The 17 Best Teens Podcasts (2026)

Penn Badgley — yes, Joe Goldberg from You — teamed up with producers Nava Kavelin and Sophie Ansari to create something genuinely special with Podcrushed. The premise sounds simple: celebrities share their most awkward middle school memories. But the conversations go so much deeper than that. Ariana Grande talked about the pressure of performing as a kid. Simu Liu opened up about immigrant family dynamics during adolescence. Gaten Matarazzo reflected on growing up with a visible difference. Each guest brings a story that makes you think, "Oh wait, I went through something like that too."

The show ran for 199 episodes under the Lemonada Media banner before wrapping up in February 2026 with a series finale featuring Leighton Meester. What made it work was the chemistry between the three hosts. Penn asked surprisingly thoughtful questions for someone famous for playing a serial killer. Nava kept the energy moving, and Sophie grounded everything with real emotional intelligence. Episodes ranged from 40 minutes to two-hour deep conversations.

Fair warning: the show carries an explicit rating, so some language gets colorful. But the core of every episode was about vulnerability — adults admitting that being a teenager was confusing, painful, and sometimes hilarious. For teens going through it right now, hearing that their favorite actors and musicians survived the same awkwardness is genuinely reassuring. The full back catalog is absolutely worth binging even though no new episodes are coming.

This Teenage Life is exactly what it sounds like — a podcast made by actual teenagers, talking about their actual lives. No adults steering the conversation. No scripts. Just real teens from different backgrounds recording honest reflections about the stuff that keeps them up at night. The show has been running since 2019 and has built up over 200 episodes, each one clocking in around 10 to 15 minutes.

Topics range from navigating friendships and dealing with negative self-talk to figuring out independence and processing complicated family relationships. One recent episode explored what it means to create authentic friendships in an age when most socializing happens through screens. Another tackled the pressure of diet culture and how it messes with how young people think about food. The episodes feel like overhearing a support group conversation — raw, a little messy, and surprisingly comforting.

The rotating cast of teen contributors means you get a wide range of perspectives. Some voices are confident, others nervous. That unevenness is actually the point. It reminds you that nobody has it all figured out at 16. The show carries a clean rating and releases monthly, so it never overwhelms your feed. Listeners consistently say it makes them feel less alone, and the 4.7-star rating on Apple Podcasts backs that up. If you are a teenager who sometimes feels like the only person struggling with something, this podcast will quickly prove you wrong.

Sadie Sutton started She Persisted when she was a teenager who had just come out of a year-long residential treatment program for depression and anxiety. That background shapes everything about the show. She knows what it feels like to sit in a therapist's office for the first time, to take medication and worry about side effects, to explain to friends why you missed three weeks of school. Now in her twenties and studying psychology at Penn, she brings on clinicians, researchers, and other young people who have walked through hard mental health stuff and come out the other side. Episodes tackle specific topics: how CBT actually works in practice, what to expect from intensive outpatient programs, the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack, how to tell your parents you need help. The guest list is packed with therapists who specialize in adolescents, so the advice is grounded and practical rather than vague. What makes the show work for teenagers is the tone. Sadie doesn't talk down, doesn't pretend she has it all figured out, and doesn't package recovery as a cute journey. She asks the questions a 16-year-old would actually ask, and her guests answer them like they're talking to a smart peer. For teens navigating their own mental health, or just curious about how this stuff works, it's one of the most honest resources around.

This one is built for the kids themselves, not the parents, which makes it genuinely useful as a road-trip listen when you've got a ten-to-fourteen-year-old who has aged out of kid podcasts but isn't ready for true crime or the news. Episodes are short, usually around ten minutes, and each one picks a topic and runs through it in a way that assumes tweens are smart and curious rather than talking down to them. Hosts cover history, science, current events, culture, biographies, and the occasional strange-but-true story. The production is clean, the pacing is quick enough to hold a squirmy attention span, and there's no profanity or heavy themes, so parents can hit play without previewing. It's from the Empowerful Girls network, and while it skews slightly toward stories about women and girls, the topics are broad enough to work for any tween in the back seat. What makes it road-trip friendly specifically is how easily you can queue up five or six episodes and let the kids pick which ones sound interesting. Good conversation starters, occasionally sparks a question or two that carries the family through the next thirty miles, and short enough that no one feels trapped.

