Is AI Going to Destroy Kids' Critical Thinking?

As tools like ChatGPT get more use in schools, people are becoming worried. PLUS: Is it safer to let teens drink at home, where you can supervise?

Hi Readers!

• I’m Christopher Pepper, an award-winning health educator and journalist. During the week, I send out editions of my Teen Health Today newsletter that are free for all to read - the most recent is Meet The Comedian Who Is Helping Teens Deal With Their Emotions.

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In this edition:

• News Influencers Are Reaching Young People, and the Media Is Trying to Keep Up

• The Professors Are Using ChatGPT, and Some Students Aren’t Happy About It

• 4 Sex Ed Lessons That Could’ve Changed Everything

• Opinion: A.I. Will Destroy Critical Thinking in K-12.

• Letting Teens Drink Alcohol At Home May Lead To Heavier Alcohol Use As Young Adults, Study Finds

• What (Actually) Brings Teens Joy?

• Is Teen Romance Dead? I'm 17 and I'm Sick of Snapchat Situationships

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Photo by Luke Porter on Unsplash

News Influencers Are Reaching Young People, and the Media Is Trying to Keep Up (Teen Vogue)

It’s no surprise that young Americans say social media is their preferred way to get news. But a growing number of them are turning to news influencers — those familiar faces who often share frank, relatable, direct-to-camera videos — to learn about what’s going on. In 2024, a Pew Research study found that about one in five Americans (21%) — including 37% of adults under 30 — said they regularly got news from influencers.

Divya Nagarajan, 19, a student at Emory University, says that seeing the same people in her feed makes them feel more trustworthy. “It's kind of like the parasocial thing where it feels like I know them,” she tells Teen Vogue. Nagarajan says she favors the conversational tone news influencers use and the personal feel of their content vs. the onslaught of breaking alerts from legacy outlets. READ MORE

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