Lying in teenagers

Like everyone else, teenagers lie. However, according to a study called “From Junior to Senior Pinocchio,” teenagers are likelier to lie. Any lie will be told to keep them out of trouble. The stereotype of teen years being a “rebellious phase” is true. This is where the waters get tested. 

Adolescents lie for many different reasons. Some will say it’s to have freedom, hide from their parent’s criticism, or ensure they don’t get in trouble.

“By the time kids are 5, almost all of them lie. And then the rate of lie increases to the high school age when it peaks, and then once people reach adulthood, it declines after that,” said  Dr. Christian Hart, professor of psychology at Texas Women’s University. 

A student comes home from school every afternoon, and when their parents ask about their grades, they say they’re good. That’s a lie. They say they don’t have any homework, which, again, is a lie. They got asked how a test went, and they said it went well. That is a lie.

Not only do students lie to their parents, but they also lie to their teachers and other adults. 

According to Newport Academy, some of the top reasons students will lie about what they’ve been doing or where they have been is because they know they’re in the wrong. 

“I don’t want people to feel cornered. I don’t want people to feel defensive,” said Carlmont Administrative Vice Principal (AVP) Gregg Patner. “So I don’t go in trying to prove somebody’s lied to me.” 

Patner’s approach gives teenagers another direction other than the basic detention. 

“I want them to feel heard, and I want them to trust,” Patner said. 

Carlmont is about second chances. Whether or not a second chance gets offered, it always will impact people’s perception of each other. 

The University of Rochester Medical Center says that lying shifts how people see each other forever. The consequence of lying can’t go unnoticed.