Gold Winner, IPBA Ben Franklin Awards, Best Parenting & Family Book
Gold Winner, NIEA Awards, Best Parenting & Family Book of 2020
Silver Winner, Foreword INDIES Awards, Family & Relationships

"Jonathan Cristall lays out exactly what teenagers, and their parents, need to know about how young people can protect their personal safety. Drawing on deep professional and personal experience, Cristall offers clear, compelling, and detailed guidance to help young people navigate complex interpersonal and legal situations—and does so while underscoring the importance of using common sense and exercising personal decency. HIGHLY RECOMMEND." —Lisa Damour, PhD, New York Times columnist and best-selling author of Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood

"Easy to read and comprehensive on topics of safety, Cristall's volume is an informative read for teens and their parents, but may also prove to be a helpful text for a high-school level health class." —Library Journal

"An easy-to-read guide for teens and those who love them ... a great tool to work through alongside a teenager to talk through the information and real-world situations. This is a very valuable guide to tough topics that are relevant in the lives of young people. Highly recommended." —Seattle Book Review

"As someone who has five kids and has been teaching safety for a living, I found this to be a great book for any parent and their teenage children. It's a book that will open up a door for discussion with your children about their safety."—Jason Hanson, former CIA officer and New York Times best-selling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life

"Finally, a sourcebook covering the class that no school offers: what it takes to grow up safely in today's world." —Cara Natterson, MD, New York Times best-selling author of The Care and Keeping of You series

"Jonathan's sage advice on avoiding violence is as good as anything I've come across after three decades in law enforcement." —John Torres, Systemwide Director of Investigations at the University of California Office of the President

"Critical and relatable information for teens and emerging adults navigating a complex world, including sexual violence, how to handle interactions with the police, and how to keep one's cyberpresence safe." —Kate Fogarty, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Family, Youth, and Community Sciences, University of Florida

"What They Don't Teach Teens is deep, impactful, and clearly conveys information about sexual and interpersonal violence that no young person should be without." —Patti Giggans, Executive Director, Peace Over Violence

"What They Don't Teach Teens is a timely text that provides both parent and child alike with valuable information to identify and confront some of the most challenging teen issues of the day." —Justin Patchin, PhD, Professor of Criminal Justice, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Co-Founder and Co-Director, Cyberbullying Research Center

"What They Don't Teach Teens is just bursting with compelling information about social media and the use of digital technologies that all young people coming of age today must know." —Terry Evans, CEO, Cybersleuth Investigations, Inc. and Fellow with the National Cybersecurity Institute at Excelsior College

"Jonathan Cristall's background, experience, and writing style makes him relatable and gives his voice credibility that teens will listen to." —Kami Kosenko, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Communication, North Carolina State University

"What They Don't Teach Teens will help prevent sexual violence in relationships, friendships, peer groups, and communities." —Connie J. Kirkland, MA, NCC, CTTS, Director of Sexual Assault Services, Northern Virginia Community College

"What They Don't Teach Teens is an essential tool for young people, parents, and guardians in navigating the rocky terrains of street and digital safety, and sexual violence." —Bianca Fileborn, PhD, Lecturer in Criminology, University of Melbourne

"What They Don't Teach Teens is a wonderful way for school administrators and school counselors to start meaningful conversations with students. A book like no other that schools (and parents) have been longing for." —Ali Norman-Franks, Intervention Counselor, Beverly Hills High School

"Jonathan Cristall provides not only great insight for how to best interface with the police, but is candid about racial injustice." —Dr. Cedric L. Alexander, Past National President of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, CNN Law Enforcement Analyst

"Jonathan Cristall's book is designed to appeal directly to youth—to help them make healthy and safe choices, even when interacting with the police." —Elizabeth Englander, PhD, Executive Director and founder of the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center at Bridgewater State University

"What They Don't Teach Teens provides incredible guidance to young people on issues of contemporary importance like policing and sexual violence prevention. Jonathan Cristall does so in a way that's not only comprehensive and realistic, but sensitive to the diverse backgrounds of those who may read it." —Capri Maddox, Esq., Executive Director, Los Angeles Department of Civil and Human Rights

"Mr. Cristall's book exposes some of the most common methods perpetrators use to obtain child sexual abuse material by the exploitation of young people. His prevention techniques and tips are savvy, well explained, and will certainly keep tweens, teens, and young adults safer online and off." —Glen Pounder, Chief Operating Officer, Child Rescue Coalition, Inc.

"What They Don't Teach Teens provides outstanding guidance on digital decision making and is written in a way to make it accessible to any person, of almost any age, who wisely chooses to pick it up." —Jedidiah Bracy, Editorial Director, International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP)

"Offers advice and admonitions for all kinds of situations, making for practical, valuable reading for navigating life's challenges." —Children's Bookwatch

Introduction

Part 1: Dealing with the Police and Street Safety

Chapter 1: Your Rights with the Police: You Probably Don't Know Them, but Should

Chapter 2: Safer Police Interactions: Critical for Everyone Involved

Chapter 3: Street Safety: Wherever Life Takes You

Part 2: Sexual Violence and Misconduct

Chapter 4: Sexual Assault and Consent: We Must Do Better

Chapter 5: Sexual Harassment: Daily Life for Many Students

Chapter 6: Sextortion—Yes, It's Really a Thing

Chapter 7: Teen Dating Violence: It Happens in Every Zip Code

Part 3: Staying Safer Online

Chapter 8: Digital Footprint and Digital Citizenship: People Change, the Internet Is Forever

Chapter 9: Digital Data Privacy: More Important Than Privacy at Home?

Chapter 10: Cyberbullying: Bullying on Steroids

Chapter 11: Smartphone Cameras: Tales of Sexting, Porn, and Falling Off Bridges

Best Wishes for Your Future

Appendices

Appendix 1: Where Can I Get Help or More Information?

Appendix 2: Reporting Sexual Harassment to School Administrators

Appendix 3: Tips for Making Police Reports

Appendix 4: Is There Anything I Can Do to Clean Up My Digital Footprint?

Appendix 5: Reporting Cyberbullying to a School Administrator

Appendix 6 (for parents): Talking to Your Children and Having Them Talk to You

Chapter Quizzes Answer Key

Recommended Reading

Endnotes

Index

Acknowledgments