This year, millions of students are experiencing a major shift: school days without phones, smartwatches, or other personal devices. Today we explore the wins, hurdles, and solutions helping schools succeed. We also share our resources that you can use to support technology policy changes in your schools.
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Recently, the Netflix series Adolescence became one of the platform’s most-watched limited series. It tells the fictional story of a 13-year-old boy whose descent into online misogyny and emotional isolation ends in tragedy. I’ve heard from many parents who watched it in one sitting — and others who said, “I can’t bear to watch, but I want to understand what it’s about.” Today I share some of the most important takeaways for parents from the show.
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‘Hookup Culture’—it’s a phrase that gets tossed around all the time, but what does it really mean? More importantly, how does it shape young people’s relationships, self-worth, and social expectations? The term makes it seem like all teens and young adults are participating, comfortable with it, and accepting of it as just the way things are. But wait—not so fast. Today, I’m sharing insights from teens I spoke to in my recent podcast on this topic, along with myth-busting information from Dr. Lisa Wade who offered advice for parents.
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In today’s blog post, I've created a 5-step guide to help parents initiate open conversations with their children about kids and teens using AI chatbots. I help you lead a discussion in your family to figure out guidelines for using AI chatbots and encourage ongoing conversations about the complex ethical issues they present.
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I try to write things from a calm tone, but today I am pissed and scared. I read a report from a wonderful organization called Voicebox, called Coded Companions, about what young people were experiencing when engaging with Snapchat’s built-in AI chatbot, My AI, and another character chatbot called Replika. The market for AI-based companion platforms, which allow users to build personal, interactive relationships with virtual characters, is growing rapidly, and there are currently around 40 applications available. Let me break this all down for you today — and be prepared to be sad, scared, and mad.
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The FDA's 2023 Annual National Youth Tobacco Survey shows that over 400,000 U.S middle and high school students used nicotine pouches in the last year. In today's blog I share excepts from my conversation with Dr. Robert Jackler of Stanford University, who is an expert on tobacco advertising. We discuss how ZYN seem to be reaching and influencing teens, via social media, to use nicotine pouches by following the same playbook as JUUL
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We have created a table that compares the 4 most common social media platforms and the specific ways they are similar and different. Spoiler alert, they are way more similar than different. It makes perfect sense since companies see what young people use on other apps and incorporate such features into their own apps.
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Our latest podcast features social psychologist and best-selling author Jonathan Haidt, discussing his book "The Anxious Generation." Haidt, a New York University professor and "Let Grow" co-founder, talks about the impact of social media and smartphones on the sharp rise of anxiety in youth since their introduction. For today’s blog, I have chosen a section of the podcast that I think you will find insightful.
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Today, I share a clip from Screenagers Under The Influence, in which three myths concerning parenting and alcohol are exposed. Often after screenings of the movie, parents come up to me and say how stunned they are to learn about the research.
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A common misconception persists in teenage mental health: Mental health problems primarily come from something happening to a person, i.e., external experiences. But the reality is far more complex, and as a result, many teens find themselves grappling with an unnecessary burden. The truth is that mental health problems often come from inside, without any obvious triggers from external factors. It’s genetics at work causing different biological changes, leading to emotions and thoughts creating havoc in their young selves. In my blog post today, I shed light on an often-overlooked aspect of mental health among adolescents.
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Today I share my top 3 main screen time categories and offer many options of rules that can be tailored to your specific family. Let’s be real that policies for a 10-year-old will be different for a 17-year-old. Then there are factors such as kid’s maturity levels, outside activities, sibling dynamics, bandwidth of parents/guardians, and the list goes on. For this reason, having many ideas can be helpful. Let’s get started.
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We all would love for our kids not to smoke now or in the future. The reality is that some high school students, middle school students, and even some younger kids vape using e-cigarettes. As a physician, I can tell you that many of my teen patients have said they indeed use e-cigarettes, and their parents are unaware of this. Ellie, from the Screenagers Under The Influence film, indeed did not let her parents know she had been vaping for quite a long time. A survey of parents released last week provides some interesting data about parents’ beliefs when it comes to their children and vaping. Read on for a few of the findings.
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