Inside this post: Here are the ten best podcasts for teens that you may enjoy too! Entertainment is a great way to connect with teens.
With all the different ways to stream entertainment, podcasts have been gaining popularity at a rapid pace in the last few years. This is especially true for teenagers, who see them as the next logical alternative to iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.
There are podcasts on just about any topic that might interest teens from mysteries to video games and celebrities to sci-fi. They can find a podcast that tailors to their specific interests with ease. Listening to podcasts while doing chores, walking the dog, or driving around town are all ways for them to enjoy this platform!
For podcast newbies who are overwhelmed by choice, there are so many great general podcasts that your teens will love!
10 Best Podcasts for Teens
To help with some of that choice paralysis, here are 10 of the best MUST LISTEN TO podcasts for teens.
Hidden Brain
Hosted by the journalist Shankar Vedantam, he plays every parent’s best friend in this podcast. He discusses different perspectives and gives insight into issues going on in today’s society. Hidden Brain explores the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior and questions that lie at the heart of our complex and changing world. If your teen is starting to get interested in the daily news, they will love this podcast.
Off Book: The Improvised Musical
If your child is interested in musicals, they will love this podcast! It can take years before musicals hit broadway, but in this podcast, you get delivered right to your ears each week a brand new musical. Jessica McKenna, Zach Reino, and a weekly special guest create musicals right there on the spot!
Switched on Pop
This podcast analyzes the popular songs and artists that are in the music industry. For any music lover, this podcast is a musician or music enthusiast’s dream come true. Musicologist Nate Sloan and songwriter Charlie Harding are the hosts and discuss everything from song trends to discussions about popular songs.
Every Little Thing Minis
This podcast is short and sweet but answers the burning questions your teens likely have in their brains. Each week they tackle a bunch of questions and share weird facts about how stuff works!
TED Talks Daily
You can watch them on the TED website or find them on Spotify, Apple/iTunes, but this podcast is perfect for those who love inspirational TED talks! This podcast delivers some of the best and most inspiring speeches out there from famous TED talkers. If they are super into Ted Talks there is also the Ted Radio Hour from NPR, which is another great option.
Short Wave
If your teens love to learn about anything related to science in an easy and digestible manner, they will love this podcast! This quick ten-minute daily episode is perfect for waiting for the bus before school or to listen to while doing chores.
Dummies Podcast
We all know and love the For Dummies book series that covers everything from how to build a Wiki page to how to do your taxes. These podcast episodes are free and last about 30 minutes teaching you just about anything without having to read the books! These podcasts are perfect for teens who want to learn something new.
Something You Should Know
The title of this podcast pretty much sums it up well. In this podcast for teens, they can learn on each show a little nugget of wisdom. The episodes are about an hour but cover a wide range of topics and subjects teaching your teens just a little something they should know. Subjects range from movies, pop culture, comedy and even social media.
Forever Ago
We have all had questions that left us feeling stumped looking and searching for the answer. If this is your teen, they will love tagging along on in this podcast as a researcher takes you across history to find the evolution of one thing that still exists today in each episode. It’s like a history class on the go and way more fun!
Mental Music
This podcast was created just for teens. This focuses on mental health using language and topics that your teens are able to relate to. From discussions about phobias and depression, this covers all things mental health including the stigma around it. This is great for not only teaching your teens about mental health and how to cope, but also helping them learn to change the stigma around it.
Additional Great Podcasts for Teens
Here are a few additional podcasts recommended by our readers that you may enjoy together:
Night Vale
WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE is a twice-monthly mystery podcast in the style of community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, featuring local weather, news, announcements from the Sheriff’s Secret Police, mysterious lights in the night sky, dark hooded figures with unknowable powers, and cultural events. Great for the big kids who like mysteries and other suspenseful shows.
My Favorite Murder
My Favorite Murder is the hit true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Since its inception in early 2016, the show has broken download records and sparked an enthusiastic, interactive “Murderino” fan base who come out in droves for their sold-out worldwide tours. Appropriate for older, more mature teens.
Let’s Be Read with Sammy Jaye
Let’s Be Real, hosted by GenZ change-maker Sammy Jaye, is all about having powerful and candid conversations with celebrities, activists, athletes, and influencers, while discussing real-life issues – from mental health and political activism to pop culture and more. Sammy Jaye, at 19, is the youngest person to host her own podcast on iHeartRadio and was recently named to PopSugar’s 20-under-20 list. Teens love this podcast because it often features guests they are seeing on the screen and social media.
HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks got its start in 1998 at a college professor’s kitchen table. From there, they quickly grew into an award-winning source of unbiased, reliable, easy-to-understand answers and explanations of how the world actually works, and now offer several great podcasts including Stuff Your Mother Never Told You and Stuff You Missed in Histroy Class.
Also, be sure to check out the many podcasts offered by NPR. The Ted Radio Hour was mentioned earlier, but Radiolab might also interest some teens and there are tons of politics if you happen to have a politically-minded teenager.
There are so many great podcast ideas out there just waiting for your teens to explore! However, these are just some of the best we found out there! If you are looking for more podcast ideas for your teens and kids, be sure to check out these ideas:
- Hilariously Funny Podcasts for Teens That Will Have Them Laughing Out Loud
- 10 Best Podcasts for Teens and Tweens to Expand Their Worldview
Parenting teens and tweens is hard, but here are some popular posts other parents found helpful that might just make it a little easier.
The Best TV Series Families With Tweens Can Enjoy Together
The Best Audio-Books For Tweens and Teens (That Parents Will Enjoy Too!)
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