Laura Orlando is a confidence coach who spent years working with middle and high school girls, and her podcast is basically a distillation of the stuff she wishes every young person knew before the social pressure of those years hit them. Episodes run short, usually 15 to 25 minutes, and each one zooms in on a specific confidence problem. How do you speak up in class when your voice shakes? What do you do when your best friend starts hanging out with someone else? How do you handle the voice in your head that keeps telling you you're not good enough? Laura mixes her own stories with tools borrowed from cognitive behavioral therapy, broken down into language a 12-year-old can actually use. She interviews guests too, including young people who talk about their own anxieties, body image struggles, and friendship dramas without sugarcoating any of it. The show isn't just for girls, though it skews that way, and parents who want to understand what their kid is going through often find themselves learning something too. It's the kind of podcast you can put on in the car on the way to school and have something real to talk about by the time you arrive.

MindShift Power Podcast bills itself as the world's only international podcast dedicated exclusively to teen issues, and the scope backs up the claim. Host Fatima Bey pulls in voices from over 100 countries across six continents, creating conversations that go far beyond the typical American-centric teen media landscape. Episodes feature a rotating mix of teenagers sharing their own stories alongside educators, innovators, and professionals who work directly with young people.

The range of topics reflects that global perspective. One week might focus on climate activism from a teenager in Southeast Asia, while the next explores educational equity in sub-Saharan Africa or mental health stigma in the Middle East. But the show also covers universal teen concerns like entrepreneurship, navigating technology, building self-confidence, and planning for the future. Bey brings real energy to the hosting role and has a talent for making guests feel comfortable enough to speak openly and honestly.

With 126 episodes releasing weekly and listeners across more than 100 countries, the podcast has grown steadily since its launch. It holds a perfect 5.0 rating on Apple Podcasts, though from a smaller review base. The show is available on over 55 streaming platforms, making it genuinely accessible worldwide. For teenagers who want to understand what their peers are dealing with in other parts of the world, or for anyone who thinks teen issues deserve a global conversation rather than a local one, MindShift Power Podcast fills a gap nobody else is really covering.

Teen Life Podcast comes from Teen Life, a nonprofit organization that has been running support groups for adolescents since 2006. That hands-on experience with real teenagers and real problems gives the show a grounded quality that sets it apart from podcasts where adults theorize about teen issues from a distance. The hosts have actually sat in rooms with struggling young people week after week, and that shows in how they approach every topic.

The podcast covers the full spectrum of adolescent challenges: understanding the teenage brain, navigating social pressure, dealing with anxiety and depression, building healthy relationships, managing screen time, and communicating with parents. Episodes also address the adults in teens' lives, helping parents, teachers, and youth workers understand what young people are going through and how to actually be helpful rather than just worried.

With 250 episodes in the catalog and weekly releases, Teen Life Podcast has one of the deepest back catalogs in the teen podcast space. The show holds a 4.4 star rating from 25 reviews on Apple Podcasts. Episodes run at a comfortable length and the tone strikes a balance between being informative and being warm. It is not flashy or celebrity-driven, which is actually part of its strength. This is a podcast built by people who do the unglamorous daily work of helping teenagers, and that authenticity comes through in every conversation.

BeingMe comes from BeMe Health, a platform built specifically around teen mental wellness, and that specialized focus gives the podcast a clarity of purpose that broader mental health shows often lack. Hosts Juan Bendana and Ruthie Tessler bring on a mix of mental health professionals, athletes, celebrities, and most importantly, other teenagers to talk about their own mental health journeys and what actually helped them through difficult periods.

The show won a Bronze Signal Award and a Gold for Listeners Choice in the Child and Family category, and that recognition reflects what listeners keep saying in reviews: this podcast meets young people exactly where they are. Episodes cover the real stuff, from anxiety and depression to the overwhelming transition out of high school, social media's effect on self-image, and figuring out how to ask for help when you need it. The conversations avoid both extremes of being either too clinical or too casually dismissive about serious mental health topics.

