Kids These Days - by Will W Dobud & Nevin J Harper (Paperback)

About the Book

Examining everything from social media, overprotection, and environmental toxins, to the erosion of connection and failings of the mental health industry, Kids These Days draws on cutting-edge research and casts a critical eye on the adolescent mental health crisis, presenting solutions for raising healthy youth.

Book Synopsis

Discover why most attempts to fix teenagers fail and what to do about it

Anxiety, depression, self-harm, substance use disorders, and teen suicide--despite having more counselors, educators, experts, and medications than ever before, today's young people are said to be suffering from a mental health epidemic. Exploring a range of factors contributing to this wicked problem--from social media, overprotection, and environmental toxins to the erosion of connection--Kids These Days clearly identifies what works for raising happy and healthy youth, and what does not.

This essential guide is an unflinching examination of the failings of the mental health industry, and a call to action for adults to stand up against interference, harmful interventions, and ideologies negatively impacting our children. Both therapists, parents, and researchers, Will Dobud and Nevin Harper:

• Engage leading voices in adolescent well-being--mental health professionals, scientists, doctors, and parenting gurus--to discover why most attempts to fix teenagers fail
• Distill the last twenty years of research and clinical practice to identify the causes and potential cures for the growing youth mental health crisis
• Show how social connection, mastery, gratitude, and independence promote emotional and psychological resilience in the next generation.

It's time to stop labeling youth and recognize them as the heroes of their own stories. Whether as parents, guardians, therapists, educators, or other role models, we need to build trust and foster relationships while helping the young people in our lives negotiate the adventure of adolescence. Our kids are not broken. What really needs to change is the adults these days.

Review Quotes

Kids These Days is a must-read book and protest against harmful mental health treatments for children and youth. Dobud and Harper truly understand youth and care about their safety.
--Paris Hilton, global advocate for institutional reform and founder of 11:11 Media

This is a crucial read for anyone living or working with children and youth. Highly recommended.
--Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., Principal of The Neurosequential Network and Author, with Oprah Winfrey of the New York Times #1 Bestseller What Happened to You: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience and Healing

Kids These Days is groundbreaking and fundamentally important for our kids' future. Read the book and step up.
--Birgit Valla, Clinical psychologist and author of Beyond Best Practice: How Mental Health Services Can Be Better

Moral panics about "kids these days" are everywhere, but Dobud and Harper cut through the hysteria with real science and clear thinking. They show how well-intentioned interventions often backfire--and what actually helps. A must-read for anyone who cares about kids.
--Kurt Gray, Professor, Ohio State University and author, Outraged

Kids These Days is a fresh, provocative look at the challenges facing our kids in today's world. Instead of simple answers and tired clichés, Dobud and Harper take a broad and nuanced approach, zeroing in on the ways in which our attempts to shelter and protect kids from risk may be backfiring.
--Alex Hutchinson, New York Times bestselling author, Endure and The Explorer's Gene

In an era where discussions about child and adolescent psychology often call for greater nuance and contextual understanding, this book stands out by delivering precisely that. It masterfully weaves rigorous science, compelling narratives, and unconventional insights, offering a fresh perspective that challenges traditional thinking. A timely and essential read for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of young minds.
--Dr. Todd B. Kashdan, Professor of Psychology and author, The Upside of Your Dark Side and The Art of Insubordination

Problem/solution/celebration. Alas, it is deeper and more complex than that -- as is whatever seems to be raining sorrow and dysfunction on a whole lot of "kids these days." Here's hoping this book's light shines into every corner of the problem and helps us toward a real and practical solution.
--Lenore Skenazy, author Free-Range Kids, and president, Let Grow

A powerful and revolutionary book about what's really going on with kids today. Kids These Days doesn't just blame phones or schools or parents--it looks at the bigger picture and asks hard questions about the deeper reasons kids are in crisis, and what we can do to turn this around. Clear-eyed, thoughtful and full of compassion; a book with the potential to help heal a generation. --James Davies, Associate Professor in Psychology, University of Roehampton, London, and author, Sedated

Grounded in expert interviews, researched arguments, compelling anecdotes, and compassion for young people, Kids These Days reminds us of the wisdom of emotion. Dobud and Harper pierce through the knee-jerk conceptual habits and trending theories that trick us into ignoring social, cultural, and environmental factors. Instead of blaming smartphones, they invite us into a multifaceted approach grounded in simple interventions. Maybe we need to spend a bit less time signing up for every program that claims to fix every little tendency we notice in our children, and spend a bit more time simply being with them.
--Jay Vidyarthi, bestselling author, Reclaim Your Mind, and founder, Still Ape

About the Author

Will Dobud, PhD, MSW has over 20 years of therapeutic experience working with youth and families from diverse backgrounds across the US, Australia, and Norway. He has developed innovative programs that integrate psychotherapy and the outdoors to improve teenagers' experience when seeking mental health treatment. A dedicated, award-winning researcher and senior social work lecturer, Will explores ways to improve the experience and effectiveness of mental health supports, and advocates for youth impacted by the United States' troubled-teen industry. He is co-host of the popular Adventure Therapy Collective Podcast and co-author of Solution-Focused Practice in Outdoor Therapy: Co-Adventuring for Change and Outdoor Therapies: An Introduction To Practices, Possibilities, and Critical Perspectives. A senior lecturer in social work at Charles Sturt University, Will lives and works between Australia and the Washington DC area.

Nevin Harper, PhD, is a Professor in the Faculty of Health at the University of Victoria, and a Registered Clinical Counsellor with over 30 years' experience leading groups and individuals through outdoor educational, therapeutic and transformative experiences.

His research in the areas of child and youth health and development examines human-environmental interactions, primarily through the practices of outdoor therapies, adventure programming, and nature-based approaches to healing and wellbeing. He has travelled and worked internationally as a consultant, trainer, speaker, and an evaluator of programs and services in related areas. Nevin is co-author of Nature-Based Therapy: A Practitioner's Guide to Working Outdoors with Children, Youth, And Families and Outdoor Therapies: An Introduction to Practices, Possibilities, and Critical Perspectives. He lives on Vancouver Island, Canada.