"Something Is Different About Growing Up Today"
It's not a parenting failure. It's not your teenager's fault. It's a cultural shift — and understanding the disconnection crisis is the first step to bridging the gap.
The Urgent Dilemma of Our Disconnected Youth
A study from Harvard on health and wellbeing found that close, meaningful relationships are the single most powerful predictor of joy–far outweighing wealth, status, or achievement. (Harvard Study of Adult Development)
Something is systematically pulling young people away from those relationships.
Young People are struggling with connection
It’s Not Screens. It’s Disconnection.
For decades, young people built social skills through something simple: unstructured time together. Pickup games after school. Long phone calls. Hanging out with no agenda. These weren't just fun — they were the training ground for empathy, communication, and connection.
Since 2009, the average teen's face-to-face social time has dropped dramatically — replaced by passive scrolling, group chats, and increasingly, AI-powered companions designed to simulate friendship rather than build it. The result isn't a generation that doesn't care. It's a generation that hasn't had enough practice. Connection is a skill. And like any skill, it can be learned, strengthened, and built — at any age.
A note for parents about AI companions → The question to ask isn't "is my child using AI?" — it's "does this use of AI help them connect better with real people, or does it get in the way?"
→ Read our full guide: “AI Friends & Your Child"
Therapy Helps. But when kids either don’t need, or don’t want therapy they need practice.
Most parents try the obvious paths. A tutor for the grades. A therapist for the anxiety. Extra sports for the confidence. These are valuable — but they often miss the core issue. When a young person is struggling socially, the typical response is: do nothing and hope it passes, or refer them to therapy. But most teens aren't in crisis — they're in a gap. WeYouth exists in that gap. Not therapy. Not tutoring. Connection coaching — a skill-building approach designed specifically for young people.
To address this gap, WeYouth spent over four years in collaboration with youth clinicians, educators, and scientists to develop a groundbreaking new resource: Connection Coaching. Two skilled coaches — one experienced, one near-peer — lead personalized sessions helping young people strengthen the relationships that matter most.
Sessions are 45–50 minutes, weekly, for 1–3 months. No diagnosis required. No crisis needed. Just a young person ready to grow.
That's the gap WeYouth was built to fill.
Gap In Solutions
Surprisingly, there are virtually no adequate targeted services to help young people improve their connections with others. Using a -10 to +10 scale of functioning, therapy may be helpful for those who are in the more problematic range, but there is a dearth of services for those who could use help with connection goals and mild to moderate connection struggles.
Testimonials from past parents, clients, and youth
Impressive results
We Believe Young People are capable of becoming better at connection than any prior generation.
wHO wE aRE
WeYouth is a Utah-based 501(c)3 nonprofit founded by Dr. Kreg Edgmon (PhD, LMFT) and Maryn Edgmon (MS, OT). Our team includes licensed therapists, certified coaches, and near-peer college athlete mentors — all united by one mission.
wHAT WE DO
We offer five research-backed services for youth ages 12–22 — from Mental Performance Coaching for athletes to Connection Coaching for teens to therapy for those who need deeper support. Every service is built on the same foundation: connection is a learnable skill.
HOW WE DO IT
We translate the best principles from science, therapy, coaching, education, and traditional wisdom into proven strategies and methods to help young people connect better.
We work with individual families, sports clubs, performing arts academies, schools, and faith communities across Utah and virtually nationwide. Whether your teen is thriving and wants more, or struggling and needs support — there's a place for them here.
TRENDS AND PROJECTIONS FOR THE UP AND COMING GENERATION
The current trajectories are troubling. Since 2009, more than twice as many 15- to 19-year-old girls have been admitted to U.S. emergency rooms for self-harm. Even more shocking, five times more 10- to 14-year-old girls were admitted to the ER for self-harm in 2022 than 2009.
The patterns of disconnection can have lifelong implications. As recently as 1980, only 5% of adults never married. Projections now show that distressing numbers of todays 20-year-olds will never marry, including one-third in the U.S. and nearly half in the U.K. This is highly concerning for the well-being of our society.
And there is a looming threat of even more human disconnection for our young people with the emergence of AI companions. Some surveys of young adults indicate that one in three respondents would consider AI as a romantic partner. Since human connection is critical to every major area of well-being, the consequences of real human relationships being replaced by AI are life altering-and in some cases, without intervention, irreversible.
These aren't inevitable outcomes. They're the result of a gap in support — one that connection coaching is designed to fill.
WeYouth is taking a stand for youth. We believe the negative trends of disconnection can be changed and even reversed. We believe young people today are capable of becoming better at connection than any prior generation.
Take the Next SteP
Wondering which course is best for you? Take the Quiz!
FREE CONSULTATION
Your first conversation with WeYouth is completely free. No commitment. No pressure.
We'll spend about 20 minutes getting to know your situation, answer your questions honestly, and help you figure out if WeYouth is the right fit for your teen. If it's not, we'll tell you that too.
Most families leave that first call with a clear next step — and the relief of knowing they're not alone.