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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 283 min read
Teachers: Overparented students are less independent
Students are less independent, more likely to ask their parents to protect them from any effort.
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Joanne Jacobs
Feb 132 min read
Ban phones: Teens spend a quarter of the school day on their phones, says study
Teens average 90 minutes each school day on their phones.
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Joanne Jacobs
Jan 31 min read
California tells schools: Go easy on homework
A new California law urges school to set homework policies that ease stress and promote "equity."
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 30, 20242 min read
Sleepovers aren't for sissies
Do American kids need more math tutoring and fewer sleepovers?
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 29, 20241 min read
'Brain rot' is the word for Gen Alpha
"Ohio" means "weird" in Gen Alpha slang. Hmmmm.
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 22, 20241 min read
The Mild Bunch: Teens don't like to take risks
Teenagers in 2024 are less likely to use drugs, alcohol or nicotine and many are postponing driving, work and sex.
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 18, 20242 min read
Teens are doing less homework, earning higher grades
Teenagers are working less and earning higher grades. Everybody's "phoning it in."
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Joanne Jacobs
Dec 15, 20242 min read
Troubled 12-year-old was 'fast-tracked' for hormones, mastectomy, charges lawsuit
A young woman is suing "gender affirming care" providers for starting her on drugs and surgery at age 12.
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Joanne Jacobs
Nov 3, 20241 min read
Teens say: America, meh
Young Americans are less patriotic than older generations.
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Joanne Jacobs
Oct 12, 20241 min read
Transgender teens are unhappy -- or unhappy teens blame their gender
More than 3 percent of high school students identify as transgender, more than double the number a few years ago.
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 17, 20241 min read
Teens can vote for school board in Oakland, Berkeley -- but will they?
Teenagers 16 and 17 year old will be able to vote for school board in Oakland and Berkeley.
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 15, 20243 min read
The anti-anxiety experiment: Friends without phones, adult-free camping
British mother persuaded teens to go smartphone-free for a month, then camp out for the weekend on their own.
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 12, 20242 min read
Bullying, violence are up: 1 in 10 teens are afraid to go to school, says CDC
Teens aren't quite as sad or suicidal as they were in 2021, reports the CDC, but violence, bullying and school avoidance are up.
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Joanne Jacobs
Aug 4, 20243 min read
Once, girls were excited to grow up
Once upon a time, the teenage girls in Judy Blume's stories were "excited to grow up," writes Kat Rosenfield on The Free Press. Starting...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 13, 20242 min read
US follows the politics -- not the science -- on gender care for kids
Britain's new Labour government plans to continue the ban on puberty blockers ordered by the Tories."We will always put the safety of...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20242 min read
'Learn to joke,' say teens who faked teacher TikToks with sex, pedophilia
Middle school is the worst. Kids hit puberty and turn deeply stupid for a few years before they learn to handle it. Even so, the seventh...
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Joanne Jacobs
Jun 30, 20241 min read
Growing up is hard to do: 'Puberty hits like a wrecking ball'
Pixar's new Inside Out 2 is about dealing with puberty and growing up, writes Emma Camp on Reason. Inside Out, released in 2015, featured...
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Joanne Jacobs
May 11, 20242 min read
Teaching depression: Mental health programs can make students feel worse
Mental health awareness campaigns aimed at teenagers may backfire, writes Ellen Barry in the New York Times. While the truly troubled may...
4 comments

Joanne Jacobs
May 4, 20242 min read
Digital addiction starts early: 30% of K-2 kids use TikTok
Young children are becoming digital addicts, hooked on fast-paced scrolling, swiping and mini-rewards designed into platforms such as...
4 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 3, 20242 min read
Can't be bothered: Kids are absent from everything, not just school
Chronic absenteeism is way up, writes Robert Pondiscio, but kids aren't just absent from school. A disturbing number of young people are...
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