Paris Hilton's traumatic childhood - from rebellion to troubled teen industry

17 February 2024 , 09:00

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Paris Hilton's childhood was full of ups and downs

Paris Hilton became the poster child for the troubled teen industry, with the starlet now open and vocal about her difficult past.

The heiress was raised in a luxury, growing up in New York City alongside her hospitality industry tycoon father. The Hilton family lived in an extravagant hotel, the Waldorf Astoria, but behind-the-scenes, Paris was in a bit of a tussle with her family as she felt the urge to rebel against them.

At a young age, Paris found herself sneaking out and going clubbing which, in the big city, can be pretty easier for affluent youth. She also spent some time in Beverly Hills, yet another world full of mischief and mayhem.

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Paris was raised in an affluent and luxury lifestyle (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

While living in Beverly Hills, she was groomed by a teacher. She told Glamour UK: “We only kissed, but if my parents didn’t come, imagine what he would’ve tried to do? We literally drove through Bel Air at like 100 miles an hour. We were going so fast and somehow we got away from them through a red light."

Later, her rebellious nature continued to grow and caused her family to seek alternative discipline options. What they didn't know was they'd be sending Paris into a dangerous and traumatic program that's a microcosm of childhood abuse.

The troubled teen industry is comprised of institutions claiming to be schools, rehabilitation camps, or unofficial correctional facilities where teenagers and children who are deemed 'troubled' for either mental health or behavioural challenges are sent by their family and schools. Even well-meaning parents enter their children into these programs in an effort to help them.

She was put into the troubled teen industry (Getty Images)

However, oftentimes, the organizations are actually insidious behind closed doors, inflicting intense physical and mental abuse on the children. Sometimes, the kids can end up getting trapped in a loop there as they are promised release if they meet certain goals, but are constantly knocked back down abruptly to keep their parents dishing out money. These children often need to 'age out' of the system to leave, but even then legal loopholes allow facilities to keep them longer. In other cases, they'll be transferred to sister programs to perpetuate the cycle.

Paris told PEOPLE ahead of her documentary release: "It was supposed to be a school, but [classes] were not the focus at all. From the moment I woke up until I went to bed, it was all day screaming in my face, yelling at me, continuous torture.

She's become an advocate to help prevent children from suffering from the same fate (NY Daily News via Getty Images)

"The staff would say terrible things. They were constantly making me feel bad about myself and bully me. I think it was their goal to break us down. And they were physically abusive, hitting and strangling us. They wanted to instill fear in the kids so we'd be too scared to disobey them."

In her adult life, Paris has sought to both heal from her trauma and rise to advocacy, hoping to prevent children in the future from going through what she did. Her website explains: "Her advocacy has resulted in mass public awareness of the ‘Troubled Teen Industry,’ policy change at the state level, philanthropic initiatives, and media projects including Trapped in Treatment. She is currently supporting the passage of the Federal Accountability for Congregate Care Act."

Alex West