Exposing the dark truth behind the troubled teen industry: a Firsthand look with Beetle James

Beetle James has seen a recent virality on social media when she detailed her story of living through the troubled teen industry, a group of organizations that utilize extreme boot camp style measures to address at risk youth with behavioral issues. While many of the programs are promoted as victorious and life changing, Beetle’s experiences were quite the opposite. Spending nearly a year and a half away from her parents in camp led to physical, mental, and emotional trauma, and she details the events leading up to and after her completion of the program. She now uses her online presence of over 184,000 followers on tiktok to spread awareness about the dangers of the troubled teen industry, and the impact that clear communication amongst family can have in dissolving the need for this industry in the first place. We discuss why and how she ended up in a troubled teen camp, what her life is like now after completion of the program, and how she is using the internet and social media to bring light to an industry that hides deep darkness. Beetle can be found on tiktok at https://www.tiktok.com/@uwunisom?_t=8ZQ5lelmwVH&_r=1 and https://linktr.ee/uwunisom Find out more about the Misfit Heroes Podcast at www.misfit-heroes.com and www.beacons.ai/misfitheroes