This Teenage Life

Grown-ups can often talk about teens and social media in a way that fails to capture real teens' experiences.The directors of the Center For Digital Thriving (CDT) are different — they get it. In this episode, TTL teens meet with CDT directors Emily and Carrie to discuss the mental gymnastics of navigating our relationships with tech and social media.    We hope this episode can inspire more conversations about teens and tech that are grounded in the experiences of teens themselves. For resources check out the Center for Digital Thriving resources page at: https://digitalthriving.gse.harvard.edu/resources/

Many of us have or want adult in our lives who make us feel safe, seen, and heard. When teachers take the time to get to know us, they often transcend their role as subject guides and become more like life mentors. In this epsiode, we discuss how teachers can be open and make us feel safe while also being professional. This episode is sponsored by the XQ institute. Check them out at xqsuperschool.org. If you're a student, or even a teacher who may be listening to better understand your students, you can join the conversation at XQ America on social.

In celebration of Earth Day, we made this episode about a person who, in the face of climate change, chose to take a risk and make something new.  In partnership with UNICEF USA, This Teenage Life teens speak with Alexia Akbay, founder of Symbrosia, a company that grows seaweed. When fed to cows, Symbrosia's product reduces cows' methane emissions.  To learn more about UNICEF's Innovation30 effort, supporting young climate innovators shaping the future, check out their website.

This past March, TTL celebrated its 5th birthday! In this episode, the teens share stories of how they joined TTL and what the community has meant for them. All our current participants used to be listeners. If you want to join us too—or reach out and request and episode topic or say hi—feel free to email us at team@thisteenagelife.org

How do we stay resilient in the face of procrastination shame and test anxiety? When our bodies are in fight and flight and our brains are not thinking straight, what should we do? In this episode, the teens teams up with Arizona State University professor Jamie Valderrama, who teaches various stress management courses, to learn about the neurophysiology of stress and techniques they can use to self-regulate and be resilient in the face of stress flare ups. Thank you to Arizona State University's Learning Enterprise for sponsoring this episode! ASU Learning Enterprise’s Foundational Learning Health Literacy Project is empowering learners to actively manage their health and well-being through comprehensive and engaging, open access content that decreases informational gaps. Check out this link to learn more.    

In this episode, the teens discuss their experiences on group chats — sharing stories about social dynamics and feelings of inclusion and exclusion. This episode features the amazing work of Emily Weinstein and Carrie James at the Center for Digital Thriving (CDT). Their research inspired this episode. Learn abotu their work at: Behind Their Screens, their amazing book CDT's website and their resources on thinking traps. CDT's new app, which is great to do with family and friends to discuss tech use and values.

In this episode, the teens chat with Aleeza and Fonzo, the hosts of The Moth’s teen podcast, Grown — here on Apple podcasts and Spotify. We discuss our daydreams and anxieties about growing up and becoming people we want to be.

In this episode, TTL participants reflect on their varied experiences throughout the pandemic, from its beginning to what things are like now. The teens discuss anxiety, social changes, and dealing with complex grief. Some of the participants featured in this episode helped create a Teen Vogue article about high schooler's experiences during the pandemic, which you can read here: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/the-class-of-2024-didnt-know-high-school-without-covid

This week's episode is about climate and eco-anxiety. The teens discuss their grief about the climate emergency and other environmental crises. They then talk about transforming their feelings into shared action.  Thank you to UNICEF USA and Anya Kamenetz. Look out for a future episode about young climate innovators and their inspiring solutions.

Inspired by one of This Teenage Life's newest members, this episode is about one young person's experience navigating identity development and middle social dynamics while also grappling with her experience of autism. If you are interested in sharing a story or want to request an episode — email us at team@thisteenagelife.org.

Yesterday was Valentine's Day in the U.S. and so it feels apt to revisit a topic from a previous episodes: crushes. In this episode, we share our thoughts on having crushes (or not), what it feels like, how and with whom to talk about our crushes, and much more.c

In this episode, TTL participants explore their own insecurities and interview Gracie and Clyde Lawrence from the amazing band, Lawrence— here on Youtube + Spotify—about how music can serve as an outlet for reframing past and present insecurities.  This episode was made in collaboration with PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs' podcast On Our Minds." 

