learning that fast. That's just. But as the floodgates of social media retribution open, it's fair to consider the source.