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Teen Trouble
By Emily Ashby,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Gritty reality show inspires discussion for parents, teens.
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What's the Story?
TEEN TROUBLE is a reality series that follows behavior specialist Josh Shipp as he counsels out-of-control teens and their parents, helping them lay to rest long-held animosity, conquer addiction, and ultimately move forward to a brighter future. Using unorthodox tactics that bring the families face-to-face with the likely results of the teens' actions -- whether it's living on the streets, serving time, or even death -- Shipp attempts to inspire both parties to change their ways and chart a new path of hope for their future.
Is It Any Good?
Teen Trouble is not an easy show to watch as a parent or a teen. These kids are off the charts of defiant, self-destructive behavior, abusing drugs, drinking, sleeping around, stealing, destroying property, and intentionally putting themselves in life-threatening situations that cause their parents sleepless nights. Parents call on Shipp out of sheer desperation, and far from having a calming effect, he fans the flames of discord between the teens and their parents. Sure, it's in a supposed effort to air and deal with grievances, but it's hard not to believe that exploiting the family drama has a sensational effect on the show's ratings as well. What's more, Shipp -- who draws on his own troubled youth of foster care, abuse, and addiction -- makes no attempt to hide the fact that he's biased toward the teens, clearly assigning blame to the parents for their kids' actions, regardless of the adults' repeated attempts to help. Yes, he holds the teens responsible for changing their ways in the future, but he's much harder on the parents for the mistakes of the past.
Will Teen Trouble raise issues you can discuss with your teens? Absolutely. The subjects' candor -- from the troubled teens to the prostitutes and homeless people Shipp interviews to try to talk sense into them -- will hit a nerve with both teens and their parents and might have the desired effect on viewers at home. Despite the sensationalism, these are sad-but-true stories of families in real trouble, and their experiences (and Shipp's advice) could help keep your own on the right path. But ultimately no TV show can fill the void of communication between parents and kids, so this series is better used as a tool for opening those lines than as any form of entertainment.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about alcohol and drug use. Teens: How big (or small) a problem is this among your peers? Where do you see it happening? What are the risks involved? How can this behavior influence your ability to make good decisions about other potentially hazardous situations?
How "real" is reality TV in general? Do you get the sense that this series is entirely off-the-cuff? Why do you think the participants agree to be involved? What do you think of Shipp's tactics? Did this series change your opinion about any of the behaviors you observed?
How has our sensitivity to issues like teen drinking and sexuality changed in recent years? Do you think our society is becoming more accepting of behavior that used to be taboo? Does the media play a role in these changes or is it a reflection of them? How do shows like this one fit into this change?
TV Details
- Premiere date: November 2, 2012
- Cast: Josh Shipp
- Network: Lifetime Television
- Genre: Reality TV
- Topics: High School
- TV rating: TV-14
- Last updated: February 25, 2022
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