Stop Saying “Underage” & Other Words That Blur the Lines

Stop Saying “Underage” & Other Words That Blur the Lines

From Holistic Psychiatry Podcast by Courtney Snyder MD

February 19, 2026 · 16 min

About this episode

Courtney Snyder MD discusses the impact of language on the normalization of abuse and the importance of clarity in terminology.

In this episode, I encourage clarity, as our news is flooded with information about released files. I address concerns about the normalization of abuse through language, emphasizing the importance of correct terminology to protect victims and prevent further harm. I also discuss the role our biases play and offer tools for awareness and advocacy. Chapters 00:00 Language & The Blurring of Lines in Abuse02:50 Desensitization & Normalization 04:18 Understanding Consent and Age of Consent (Legal Perspective)11:21 The Role of Bias in Language15:20 Call to Clarity and Responsibility Words matter. The language we hear seeps into our unconscious and has the ability to make what is horrific palatable. It has the ability to take something as horrible as child sexual abuse and human trafficking and gradually start to make it seem almost normal. Listen carefully and you will hear this shift in the public discourse around the release of millions of documents about many of our world’s wealthiest and most powerful people abusing children and adults. You will hear a blurring of the lines - of what it means to be a child and what it means to be abused, assaulted, and trafficked. You will also…

People in this episode

Host: Courtney Snyder MD

Topics covered

  • language and abuse
  • normalization of abuse
  • consent
  • bias in language
  • advocacy

Keywords

  • abuse
  • language
  • consent
  • normalization
  • bias
  • advocacy
  • child sexual abuse

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