Lawmakers have finally realized the issue, but proposed rules may not stop the abuse.
 | By Alexandra Sifferlin Senior Staff Editor, Opinion |
There are many programs in the United States that claim to treat American teenagers with behavioral and psychological issues. Often referred to collectively as the troubled teen industry, these include boot camps, boarding schools, wilderness therapies and more. The Times Opinion contributing writer Maia Szalavitz has reported on these programs for well over a decade. As she writes in her latest guest essay, many of them don't use evidence-based methods and can lead to harm and abuse of young people. |
Times Opinion examined these programs in the past, highlighting similar problems. Paris Hilton also brought scrutiny to the industry when she shared in a 2020 documentary her experience with one of these programs. |
More recently, legislation aimed to help stop abusive practices has been proposed. But as Szalavitz reports in her essay, many critics of the troubled teen industry worry this latest attempt doesn't go far enough. "I feel that this is very soft," one former program attendee told her. "It's like trying to put a Band-Aid on an arterial bleed." |
Szalavitz argues that legislation without teeth, however well intentioned, isn't going to solve the ongoing problem and that more young people could be harmed without stronger enforcement. "It is a disgrace that companies can sell youth residential treatment for psychiatric and drug problems without required staff credentials or proof that the treatment being provided is safe and effective and meets the standard of care for the child's diagnosis," she writes. |
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