The podcast series, Teenager Therapy, has become a huge hit among teenagers. The podcast, featuring five rising seniors at Loara High School in Anaheim, California, openly discusses many of the issues that kids face during high school and while growing up.
The group started the podcast in late 2018 and they describe it as “Five stressed, sleep deprived, yet energetic teens sit down and talk about the struggles that come with being a teenager.”
It is essentially a podcast for teens by teens. And who understands teenagers better than other teenagers?
So far, the podcast has featured topics including mental health, school, family, friendships, sexuality, and more. The teen audience seems to like the authentic, open discussion versus a more scripted conversation. The group often takes suggestions from viewers on topics that they are interested in or answers questions that teens are too scared to ask their parents or friends.
The show has provided a lot of valuable advice to kids who are struggling and has helped many feel more comfortable just being who they are. It has also helped teens to realize that their struggles are totally normal, and they should embrace their “weirdness.”
The teens also share stories from their daily lives, such as stories about their romantic relationships and how these relationships form and develop. In addition, the podcast has featured the social media influencer Loren Gray and singer Maggie Lindemann. Ultimately, the podcast is helping teens to feel more comfortable in their own skin.
“Should coming out be praised or normalized?”
The group’s website features two episodes that they believe best represent the whole series. In one of those episodes, “Internalized Homophobia/Stereotypes/Labels” the group talks about the many issues that the LGBTQ+ community faces, and also discusses how being LGBTQ+ is totally normal and nothing to be ashamed of.
The teens also give advice to fellow teens who are struggling to come out or struggling with their sexuality and finding themselves. In addition, they tackle the tricky question, “Should coming out be praised versus normalized?” The group concludes that coming out should be praised until being LGBTQ+ becomes normalized itself.
“Is acne beautiful?”
Another episode which was recently uploaded is titled “Is Acne Beautiful/Skin Neutrality/Acne Insecurities.” This episode is quite refreshing and talks about normalizing acne. The teens discuss their own issues with acne and how, when people say acne is ugly, it can cause teens to feel extremely insecure. The group focuses on the question, “Do you think acne is beautiful?”
They also discuss whether influencers should focus more on “skin neutrality,” where acne is neither labelled ugly nor beautiful but rather simply as a part of life. The podcast encourages teens to embrace themselves and their skin.
“Should you prioritize yourself?”
In another episode called “Prioritizing Your Happiness/Main Character Vibes,” the teens talk about different TikTok trends and how teens need to start prioritizing their lives. They discuss the negative aspects of prioritizing yourself such as ditching your friends for a relationship.
The group of teens is very well-rounded and has diverse viewpoints which they each share, making the discussions interesting. They also openly share the conflict they sometimes have within their own friend group. As an example, they talked about one friend leaving the group for a date, essentially ditching the rest of the group. In order to meet up for the date, this member of the group lied to the others, causing a lot of raw emotions on the podcast.
The way the group opens up about their own issues really allows teens to know that they are not alone in their issues within their friend groups. They illustrate that romanticizing your life can be a good thing in some regard, but it’s not good to be selfish in order to make yourself happy.
This weekly podcast is relatable for teens
A new podcast is released every week and teenagers across the country are relating in a big way to the conversations in the podcast, while appreciating the opportunity to get advice from kids who are just like them.
The teen years can be quite difficult, especially now. This is a podcast is well-worth listening to-if for no other reason than it makes your teen feel like they are not alone. The five teens who record the podcast say they really want their listeners to feel as if they are a part of their friend group.
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