With 38 episodes and a semimonthly release schedule, BeingMe is a smaller show than some others on this list, but the quality is high and the 4.7 star rating from 15 reviews shows a dedicated listener base. The production is polished without being slick, and the content is rated clean, making it appropriate for younger teens too. For any teenager who wants to hear honest conversations about mental health from people who actually understand what it is like to be young right now, BeingMe delivers that with care and credibility.

Brothers Hank and John Green built a massive audience of teenagers and young adults through YouTube years ago, and this podcast is the slightly messier, more personal corner of their world. The format is simple. Listeners send in questions, ranging from the very serious to the absolutely absurd, and the brothers answer them with what they call dubious advice. One question might be about how to survive senior year when your friend group is falling apart. The next might be about whether a hot dog is a sandwich, or what to do if you accidentally called your teacher mom. John, the novelist behind The Fault in Our Stars and Turtles All the Way Down, tends to lean philosophical. Hank, a science communicator and entrepreneur, goes for the practical angle. They close every episode with news from Mars and news from AFC Wimbledon, their beloved lower-league English soccer club, which makes zero sense on paper and somehow works. For teens who grew up on Crash Course or vlogbrothers, this is the comfort show. For anyone new, it's a warm, funny hour with two brothers who clearly like each other and treat their audience with real respect.

Puberty has changed. It starts earlier, lasts longer, and happens with a smartphone in hand, which means the whole experience looks nothing like what previous generations went through. This Is So Awkward, hosted by Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett, takes that reality head-on. Natterson is a pediatrician who literally wrote the book on puberty (The Care and Keeping of You), and together the hosts tackle the physical, emotional, and social upheaval of ages 8 through 18 with a mix of expertise and humor.

The show is technically aimed at parents, but teenagers themselves get a lot out of it too. Episodes cover executive function development, body changes, consent conversations, fad diets and supplements, sensory integration, and the complicated dynamics of teen friendships and social hierarchies. What makes it work is that the hosts never talk about adolescence as a problem to be solved. They treat it as a real, specific developmental stage with its own logic, and they give listeners scripts, strategies, and frameworks for actually navigating it.

New episodes drop weekly, and the show has built a substantial following since its launch. The combination of medical credibility and conversational warmth makes it accessible without being shallow. For teenagers who want to understand what is happening to their brains and bodies, or for parents trying to figure out how to stay connected during the most turbulent years, This Is So Awkward provides evidence-based guidance wrapped in the reassurance that yes, everyone finds this stage of life confusing.

Dr. Cam Caswell brings a rare combination to this podcast: she's an adolescent psychologist, a certified parenting coach, and a mom who's currently raising a teenager. That triple perspective means the advice here isn't theoretical. When she talks about handling a teen's mood swings or defiance, she's drawing from clinical training, professional experience, and the reality of living with a teenager under her own roof.

The show has 280 episodes and counting, with weekly releases that tackle specific parenting challenges head-on. Recent topics include helping anxious teens learn to drive, managing screen time without turning it into a daily battle, understanding ADHD in adolescents, and building communication patterns that don't shut down the moment things get tense. Dr. Cam alternates between solo episodes where she breaks down a strategy step by step and conversations with guest experts who bring specialized knowledge on everything from teen sleep science to social media psychology.

With a 4.7-star rating from 79 reviews on Apple Podcasts, the show has earned a loyal audience of parents who appreciate its evidence-based but judgment-free approach. Dr. Cam is direct about what works and what doesn't, and she consistently emphasizes connection over control. The episodes run 20-40 minutes, making them easy to fit into a commute or a lunch break. For parents who are tired of generic parenting advice and want strategies rooted in actual adolescent psychology, this podcast fills that gap with clarity and compassion.

Host Sami created The Teen Life Coach after going through her own struggles with anxiety, depression, and the constant comparison game that defines so much of adolescence. That personal experience gives the show a credibility that teens pick up on right away -- this isn't an adult lecturing from a distance, it's someone who genuinely remembers what it felt like and built a career around helping others through it.

Across 242 episodes, the show covers the full spectrum of teen mental health: managing anxiety before it spirals, building confidence that isn't dependent on social media validation, dealing with bullying, navigating friendships that feel complicated, and figuring out how to handle emotions that seem way too big for the situation. Episodes run between 8 and 37 minutes, mixing solo coaching sessions with guest interviews featuring mental health professionals and other experts.

