In the uprising of a constantly evolving generation of mass media, there has been a myriad of effects on the corresponding generation, some of which, older generations aren't particularly fond of. While there is no doubt that the 2000’s has brought upon much needed social and political change, it also brought mental illness and substance use to innumerable levels, and many parents of today’s generation don’t know how to respond to that negative change. Although the Troubled Teens Industry helps some individuals because of their approaches, it should be illegal because of its immoral nature.

     The Troubled Teens industry should be illegal because of its immoral nature. Many parents who don't want to parent their misbehaving or bad attitude induced kids sign off temporary custody to a billion dollar industry that advertises “putting their kids in order”, and millions of kids across the US ranging from someone who just slammed a door to a drug addict disappear off the grid as a result. Originating from the late ‘50s, the Synanon cult was meant to treat those who did drugs through humiliation, neglect, constant labor, and confined solitude, and this cult was where this industry took inspiration from. The origins of this industry pose to be problematic and old fashioned and these camps should not be still using these old timey methods, but instead using methods known to work in an ethical and moral manner. They have no desire to change their outdated system so it should be nonexistent as they are unnecessarily cruel to the children that go there even to this day. In fact, using these older tactics in wilderness therapy proved counterproductive and made problems in children that they didn't previously even have. Students that have come forward to share their stories have spoken of the trauma they would have for the remainder of their lives and the multitude of people they knew who took their own lives because the trauma was the cherry on top of their issues. A documented testimony of a specific victim expanded on the overwhelming evidence of abuse that occurs at these camps; the reality of what they proclaim is “tough love” is actually abuse, both physical or mental, medical neglect, lack of privacy, malnutrition and overall actions of cruelty. Many parents were lied to about how their children got into “accidents” and were sent pictures of them forced to smile to prove the camps were effective so they would obtain more money, which is not how it should be. This conveys their greedy nature and how it made it easy to manipulate desperate parents into giving away their children to make easy money, and it would be unethical to contribute to camps that had a history of mistreatment. These sources overall convey the necessity of researching what you are putting your child through and thinking through whether or not it is worth the large risk of becoming damaged even further and the much smaller chance of it working.

     The Troubled Teens Industry does help some individuals because of their approaches. While there are people who oppose this industry, there are also an enumeration of people who are all for it. A health writer overall recommends this program to parents who are desperate to make their children normal any way they can and writes on how it is beneficial for the children that are sent there because of techniques like recreational activities and games; it is said to be effective in changing them for the better. There are testimonies of people who say they needed it at the time and that their methods had been effective and while writing about the activities that occur, the writer fails to mention what they truly entail and the overwhelming negative aspect of them for a good majority. Constant physical labor for an illegal number of hours, the lack of medical care for the frequent injuries often while working or at the hands of the workers there, and unnamable punishments for doing something “wrong”  at the hands of other members there or more likely, at the hands of the workers is not something this writer would have written about, as it doesn't fit the industries agenda and doesn't help them make the profit they desire.  While this small group of people should be accounted for, the negative nature of this industry and negative outcomes severely outweigh the positives, and this disguised form of child abuse should not be something anyone is subjected to. Similarly, an article paints wilderness therapy as a fresh difference from the norm of living in society by going into depth on the positive mental health aspects it usually brings as well as how it brings upon less feelings of cynicism for the future; it overall recommends researching good wilderness programs that will truly engage their children into wanting change. While it is undeniable that for a limited number of people, this “tough love” approach has worked, this severely flawed approach inflicted worse negative mindsets accompanied by trauma to a greater extent. Often confined in a dark room by shackles, force fed drugs and forced injections, neglected, and frequently verbally and physically abused as well as sexual assaulted make the kids that go there desperate to do anything to get out of the camps. After they are finally released from that never ending cycle of trying to just survive and get through the next day, they have trauma that follows them for the rest of their lives. This is the case for many children that are put through these programs and parents should refrain from signing away their child to this unethical, money hungry industry because they can’t handle them anymore, despite their actions, because it could very much do more harm than good. These sources convey that these programs aren't worth what it brings with it, even if it has worked for some.

     Many people raise the valid question of what the alternative should be to these camps if they were made illegal, and using the tens of thousands of dollars they pay should instead be put into mental health resources like therapy, rehabilitation centers, or normal camps where they can build lifelong friends to feel less alone. No matter what a child does, there is and shouldnt be any justification for purposely subjecting your own flesh and blood to harm, starting from the moment the child is kidnapped from their own bed and forced across state lines to the moment they “graduate” the program just for the parents to be manipulated into putting them back in and continuing the vicious cycle.

     Gupta, Sanjana. “What Is Wilderness Therapy?” Verywell Mind, Verywell Mind, 22 October 2021, www.verywellmind.com/wilderness-therapy-5192247.

     Provocanyon.com), (Image: et al. “Inside Horror ‘Tough Love’ Camps for Troubled Teens - Humiliation, Abuse & Death.” Mirror, 13 September 2021, www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/inside-horror-tough-love-camps-24517982.

     Szalavitz, Maia. “The Cult That Spawned the Tough-Love Teen Industry.” Mother Jones, 20 Aug. 2007, www.motherjones.com/politics/2007/08/cult-spawned-tough-love-teen-industry/.

     Team, BetterHelp Editorial. “Can Wilderness Therapy Help Me?” BetterHelp, BetterHelp, 14 Apr. 2022, www.betterhelp.com/advice/therapy/can-wilderness-therapy-help-me/.