Ilana Jacqueline is the Editor-in-Chief of Today’s Teen Online

Teen Expert, Editor.

Unparalleled insight into the teen mind is coming from an unlikely source these days—an actual teenager! (or close enough!) 21-year-old Ilana Jacqueline is a familiar name to many young teens as a respected book reviewer of the young adult genre for the past several years. Today she is the CEO of About Time Media, LLC, a diverse company offering public relation and brand building services, as well as building and promoting their own youth-based websites.

The success started with the launch of Today’s Teen Online, a by and for teens, national online magazine.

“We know our demographic, because we are our demographic!” Says Jacqueline. “Major teen magazines publish articles almost solely by adult writers. We wanted to really be the heart of teen culture, and the only way to do that was to be an entirely by-teens-for-teens forum.”

Ilana spent her high school years furiously pumping out articles for different publications. She published her first piece for the Anxiety Disorder Association of America at the age of 14. The piece was about her own struggles with panic attacks and her hope for better days to come. And so they have—in the form of a successful and seemingly limitless business.

“I think we’ve really tapped in to what teens want to read, what they want to talk about,” She says, and cites the main topics of her website. “Entertainment. Fashion. Beauty. Health. School—but most importantly? Sex!”

The sex and relationship section of the website has been a hit since the website debuted. Parents weren’t thrilled with some of the content, which told stories of lost virginity, visits to the gynecologist, even ratings of the best and worst condoms. Teens, however, were jumping on board.

While 80% of teens have received instructions on how to say “No” to sex, less than 50% of teens have had a talk with their parents about safe sex.  This is just one of the many disheartening statistics that lead Ilana to stay strong on Today’s Teen’s focus of sexuality and safe sex.

“Teens are having sex. It’s happening. Some forums choose to ignore it, which is a shame because a good amount of parents do as well.” Jacqueline states.

“We have 750,000 teen pregnancies annually. It’s not because the condom is breaking 750,000 times. It’s not because birth control is failing 750,000 times. It’s because these contraceptives are not even entering the equation. Parents, schools and the government have failed 750,000 teens this year—This is not a matter of there being a gap in communication between adults and teenagers—this is a matter of no communication. This site exists to share information that may be censored through fear, shame, or thoughtlessness. The only thing that can change the rate of teen pregnancy is information–and we will supply it.”

This is why Ilana has chosen to launch a sister-site to Today’s Teen Online, called Materniteens.com. Materniteens will focus on teen pregnancy issues like adoption, motherhood, and even abortion. They will tackle these topics with expert advice, step-by-step information on each process, advice on what to consider, real stories and plenty of resources.

The recent launch of www.abouttimepr.com came in early August of 2011, a result of increased demand. Youth based start-ups reached out to About Time to help shape, define, and introduce their ideas to the world.

Ilana Jacqueline resides in Boca Raton, FL, with her miniature poodle—who just so happens to be the boss of everyone.

To contact Ilana please send an email here.