The numbers back up the impact. A 4.7-star rating from over 650 reviews on Apple Podcasts, with listeners regularly reporting that specific episodes helped them manage panic attacks, prepare for big transitions like starting high school, or simply feel less alone in what they were going through. The show updates weekly and keeps its tone warm without being patronizing. Sami talks to teens the way a cool older sister would -- honest, direct, and without sugarcoating the hard parts. For any teenager who feels stuck, overwhelmed, or just wants someone in their earbuds who gets it, this podcast delivers.

Andy Earle is a parent-teen researcher who clearly did his homework before starting this podcast, and it shows in the caliber of guests he lands. Each week, he sits down with a different expert -- pediatricians, psychologists, neuroscientists, authors, coaches -- and zeroes in on one specific challenge of raising a teenager. The conversations are practical and grounded, covering everything from how teen brains process risk to strategies for getting a 16-year-old to actually talk at dinner.

With nearly 670 episodes in the catalog, the breadth of topics is impressive. Recent discussions include lighthouse parenting (the middle ground between helicopter and hands-off), helping teens manage imposter syndrome, navigating youth sports without losing your mind, and teaching financial literacy before they leave for college. The show runs on Transistor and updates weekly, with free episodes plus extended premium cuts for subscribers.

The 4.4-star rating from 193 reviews on Apple Podcasts reflects a show that parents genuinely rely on. Reviewers consistently praise the expert guests and the specific, usable advice each episode delivers. Andy's approach is more reporter than guru -- he asks questions, listens, and lets the expert do the heavy lifting. That makes the show feel less like a parenting lecture and more like sitting in on a really good conversation with someone who studies teenagers for a living. For parents who want research-backed strategies instead of generic advice, this is one of the most consistently useful podcasts in the space.

Teen Creeps is two comedians doing exactly what you'd hope: rereading the trashy teen horror novels from the '80s and '90s that shaped an entire generation's nightmares and then roasting them with love. Kelly Nugent and Lindsay Katai bring their comedy chops and genuine nostalgia to books by R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, V.C. Andrews, and the whole Fear Street universe, breaking down the absurd plot twists, questionable parenting decisions, and surprisingly dark themes buried in what were technically kids' books.

With over 500 episodes in the archive, the show has grown way beyond its original scope. Kelly and Lindsay still cover the pulpy YA horror classics, but they've expanded into literary fiction, sci-fi novellas, and contemporary short stories. The chemistry between the two hosts is the real draw here. They go on tangents, crack each other up, and bring a warmth to the discussion that makes you feel like you're hanging out with friends who happen to have really strong opinions about Point Horror novels.

The show sits at 4.7 stars from over 1,300 reviews on Apple Podcasts, with new episodes dropping weekly. It also has a Patreon community for bonus content and ad-free listening. For teens who love horror, for older listeners revisiting their childhood reading lists, or for anyone who wants to understand why a generation of kids was obsessed with stories about babysitters getting stalked, Teen Creeps is the perfect mix of literary criticism and comedy that never takes itself too seriously.

Unladylike started as a two-host show with Cristen Conger and Caroline Ervin picking apart the myths and double standards that shape how women move through the world. After Caroline's departure, Cristen kept the engine running solo, pivoting to a more interview-heavy format that brings in researchers, authors, and cultural commentators to tackle a specific topic each week. Over 339 episodes, the show has covered everything from tradwife culture and pronatalism to ADHD in women and the wellness industry's grip on female consumers.

Produced by Unladylike Media and hosted on Acast, the show has a 4.7-star average from over 3,600 ratings on Apple Podcasts. Episodes typically run 45-60 minutes, though some stretch longer when a conversation really gets going. The format works because Cristen doesn't just present information and move on. She pushes back on popular narratives, asks follow-up questions that actually matter, and isn't afraid to sit with uncomfortable truths about gender, power, and identity.

For teens and young women who are starting to notice the gap between what they're told about being female and what they actually experience, this podcast puts language to those observations. It's feminist analysis that doesn't feel like a lecture hall. Cristen keeps the tone sharp and occasionally funny, and she has a knack for connecting seemingly unrelated cultural moments into a bigger picture. The back catalog is massive, so new listeners can start with whatever topic grabs them and branch out from there.