The New Adolescence has a lot of insightful and helpful advice. I found myself many times saying, "oh, I do that, I need to stop." The statistics she provided were very enlightening and I enjoyed that the most. While there were a few gaps and the way she presented some of the topics I found a little weird, but overall it was a helpful book. I also didn't like the contract part, making my kids sign a contract for certain things seemed like it was overstepping. Overall, this book was helpful.

Raising teenagers takes courage.
In this time of 'over parenting' it's sometimes hard to know when to step back and when to step in.
Gen Xers raising Gen Z teenagers are at a unique time in history. With the creation of so many technologies, the internet, and social media, parents are just getting to know the ins and outs of them all whereas the kids don't know a life without any of them. It's hard to teach them the plusses, minuses, dangers and pitfalls, when we're just learning them ourselves.
There are so many new stressors and pressures in this competitive age, not to mention added issues with sex, drugs, and alcohol, that it's hard to make sure you're steering your teenagers in the right direction to lead a successful and fulfilling life.
This book has a lot of helpful guidance to aid you in the navigation through your teenagers' formative years.
I feel overwhelmed yet a bit more confident.


(I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley)

As a parent of tween and teenagers this book was incredibly helpful with lots of informative insights and tips for parenting today.
I have found the advise useful and down to earth. I recommend this to any parent of teenagers needing some extra help in this phase.

This was a very informative read. Many parents of teenagers will benefit from this book. There are a lot of books about raising small children, but there are not so many for older children. Our job as parents is difficult these days, and we don't know how to get past so many obstacles. The world has changed so much since we were teenagers, and we don't have any experience.

Thanks to the Netgalley, author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

Honestly, where was this book when I needed it?! I work in a library and it has always astonished me that there aren't more books written on this age group. They are really needed, especially now with all the distractions of electronic devices. Kudos Dr. Carter! You have your work cut out for you with 4 teens of your own! Thanks for sharing your research and life experience. If your children are about to enter this stage, read this book, it will be helpful.

THE NEW ADOLESCENCE by Christine Carter is subtitled "Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction." It seems even more relevant in these days of COVID as we try to navigate uncertainty and more "together" time than usual. Carter knows what she is talking about due to her training as a sociologist, her role as a senior fellow at UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and her practical experience as a Mom of four teenagers. The book is certainly geared towards parents and while it refers to numerous scientific findings, it is written in an accessible manner with bold type throughout for key ideas. I do think that teens may be put off a bit by some of the suggestions (no phone, tablet or computer in your bed does not seem reasonable in times of remote learning) and also with some of the language (e.g., her driving and technology contracts start out "Dear Sweet Child of Ours"). However, the statistics to which she points are certainly significant ones and worthy of discussion. The book itself is divided into three parts, with the first providing a Foundation which provides background and discusses helping teens to set up good systems and supporting them when they miss the mark. In the second section, she discussions Three Core Skills for the Digital Age (i.e., connection, focus ("a twenty-first-century superpower"), and rest. Part three covers talking points for the new sex talk, drinking and drugs, and money. The conclusion provides a useful summary about parenting strategies and tactics to support reconnection for tweens, teens, and college students. There is about twenty pages of source notes and an index. To me, this work further highlights a need for educators to be thinking about how to help teens find meaning and connect, especially if traditional options (like Fall sports or other extra-curricular activities) are limited due to COVID.

I read this book as part of a reading challenge with my book club. I recommend it since it was on my list. I found it to be informative and well written. I did find some of the aspects useful and can see myself implementing them into my daily life.

This is a great supportive guide for raising neurotypical teens (and tweens) in today's world. The world is complicated and this offers a deeper dive into the world of raising neurotypical adolescents with some great strategies for building healthier family dynamics.

As the mother of an 11 year old I was excited to receive an ARC of this book from Netgalley.
It absolutely did not disappoint. It is full of useful ideas to help make your familial relationships healthy and stronger.
It gave me a lot of confidence as a mother, knowing that I'm doing it right. I just need to keep persevering and my son will become the healthy independent adult I know he can be.
Highly recommended for anyone with children 8+. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I found this book to have some very helpful information in it for raising teenagers. As a mother of a 14 year old, some of it scared the crap out of me but I’m glad I read it and I’m in the know about teens growing up in our world today. I was shocked at some of the statistics (some good, some bad). Some parts were redundant, but otherwise a good guide for parents of teens.

If you have teens, or work with teens, or even, preteens, this book will help you see their struggles and reality in a new light. Teens are dealing with so much more than their parents ever did at their age. So much of the information teens get is from social media, their uninformed peers, and unreliable resources. This book is a reality check for expectations and having successful conversations with teens.

Had some great advice about parenting in this every changing world. I often say the world I was raised in no longer exists, and so out parennting stratgey must evolve as well.

This book provides great information and strategies to use with your teens in this technologically driven world. My bonus child is 12 and glued to his phone playing games and looking up cool new projects, or he's on a chrome book completing assignments for school. As this topic is new for many parents who did not grow up with the same technology, I found this text to be very useful!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction. The title says it all. this book was helpful and insightful regarding raising kids in an age that is foreign to us.

Thanks to NetGalley and BenBella Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!
Where to begin with Adolescence… This book was an interesting read because by Carter’s definition I almost fall into this category. She images this category contains anyone 9 to early adulthood, so this is honestly huge. I imagine some of that definition deals with the brain and when it is fully formed, but I felt weird knowing she would apply these tactics to me.
Personally, I felt like this book hit on a lot of interesting techniques for talking to your kids. The space Carter wants to create is calm and orderly, but let’s kids know ultimately they control their actions. I like it in theory, but I’m not sure how well it would go in practice. I work with teens and often when given the chance they’ll run right through your cautions and do whatever they want anyway.
Also, I’m not sure I agree with Carter on some of her bigger political stands she makes in the book. I think that if this were written from a different perspective it may have been more delicately handled.
All in all, I think this book is a helpful resource from which we can pull a few good techniques. I gave it 3 stars.

An excellent read! An excellent book to have if you have a pre-teen or adolescent in your life. Loved this pragmatic practical book.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am raising two grandchildren and I am usually terrified that I am doing everything wrong. This book offers great advice and is very thought provoking. I plan to take these tips and put them to work in our lives.
Many thanks to BenBella Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

As an educator and mom of teens, I found this book to be a "one stop shop" for all the advice you need to start down a great parenting path or to do some course corrections. Dr. Christine Carter blends anecdotes from her own life with adolescents as well as the from her years of coaching adults. The statistics are staggering, the scripts are easily applied and the examples are based in this generation’s reality. Her authenticity and her solid coaching approach will allow every parent the encouragement that they need to just give some of her ideas a try. I have already started telling my daughter…..” It’s your call!” Along with Julie Lythcott-Haims’ book How to Raise an Adult, The New Adolescence will be on my list of most recommended books for parents and educators alike.

Carter has written an engaging and important guide to parenting in the internet age. Geared to parents of preteens, teens and young adults, the book provides insight into how and why kids born between 1995 and 2012 are on the verge of one of the most serious mental health crises the nation has seen. But rather than scaring the ever living daylights out of readers, Carter shows parents what they can do to reverse and prevent this trend. As the parent of a teenage girl, I certainly appreciated Carter's well-written, authoritative book and think many other readers will too.

Enlightening and important. This book is chock full of sound advice that is backed by science and personal experience. Things are so different now than when I was in middle and high school. The new teen life is hard to navigate. I highly recommend this book, especially if you're struggling to understand and guide your children.

Thank you to netgalley for granting a copy for me to review.