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Should Teens Do Extreme Sports?

The thrills are undeniable—but so are the risks.

By Alex Lim-Chua Wee

From the February 2026 Issue

Learning Objective: to read and analyze a text that presents arguments on both sides of a debate, then take a stand

Lexile: 1020L

Featured Skill: Argument writing

Standards

Listen to this debate read aloud.

For 17-year-old Ollie Martin, snowboarding is everything. There’s no feeling like flying down a sunlit slope, nailing epic twists in the air, and hearing the roar of the crowd as you land.

And lately, the rising young athlete has been unstoppable. At the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games in South Korea, Ollie became the youngest snowboarder to land a 2160—or six full rotations in the air. He also took home his first World Cup medal in 2025. At press time, many believed Ollie’s next stop would be this month’s Winter Olympic Games in Italy.

But his career hasn’t been without setbacks. In January 2025, Ollie suffered a concussion and had to take a month-long break.

Like Ollie, many other young athletes are drawn to the thrill of extreme sports—that is, intense activities often involving high speeds, heights, and stunts. But these thrills can come with serious risks. In 2018, when he was 19, pro snowboarder Marcus Kleveland shattered his knee. Last year, a 12-year-old broke his neck during a BMX bike race.

Yet extreme sports continue to rise in popularity—especially with teens. The 2025 X Games in Salt Lake City saw a 328 percent increase in TV viewership among 12-to-17-year-olds compared with the previous year. The growth of this young audience is likely fueled by social media, where exciting competitors like skateboarder Sky Brown and motocross rider Axell Hodges have millions of followers.

But as doctors treat more young athletes for serious injuries, some experts have begun to wonder: Should teens do extreme sports?

Unique Benefits

Like all sports, extreme sports come with physical benefits. They can help strengthen your muscles and keep your heart healthy. Staying active can also decrease stress levels and boost your mood. And athletes learn important values like hard work and perseverance.

However, extreme sports also come with an additional, unique benefit: They can help you exercise your natural drive to test your limits.

“Humans are biologically wired to take risks,” says Sandra Whitehouse, a psychologist at the Child Mind Institute.

So let’s say you sign up for a rock climbing class. Scaling the climbing wall—with rope support and expert coaching—can give you the rush you crave in a safe environment.

“Extreme sports involve teamwork, a sense of accomplishment, and physical and mental fitness,” says Whitehouse. “These all contribute to a positive identity, peer connections, and good life skills.”

Blame Your Brain?

Still, extreme sports can be particularly risky for teens. The part of your brain that guides impulse control and weighs consequences is not yet fully developed, explains Dr. Rebekah Fenton, an adolescent health specialist. That means your brain is still learning to balance short-term benefits (“I want to land this jump!”) and long-term risks (“I could hurt myself on this ramp.”).

“Teens can be quicker to think ‘This is what I want to do’ before they think ‘But is it safe?’ ” she says.

There can also be an addictive quality to taking risks. When we do things we enjoy, our brains release a feel-good chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is also released when you try something new and a bit dangerous, like landing a kickflip at the skate park. The teen brain is highly sensitive to dopamine, so landing that kickflip isn’t just exciting—it’s really exciting. And you crave more of it.

What’s more, experts warn that extreme sports aren’t always supervised. Many young athletes often practice on their own or with friends whose brains are also wired to push past their limits.

This can all make it tempting to rush into dangerous stunts.

Taking Your Time

So are extreme sports too risky for teens? Some experts say no, as long as you take proper safety precautions, such as getting adequate training and wearing protective gear like helmets.

Others argue that extreme sports always come with dangers. Between 2000 and 2011, more than 4 million injuries were reported from extreme sports. And while sports-related deaths are rare, they do happen.

As for Ollie Martin, while he may want to go big at every competition, he says his time off reminded him that knowing his limits is crucial. In fact, he credits his new mindset with helping him win his first World Cup event last year.

“I decided to play this one safe,” Ollie said after the win, “and it worked out so well.”