Teens face issues that range from self identity, loneliness, social media, drug use, and bullying…anything a teen is struggling with. The National Institute of Mental Health reported that one in five adolescents “aged 12 to 17 in the US had at least one major depressive episode.”
Yet teens don't want to hear solutions from adults, especially their parents. The Stanford Medicine News Center references a 2022 study by Abrams et al. that literally found “around age 13, kids’ brains no longer find their moms’ voices uniquely rewarding, and tune into unfamiliar voices more.” Unfortunately some teens do not have support from their families. And many do not have access to counseling support.
In addition, teens don’t want others to know about their issues. A 2023 Boys and Girls Clubs of America survey highlighted that “67% [of youths] try to keep anyone from finding out” about major problems. And yet, “92% of youth want to help when they see someone having a problem.”
Our solution is the Teenage Handbook Competition, which encourages teens to digitally journal and accumulate a collection of creative expressions by teens, for teens, on teen issues.
The Teenage Handbook is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization