Last month's headlines read, '30-year-old man dies after attending COVID party thinking virus was a hoax.'
"They are being very egocentric. They're not thinking about how their actions could affect other people," said Licensed Therapist Jaime Bronstein.
She believes young people go to COVID parties either to be exposed because they fall into peer pressure or they truly believe the virus doesn't exist.
"They also don't have very strong impulse control. And that's because their prefrontal cortex is not fully developed. And it's not fully developed until they're 25 years old. And that's responsible for making the right and wrong decision," she explained.
Bronstein says many attending these parties are young single men going through the 'Young Male Syndrome.'
"They just love engaging in high-risk behavior such as high-speed driving, doing illicit drugs, doing the tide-pod challenge, the cinnamon challenge, and in this case, going to a COVID party," she said.
Here in the Tampa Bay area, we've seen young people lining up outside local establishments without masks and not social distancing.
So how can parents get their kids to realize, they're not invincible?
"First sit down with your kids and have a discussion about decision making and consequences. And you want to be able to talk with your children, not to them. You want them to feel seen and heard and you really want to listen to them," she said.
And if you have adult friends not following CDC guidelines?
This social worker recommends going into the conversation without any judgment.
"You don't want the other person to feel defensive. And basically just go in with compassion. I care about you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you," she said.
Bronstein gives advice on how to better handle the stress of this pandemic on her website: www.therelationshipexpert.com.
She also has a blog and a radio show, where she gives advice on other mental health issues, which are also on her website.
This story was first reported by Wendy Ryan at WFTS in Tampa Bay, Florida.