tbh: by, about, and for teenagers

What does the land back movement mean? Why is it important to Indigenous communities? In this story, tbh producer Amalia Madrid-Lilly answers these questions and explores her Indigenous identity.

The ongoing war in Palestine has created a divide across the country. In this story, tbh producer Jeremy Strause explores his experience as a Jewish teen in these times, and re-examines what Israel means to young Jewish people.

In 2023 alone, lawmakers introduced 42 bills that restrict discussions about gender and sexuality in K-12 schools. In this story, tbh producer Amaya Dorman Mackenzie shares her story growing up in a school district that supported LGBTQ+ students. She shows what can happen when educators, lawmakers, and community members listen to youth.

After joining the youth group Team Stronger Than You Think, tbh producer Jessica Kim realized just how many people are experience teen dating violence. And she decided to do something about it. In this story, she discusses her journey with advocacy and the importance of speaking up.

This year, more than four million teens will be able to vote for the first time. Yet for many, the whole process is a mystery. How and where can they register? How will they understand what they’re voting on? Where are they going to cast their ballot? These are some of the questions tbh producer Charlotte King answers in this story.

Over 60 percent of voters between 18 and 34 view climate change as a serious threat. But what about people who are too young to vote? tbh producer Antara Gangwal, a senior at Leland High School, says education is the first step in being involved in advocacy.

Season five of tbh drops next week! We'll hear what teenagers are thinking about when it comes to voting or being too young to vote in an election year.

While you're waiting for a new season of tbh, take a listen to the new season of On Our Minds a teen mental health podcast produced by and for teens with help from PBS Student Reporting Labs and KOUW Public Radio.

Convent Stuart Hall High School Senior Annabel Roubinowitz is thinking a lot about why Gen Z is known for being such a politically active generation, but their turnout in the polls is lower than other generations. She explores why in this episode of tbh.

Recent Newark Memorial High School graduate Meher Indoliya reflects on her feelings of climate fatigue and asks how we can stay hopeful in the face of the climate crisis.

After witnessing how her school’s journalism program honored the life of a student who passed away from a fentanyl overdose, recent Carlmont High School graduate and UC Berkeley freshman Carolina Cuadros tells us how journalism can make a difference in our communities.

Independence High School graduate, Jamareion Adrow, found support through his high school's wellness center. Now, he's encouraging his peers to do the same.

What is the effect of AI on creative fields? In the wake of new technologies, how are visual artists feeling about how AI can or should be used? Listen to tbh to hear Santa Clara High School senior, Theodore Nguyen, tell his story.

Berkeley High school junior, Miriam Reichenberg, is thinking about how some students are using ChatGPT while also returning to older forms of technology to spark their creativity.

Season four is dropping next week. We'll hear how teens and teachers are using or abusing ChatGPT at school, about youth empowering themselves to become effective and optimistic climate activists, coping with a fentanyl-lacing death, and more.

We are currently living in the aftershocks of the stolen year– the quarantine and lockdown. The abundance of loneliness led many people to struggle with their mental health. We have repeatedly heard the context from reporters, government officials, and education experts, but today, we are going to listen from teenagers themselves.

On this episode of tbh, we hear from recent Oakland School for the Arts graduate and Minions superfan Elizabeth Truong. She brings us along with her and her family on their recent trip to watch Minions: The Rise of Gru at the movies as she explores how theaters have changed during the pandemic.

For many teenagers, the images we see online make us feel worse about how we look. Our next story comes from Aria Baldinger-Williams, a sophomore at Ruth Asawa School of the Arts. She's mixed race, and says she feels pressure from the internet to present herself in the way that a perfect Black girl should.

The “clean girl aesthetic” is part lifestyle, part looks but it isn’t attainable for everyone. Elise Muchowski takes a look into algorithms and how they control the trends we see online.

For many teens across the nation, the sex ed curriculum doesn't yet reflect an inclusive perspective of sexuality and gender. Especially for those with a relatively obscure sexuality, like asexuality. Our next story comes from George Reitan, a high school sophomore in San Francisco who wants that to change.

During the pandemic lockdowns, teenagers like Cassidy Kanner-Gomes started thinking a lot more about gender identity. Cassidy brings us the story about celebrating the freedom of the queer identity.

tbh is back! And this season, we’re thinking about what it is like to live through a pandemic, gender identity, inclusive sex education and learning remotely. We'll also hear about social media culture wars and the ways that teens struggle with mental health.

This year has marked a turning point in how American athletes have engaged in political issues. Over the summer, the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks refused to play to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. Soon, other teams followed in an unprecedented wildcat strike. In this episode of tbh, Maddie Johnson catches up with a Bay Area group that has been organizing basketball-themed Black l...

America’s entrenched institutional racism has roots in its schools. In this episode of tbh, Masiyah Edwards reflects on how too often, students in the Bay Area experience severe consequences for their "bad" behavior rather than understanding, mentorship and help.

Oakland Tech is one of the most diverse schools in the country, and Chosang Tenzin, a Tibetan American and high school senior, had looked forward to going there. But, she was disappointed. The high school's academic tracking programs, which schools often use to attract more affluent parents, contributed to in-school segregation. In this episode of tbh, Chosang talks to her friends and education ex...