Celebrating The AMAZING First Year Of Teen Health Today
Teen Health Today started a year ago. Let's look back at 16 stand-out articles.
Hi readers!
Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes - I hope you enjoyed the playlist.
I’m celebrating this week because I started this newsletter one year ago and I’m blown away by how much it’s grown since then. More than 3,200 people now read Teen Health Today, and more folks sign up every day.
I really appreciate you sharing this newsletter with people in your lives, and I especially appreciate those of you who have signed up as paid subscribers. Your support makes this whole thing possible!
Writing this newsletter has allowed me to interview fascinating people like W. Kamau Bell, Lisa Damour, and Ashanti Branch, and host guest posts from wonderful writers like
, , , and .This newsletter has also been a good way to reach journalists and folks in the media, resulting in people interviewing me or inviting me to speak in venues like CNN, Vox, The “On Boys” Podcast, The Puberty Podcast, Is My Kid The Asshole?, Wisconsin Public Radio and Conversations With Common Sense Media.
Today, I’m looking back at this first year, highlighting some of the topics I’ve covered and what I’ve learned along the way. I hope you enjoy this look back, and thank you SO MUCH for being on this journey with me
Big love,
Christopher
⭐People Love The “How To” Posts
One thing I’ve learned this year is how much people want practical, actionable tips that they can use right away. I think that’s why my “How To” posts are so popular. Here are a few highlights from that series:
How To Better Understand Teens In 10 Minutes
Is the uniqueness of teen brains a super power? A new documentary says yes.How To Talk To Teens About Economic Abuse
Listen to the youth telling us to take this seriously
How To Talk To Teens About Suicide
Learn new ways to address this challenging subject.
How To Get Teens Talking About Gender Roles and Gender Equity
Learn about a fantastic (and free!) new program that encourages teens to think critically about restrictive gender expectations.
⭐ Relationships And Sexuality
I first began doing sex education work when I was a teenager, and I’m so glad I learned how to “embrace the awkward” and start talking about these crucial topics. I believer that sexuality is an important aspect of our humanity, and that young people deserve clear, factual information about their bodies and relationships. Here are a few posts where I tried to share that perspective.
How To Talk To Kids About P-O-R-N
Open, shame-free conversations can help families feel more connectedHow To Talk To Teens About Condoms
Condom use is going down. Sexually transmitted infection rates are way up. What should we be saying to young people?
I Told These Teens To Become Sex Ed Experts. Here's Why.
Young people can provide crucial knowledge and support to their peers.
⭐ Masculinity And Boys
As you might know, and I are currently finishing editing our book “Talk To Your Boys,” and we’re so excited to share it with you in 2025. Some of the ideas we’re exploring have come up in Teen Health Today in posts like these:
Helping Boys Express Masculinity Without Masks
Ashanti Branch has spent 20 years helping boys get real with their emotions - here's what he's learned
What does it mean to "be a man" in today's world? This new project tries to find out.
Everybody's Talking About The "Boy Crisis." Here's Why You Should Care.
How are boys and men struggling, and what can we do about it?
⭐ Drugs and Drinking
Parents and caregivers need a lot of support to as they try to talk about substance use. The drugs young people use keep changing, and the way we talk about them needs to change to keep up. Here are some posts that might help:
How To Talk To Teens About Drugs
Why "Just Say Know" Needs To Replace "Just Say No"
More Middle Schoolers Are Vaping
Find out what the latest data on vaping tells us, get tips about how to talk about this with kids, and read my recommendations about vaping education in schools.
We Need to Talk About Fentanyl. Here's How.
The White House says we need to get a lot more serious about preventing overdoses.
⭐ Food, Eating, And Body Image
A lot of adults worry (with good reason) about the messages young people take in around food, nutrition, and eating. Here are some posts to help you think about all the issues involved in discussing these sensitive topics.
Do "Healthy Eating" Lessons Do More Harm Than Good?
Can classroom nutrition lessons contribute to eating disorders?
Should Kids Really Be Counting Calories At Thanksgiving?
How to have a Thanksgiving with more joy and connection, and less family drama and body shame.
How Stigmatizing Ads Can Reach Teens, Despite Social Media Safeguards
Even with filters in place to protect users from content that promotes eating disorders, lots still reach youth
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Congratulations on a very big year Chris! And THANK YOU for the invaluable service you are providing with your work. It’s so important and it’s so incredibly helpful. I wish you and THT an even bigger year ahead!