Episode
268: Should I Let My Teen Take Supplements?
- Published
- Apr 21, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1545
- Processing state
not_requested
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/ask-lisa-the-psychology-of-raising-tweens-teens-477102/episodes/268-should-i-let-my-teen-take-supplements/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/ask-lisa-the-psychology-of-raising-tweens-teens-477102/268-should-i-let-my-teen-take-supplements.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Creatine for teens, supplements for teen athletes, and navigating gym culture pressure on social media… Dr. Lisa Damour answers the question parents of teen athletes are searching for. Your teen's teammate is taking creatine. Now your kid wants it too. Maybe they're a serious athlete with real goals. Maybe you even take supplements yourself. But something still feels… off. This is genuinely a hard call, and you deserve expert guidance on how to start this conversation with your kid. In this episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and journalist Reena Ninan dig into one of the fastest-growing pressure points for teen athletes: supplements. From creatine to protein powder to "pre-workout," teens (especially boys) are being flooded with messages about muscle, performance, and products — all through social media, influencers, and even their own teammates. And most of them aren't asking their parents before they start taking them. Dr. Lisa walks you through exactly how to think about this, how to talk about it with your teen, and where to draw the line. 💡 YOU'LL LEARN: - What should always come before a "yes" or "no" to any supplement - How to find out what's really driving your teen's request (performance, body image, peer pressure, all of the above?) - What to say when your teen insists "everyone on the team is doing it" - How to talk about supplement marketing and why influencers aren't looking out for your kid - When to go from "keeping an eye on it" to "this needs an intervention" - The red flag Dr. Lisa says worries her most about teens and gym culture ________________ GET DR. DAMOUR'S FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER Guidance, strategies, and tips delivered straight to your inbox → https://drlisadamour.com/sign-up-for-my-newsletter/ DR. DAMOUR'S BESTSELLING BOOKS - Un…