Exposing The Troubled Teen Industry with Meg Appelgate

In this episode, Paris chats with Meg Appelgate, survivor, author of Becoming UNSILENCED, and founder of Unsilenced, about what really goes on behind closed doors in the Troubled Teen Industry in the United States.

Meg shares her experience growing up in these institutions, the lack of oversight that allows abuse to continue, and why “tough love” approaches often cause more harm than healing. We dive into how normal teenage behaviour gets pathologised, the emotional toll of gaslighting and victim-blaming, and what kind of real support families need when they’re struggling.

While the focus is on the US system, we also reflect on how some of these same patterns might be playing out here in Australia, and what we should be keeping an eye on.

We also talk about:

• Why it took years for Meg to speak up

• The work Unsilenced is doing to support survivors

• The importance of finding your voice after trauma

• How to challenge broken systems and protect young people

Trigger Warning: This episode includes conversations around trauma and institutional abuse.