Written from a teenager’s perspective, this is a unique field guide for parents about the secret lives of 21st century adolescents – from mental health to self-harm, from drugs to sexting – and how you can help them and yourself through these turbulent years without losing their trust.

Things They Don’t Want You To Know is a look at modern life through the eyes of a teenager, by someone who recently graduated from that club. Along the way, Brooks takes readers on a tour of the websites that most parenting manuals would rather pretend don’t exist. Yet this is the stuff your kids are all over, on a daily basis. There is porn, there are hallucinogens, there is cyberbullying and suicidal ideation. Brooks’ point is that to remain completely unaware of their existence can mean that as a parent, you end up getting blindsided. And being blindsided means you won’t know what to say and how to say it when things go wrong.

You’ll be surprised, shocked but you’ll also be reassured. This book will help you to understand and support your kids. They won’t thank you, but they might hate you less.