This is an episode about two teens who have experienced being bullied and who are working to overcome it. Being bullied can take a toll on self esteem and mental health. It can feel like you're the only one going through it and it will never end. Even though it does end, there is still more we could do to stop bullying and to support people being bullied. At TTL, we are all about destigmatizing speaking out and making sure people don't feel alone. Listen to our episode to hear our stories but in case you're experiencing bullying, here are some more resources:  Thank You Next: Overcoming Bullying, a previous TTL episode on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Cybersmile Help Center Child Mind Institute Resources The Trevor Project

In this episode, Rani, one of the teen contributors to This Teenage Life, shares about her relationship with poetry. She describes how it became an important outlet for creative and emotional expression. Overcoming criticisms, she has stuck with writing, and it continues to be a faithful friend. Check out Rani's work on Instagram @a_brokencorwn.

The holidays are a complicated time for many people. They bring up all kinds of feelings — nostalgia, cozyness, goals for the future, and anxieties about those left behind. Two days before the commencement of our next cycle around the sun, we share an episode with you that we made exactly a year ago. It's reassuring to hear this and reflect on the cyclical nature of time. We are so grateful to have you as a listener and, as always, love hearing from you. Feel free to reach out, and say hi or share your ideas for episodes at team@thisteenagelife.org. Also feel free to check out our own TTL Wrapped 2023. Happy New Year from the This Teenage Life team and talk to you in 2024!

For many folks, January is a theoretically a time of goal setting and self-improvement aspirations. Of course, many of us want to grow and change, but do we have to do it in a particular way in a particular way? In this episode, teens from This Teenage Life discuss their fraught relationship with the idea of New Year's driven goals/resolutions and share ways that better help them become the people they want to be.

Is the idea of productivity helpful? Harmful? How does it affect our mental health and well-being? How do the teens relate to productivity culture? In the midst of New Year's resolutions and goals, we revisit this episode about the pressure to be productive and how it affects us. We're working on new episodes for 2024. If you have any ideas you'd like to share, email us at team@thisteenagelife.org  

In the fast-paced, tech-driven world we live in, it can be easy to become self- centered...specifically human-centered. In this episode, we hear from the teens about animal-friends who keep them grounded and inspired. We also hear from the prolific naturalist and author Sy Montgomery (Molly's hero) and illustrator Matt Patterson, creators of Of Time and Turtles, a gorgeous book about healing, time, and learning from other creatures. Thank you to Sy, Matt, and their turtle community! Check out Matt's beautiful drawings here!

For many of us here at This Teenage Life, how we talk to ourselves influences how we connect with others. In this episode, teens and experts share about their experiences and understandings of self talk, along with strategies for shifting thoughts that undermine us into thoughts that are more supportive. Here are some resources to learn more about strategies for more positive self talk. Teen Vogue on talking to your younger self CMI on how to change negative thinking patterns CMI on helping kids who are hard on themselves Thank you to Arizona State University's Learning Enterprise for sponsoring this episode! ASU Learning Enterprise’s Foundational Learning Health Literacy Project is empowering learners to actively manage their health and well-being through comprehensive and engaging, open access content that decreases informational gaps. Check out this link to learn more. Shout out to Taina Coleman and Cara Macari from the Child Mind Insitute for their contributions to this episode!  

From tests, to essays, to the constant pressure to be productive...many teens at This Teenage Life are expressing how academic stress is overpowering their love of learning.  How can teachers and students come together to change this — to foster wonder, joy, and help heal our relationships with learning. In this episode we explore all kinds of strategies including totally shifting the way we teach and learn math. This Teenage Life is sponsored by the XQ Institute, the leading organization dedicated to rethinking the U.S. high school experience so that every student graduates ready to succeed in college, career, and life. If you’re a student who wishes to drive change in your high school community, check out XQ’s Youth Voice toolkit. It’s full of resources to develop, advocate, and execute a plan to improve your high school. Go to YouthVoice.xqsuperschool.org to learn more. Follow XQ America on TikTok and on Instagram to share your experience as a student and change what learning looks like.   Resources from the Episode: Check out Sarah Strong's book Dear Math: Why Kids Hate Math and What Teachers Can Do About It