"These Kids" is a song by Australian beatboxer Joel Turner and Australian hip hop duo the Modern Day Poets. It was independently released as the lead single from their self-titled debut album on 27 September 2004. The song was written in December 2001, with the music composed by Turner and the lyrics written by his older brother Tim (aka "DubLT").

"These Kids" reached number one on the ARIA Singles Chart, and was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). The track was nominated at the 2005 ARIA Music Awards and 2006 APRA Music Awards.

DubLT is quoted as saying, "I wrote These Kids after one of my mates committed suicide, so it means a lot to me that it connected with so many people" ...

"I never wrote that song thinking it would be recorded or that Joel would get famous. But there is a reason I wrote that song and there’s a reason why Joel got famous. It was so I could bring out that song and someone could see the light."

In more recent times, the track has also been dedicated to Joel Turner’s troubled childhood neighbour and friend. Much of the song’s popularity is thought to be due to the reality of its subject matter. It aims to draw attention to the plight of street kids:

"Nobody knows the suffering they go through
And you wouldn’t believe ‘em if they told you"

The song offers a message of hope to young people going through hard times while also criticizing the justice system:

"Instead of listening to the kids with the problems, they just tick them off more
Until the kid’s in prison or he’s dead before he’s 24"

Other issues covered in the song include crime, drugs and depression, with further references to the suicide of DubLT’s friend and the 2001 murder of a 14-year-old Brisbane boy stabbed to death by a family friend who had promised to help him buy marijuana.

Turner travelled to Cairns in far north Queensland at the age of 15 to record the track with producer David Lynch for M.E.L. Productions. Once there, he laid down the vocals, beat and guitars while DubLT recorded his rap verse on a $20 microphone back in Brisbane. Turner has said that he originally tried using a real beat for the song, but subsequently chose to replace it with beatboxing.

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