Hold On to Your Teens: Dr. Gordon Neufeld on Addiction & Emotional Maturity

Hold On to Your Teens: Dr. Gordon Neufeld on Addiction & Emotional Maturity

From Mind Architect by Mind Architect

May 14, 2026 · 1h 0m

About this episode

Dr. Gordon Neufeld discusses the risks of peer orientation in teenagers and offers insights for parents on fostering emotional maturity.

In this Mind Architect × ParentED Fest conversation, Dr. Gordon Neufeld explains why peer orientation — not independence — is the real risk facing today's teenagers, and what parents can do about it. Dr. Gordon Neufeld is one of the world's leading developmental psychologists, with over 50 years of experience working with adolescents, families, and youth in the juvenile justice system. He is the founder of the Neufeld Institute and the author of the bestselling book Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers (co-authored with Dr. Gabor Maté). The host of the conversation is Diana Bălan — Neufeld Institute representative, founder of Urban Mowgli, and co-founder of ParentED Fest — joining us to explore: Myths about older children's needs and relationship responsibility in parenting How to reconnect when you feel you've lost your teenager's heart Why emotional maturity has nothing to do with age, education or IQ Addiction as a "flight from vulnerability" and what true prevention looks like The connection between critical thinking and emotional development How screens, social media, and AI quietly displace the relationships our children need Sexuality…

People in this episode

Host: Diana Bălan

Guest: Dr. Gordon Neufeld

Topics covered

  • teen addiction
  • emotional maturity
  • parenting
  • peer orientation
  • critical thinking
  • vulnerability
  • social media impact

Keywords

  • teenagers
  • addiction
  • parenting advice
  • emotional development
  • peer pressure
  • social media
  • critical thinking

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Neufeld Institute

Books & works: Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

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