When TikToker Kyra (@whatkyrakept) was 14 years old, she was sent to a wilderness camp in Utah for therapy and had to follow strict rules. It was just one of many programs across the U.S. marketed as helping “troubled teens.”
Now, she’s talking about the experiences she had from her time there and shedding light on the harsh conditions of these environments.
“When you first arrived, you weren’t allowed to be part of the group,” she recalled. “For several weeks, you were separate from the group, and you weren’t allowed to speak to anybody.”
The kids at the camp never knew what time it was, and they weren’t ever taught how to use the sun to tell time. They were also not allowed to know where they were or what direction they were headed.
It was incredibly disorienting. The daily routine was punishing and stripped of all comforts.
“During my entire time there, I had to use sticks off the ground to eat with,” Kyra said. “At the beginning of our stay, we were all given a metal cup to eat out of, and we had to clean that with dirt.”
Of course, there were no bathrooms, showers, or toilets in the wilderness. The kids had to dig their own community latrine. You would have to be watched by staff while using the bathroom.
After being at the camp for some time, they stopped watching you, but you still had to shout out your assigned number every few seconds so they knew you weren’t running away.
While Kyra’s story sounds shocking, it’s far from unique. According to her, more than 100,000 kids go into programs like this every year. In the comments section of her video, others shared how they had endured similar treatment.
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“I was sent to Idaho. It was called S.U.W.S. I was 17 in 2003; it was [a nightmare]. I was there for three weeks during the heat in June. We were given peaches to eat, and we used that can as our bowl. We had three days of solo. First week we couldn’t talk to each other (individual phase), next week was group and solo, then it was search and rescue phase. I’m 40, and I still deal with the emotional PTSD from it,” wrote one person.
“My parents sent me to one at age 14. They told me I was going to spend the week with my grandma and dropped me there instead. Spent November to January sleeping on the ground in the woods. It was hunting season, so we had to hike in neon vests just in case. My family spent Christmas in Cancun that year,” commented another.
“I went to second nature in Oregon. Was there for 10 weeks and will never forget having to read my ‘family letter’ out loud in front of the group my first week and my sleeping bag being tied down so I wouldn’t escape,” added a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
