Netflix ‘program’ exposes abuse, manipulation, torture inflicted on troubled teens
When people think about evil, they often picture demons, monsters, and even killers. What most fail to realize is that evil comes in many forms, ready to manipulate. In this case, Netflix’s recent limited docuseries, The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnapping, sheds light on the sickening, often unnoticed abuse that exists within the so-called “troubled teen industry.” This abusive evil takes the form of power-addicted adults who claim to be healing children, when that is far from reality.
For those who are unfamiliar, the troubled teen industry can be tied back to a drug rehabilitation program, Synanon, which was founded by Charles Dedrich in 1958. This acclaimed program centers around group support in which individuals could rehabilitate themselves through “self-reliance and making the person responsible for his own actions.” This slogan the program -- or more accurately, cult -- held left out the brainwashing, mental torture, and other abusive forms of “healing” members went through.
Unfortunately, these gruesome methods of “therapy” didn’t go extinct when Synanon did, and that’s why Katherine Kubler was led to create her Netflix docuseries. The series centers around both Kubler and her classmates’ experiences at Ivy Ridge Academy, a boarding school for “troubled teenagers.” Ivy Ridge was marketed to be a place which featured healthy healing, ample time spent in nature, and a well-rounded education. This was a facade which parents bought into; no surprise considering how much more effort the academy put into keeping up appearances than actually caring for the kids in their care, who they referred to as “units.”
At Ivy Ridge, teens -- including Kubler -- were dehumanized, manipulated, and abused in all forms. Throughout it all their parents were under the impression they were being “straightened out” in a safe, healthy manner. Kubler shares stories of being strip searched, forced to sleep with her wrists visible, and overall being treated as though she was a prisoner, which is somewhat ironic considering her castmate shared that jail was “like a five star hotel” compared to the academy.
This mistreatment isn’t uncommon for programs such as these, as they exist all around the world. Children are kidnapped in the middle of the night -- which is a lifetime of trauma on its own -- and taken to remote locations where they will face abuse similar to what Kubler went through. The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnappings isn’t the only media of its kind, as other movies such as Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare and Cruel Instruction attempt to shed light on the often unspoken abuse that exists within the troubled teen industry.
Recently, the industry has been increasingly exposed as seen on Tiktok through accounts attempting to bring light to the industry using the hasting “breaking code silence.” This has been amplified by celebrities such as Paris Hilton, who is a big advocate for survivors of the troubled teen industry. Hilton herself is a survivor of the industry, and went through both physical and psychological abuse throughout multiple programs similar to Ivy Ridge.
The hope with the publicization of the docuseries on Ivy Ridge, as well as the numerous efforts among survivors to shed light on their stories, is that the industry as a whole will face its end. For there to still be legality within what is essentially child abuse is disheartening to so many, and The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnappings does an amazing job of tugging on the heartstrings of viewers all while providing crucial information that brings awareness to evil that is the troubled teen industry.
Grade: A+
Blurb: The Program: Cons, Cults and Kidnappings sheds light on the abusive troubled teen industry, highlighting the concealed environment that leads parents astray.
by Emma Toney
Published April 1st 2024
Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue VI