Teen Health Today

Teen Health Today

Teens Are Sleeping Less Than Ever

What's keeping young people from getting enough rest? PLUS: Why one mom decided to teach sex ed in her church, and schools start offering AI training.

Christopher Pepper's avatar
Christopher Pepper
Mar 29, 2026
∙ Paid

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  • I’m Christopher Pepper, an award-winning health educator and the co-author of the bestselling book Talk To Your Boys.

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In this edition:

  • Teens Are Sleeping Less Than Ever And Screens Aren’t Primarily To Blame

  • Many Teens Face Strong Peer Pressure to Share Sexual Images, Study Finds

  • Boston To Become First District In The U.S. To Mandate AI Training In Public High Schools

  • The Horrors That Could Lie Ahead If Vaccines Vanish

  • Chromebook Remorse: Tech Backlash at Schools Extends Beyond Phones

  • Students Feel Safer In School When Their Concerns Are Heard, YouthTruth Finds

  • A Mississippi Mother Couldn’t Find Accurate Sex Ed For Her Kids. So She Started A Class At Church


person in white long sleeve shirt holding black smartphone

Many Teens Face Strong Peer Pressure to Share Sexual Images, Study Finds (New York Times)

By Catherine Pearson: No parent wants to learn their child has been pressured into sending a sexual image, but a new survey suggests many teens are doing exactly that, and often with someone they are dating.

More than 90 percent of those who said they had received a coercive request for a sexual photo were women, and more than half complied. They were far more likely to do so at the request of a dating partner, rather than a stranger or someone they knew online only.

Teens who complied with coercive requests were more likely to do so if the requests persisted for more than a month, or if the person asked for photos four or more times, suggesting they may have felt worn down by the requests. Respondents who decided to share photos when pressured were also more likely to skip school or have thoughts of self-harm after sending them than those who did not share images. READ MORE

From Christopher - WHY DID I CHOOSE THIS STORY? I like how this story clarifies that, in most cases, these requests are coming from other teens, not unknown strangers. This gives us openings to talk to youth about the issue, and encourage them not to ask other teens to send nudes.


Teens Are Sleeping Less Than Ever And Screens Aren’t Primarily To Blame (NPR)

By Ari Daniel: Tanner Bommersbach, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, says that it’s been clear for some time that teens are sleeping less now than they once did. But he and his colleagues wanted to know if that loss of sleep has been impacting certain groups of adolescents disproportionately.

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