How to Help Kids Navigate The Awkwardness Of Puberty
Why we need to start talking sooner. PLUS: How one school actively confronted sexism, and the latest news on male birth control pills.
Hi Readers!
I’m Christopher Pepper, an award-winning health educator and the co-author of the bestselling book Talk To Your Boys.
During the week, I send out Teen Health Today posts that are free for all to read - the most recent is How - And Why - To Talk To Teens About Fake Pills.
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P.S. I wanted to share two media pieces I was featured in this week:
12 Books That Changed How We Think About Kids, Screens, and Growing Up Today from Tech/Life Balance.
“Anxious Girls, Lonely Boys,” a live conversation with me, Lisa Damour, PhD, CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard, and Sema Sgaier, Ph.D., was featured on the “Aspen Ideas To Go” podcast this week.
In this edition:
How A Struggling School Tackled Misogyny And Became A Happier Place
How to Help Teens, Tweens Navigate Ups And Downs of Puberty
How American Dads Became the Parents Their Fathers Never Were
Scientists May Have Finally Created a Male Birth Control Pill—So Far, It Shows Very Few Side Effects
In Backlash Against Tech in Schools, Parents Are Winning Rollbacks
How Can Families Cope With Stress Together?
Opinion: ‘Just Say No’ Didn’t Work In 1986. In 2026, It’s Dangerous.
How A Struggling School Tackled Misogyny And Became A Happier Place (BBC)
By Peter Walker: When hard-hitting British drama Adolescence was first screened last year, it was lauded as a TV masterpiece. Netflix subsequently made it free to watch for classes in secondary schools, and the prime minister said it had “lit a touch paper” for discussions about social media, misogyny and the so-called manosphere.
For many schools, it opened up a Pandora’s box of challenges, but one school in Essex was ahead of the game. The school set up an anonymous “tell-us” system, in which pupils could write down concerning behaviour they had witnessed on a postcard and place it in a postbox. Boys most at risk of being exposed to domestic violence were introduced to focussed talking groups and local council-approved male mentors came to speak to these students.
For International Women’s Day, the school collected 600 daffodils, which pupils were encouraged to give to girls and women in their lives they wanted to celebrate. READ MORE
From Christopher - WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS STORY? I’ve been skeptical about the idea of showing “Adolescence” in schools, but I’m inspired by the real-life examples of culture change in this story. Love the cooking club idea!
How to Help Teens, Tweens Navigate Ups And Downs of Puberty (TODAY)
Today's teens and tweens are experiencing puberty earlier than ever before and in different ways. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett authors of "This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained," join TODAY's Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones with tips for how parents can help kids navigate the changes, why it is important to keep conversations going despite the awkward subjects, and more. WATCH
WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS STORY? Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett are incredible ambassadors for caring, realistic puberty education, and I love to see mainstream media picking up their messages. I hope it helps people find their book, podcast, and curriculum.
