way long ago, at age 14, people would have been considered adults. females would have been married off and males would be part of the hunting party. they both would have been independent of their parents. perhaps "teenage rebellion" then, is due to the confinement of these young people at an age where they were biologically meant to be free? teenage rebellion is not against one's peers but against one's parents. some would say it is against society as well but that would be because society seeks to confine them as much as parents do. in a society where they were not confined into being treated like children, they would not rebel.

this rebellion makes evolutionary sense because it would create a desire to start a new life away from one's parents and to find a mate and have children. if a human were to be treated as a child and accepted it then that human would never find a mate and produce offspring. the humans that rebelled against being kept as a "child" left their house and started a new life with a mate and had children.

teenage rebellion is mostly about expressing one's desire to be a "grown-up". in ancient times, this rebellion would manifest itself by the teen moving out and starting a family. the teens that moved out had more children while the teens that did not rebel stayed at home and didn't start a family. if a culture does not confine teenagers then this rebellion probably does not occur.

in our modern times where a human requires a higher education than that of our ancestors, letting teenagers loose on society would not work. we keep them locked up for a reason but perhaps a less confining way is more appropriate to lessen their rebellious desires.