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Teachers: Overparented students are less independent
Students are less independent, more likely to ask their parents to protect them from any effort.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 283 min read
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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.
Joanne Jacobs
Feb 132 min read
1 comment


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.
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 22, 20241 min read
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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.
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 15, 20242 min read
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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.
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 12, 20241 min read
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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.
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 17, 20241 min read
4 comments


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.
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 15, 20243 min read
1 comment


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.
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 12, 20242 min read
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Boys can find uses for menstrual pads, but not in a good way
#TamponTim is in the news, tweets Kira Davis. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz requires schools to provide free menstrual products in all school...
Joanne Jacobs
Aug 10, 20241 min read
4 comments


'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...
Joanne Jacobs
Jul 7, 20242 min read
2 comments


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...
Joanne Jacobs
May 11, 20242 min read
4 comments


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...
Joanne Jacobs
May 3, 20242 min read
3 comments


Ban TikTok, say principals: 'Social media is merciless'
In an Education Week survey, 55 percent of principals said banning TikTok would "make their jobs easier," reports Olina Banerji. TikTok...
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 4, 20242 min read
2 comments


Teens love their smartphones -- but some say it's 'peaceful' to be phone-free
Seventy-two percent of teenagers say they often or sometimes feel "peaceful" when they're without their smartphones, according to a Pew...
Joanne Jacobs
Mar 13, 20242 min read
1 comment


Ban phones in school: The experiment with kids' minds has failed
Smart phones are making students less smart, writes Derek Thompson in The Atlantic. Student achievement has been falling around the world...
Joanne Jacobs
Dec 23, 20232 min read
6 comments


Teen angst is normal: 'Wellness' may backfire
Mental health doesn't mean feeling good all the time, writes psychologist Lisa Damour in The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising...
Joanne Jacobs
Nov 11, 20232 min read
1 comment


'Smartphones are kryptonite for learning'
Schools are going phone free to remove distractions in class and encourage students to socialize in their free time, report Meg Oliver...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 20, 20231 min read
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Teens spend 4.8 hours a day on social media, says Gallup
U.S. teenagers average 4.8 hours a day on social media apps such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter),...
Joanne Jacobs
Oct 19, 20232 min read
9 comments


Fourth-graders are finding PornHub
Online porn is easily available to kids, addictive and destructive, writes Isabel Hogben, a runner-up in The Free Press's high school...
Joanne Jacobs
Sep 3, 20231 min read
1 comment


Awkward? Anxious? There's a pill for every problem, available online
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, writes Frey India, but it's more like Marketing Pills to Girls Month. She was inundated with...
Joanne Jacobs
Jun 25, 20232 min read
4 comments
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