Are the kids alright? Teen psychologist Lisa Damour thinks so
By Manoush Zomorodi, Harsha Nahata, Fiona Geiran, Sanaz Meshkinpour, Rachel Faulkner White for the Ted Radio Hour via NPR
On a recent summer day in Washington, D.C., TED Radio Hour producer Fio Geiran walked the National Mall and asked teenagers from around the country what’s stressing them out.
The answers came fast: too much homework and not enough sleep; climate change and rising seas; worries about bills, rent and insurance; whether a social media post got enough likes. The list was sprawling and familiar: school, money, the planet and fitting in online and off.
But when Geiran asked how they cope, the responses shifted. One teen talked about biking with his dad and going fishing. Another discovered a love for coding during class. Others said they’d started to limit their time on social media, or were excited to see what the future might hold after graduation. The stress is real—but so is the resilience. That duality feels like the truth of adolescence today.
Teen Expert Lisa Damour’s Take
Lisa Damour has been listening to teenagers for nearly 30 years. She’s a psychologist, bestselling author, and one of the most respected voices on adolescent mental health.
NPR’s Manoush Zomorodi spoke to Damour about what has changed for teens in the last decade. And her list was sobering: algorithm-driven social media that can hijack attention and distort self-image; a global pandemic that amplified anxiety and isolation; sky-high achievement pressure; and new norms around gender, bodies and identity that require adults to update the way we talk to kids.
But despite all these pressures, Damour says teenagers are as curious, smart and resilient as ever.
“Today’s teenagers are so much more aware of the world around them, what’s happening politically, what’s happening socially,” Damour says. “They are ready to push back, they make great arguments.”
She also says that “teenagers live up to expectations—and down to them.” So, if you describe kids as fragile, lazy or hopelessly tethered to their phones, they’ll absorb that. But, if you frame them as thoughtful, aware and capable of grappling with real issues, they’ll rise to it.
Damour also says the best way to help support teens through the most difficult challenges of adolescence is to talk to them with respect and genuine interest. Here are some of her tips on how to talk to teens about difficult topics.
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