They Tested Instagram Teen Accounts. The Results Were Shocking.

Tests of Instagram's Teen Accounts by a Gen Z nonprofit and a dad found it fails spectacularly. PLUS: A new study shows lots of mothers are struggling with their mental health.

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 An Inclusive, Shame-Busting, Get-Real Guide To Puberty.

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In this edition:

• A Teen Died After Being Blackmailed With A.I.-Generated Nudes. His Family Is Fighting For Change

• More Than Half Of Top 100 Mental Health TikToks Contain Misinformation, Study Finds

• Bay Area Public High School Marks Rare Achievement

• Opinion: A Left-Wing Joe Rogan Is Not The Answer

• What the ‘Men Are Falling Behind’ Panic Is Really About

• Study Finds a Steep Drop in Mothers’ Mental Health

• Gen Z Users And A Dad Tested Instagram Teen Accounts. Their Feeds Were Shocking.

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A Teen Died After Being Blackmailed With A.I.-Generated Nudes. His Family Is Fighting For Change (CBS)

Elijah Heacock was a vibrant teen who made people smile. He "wasn't depressed, he wasn't sad, he wasn't angry," father John Burnett told CBS Saturday Morning.

But when Elijah received a threatening text with an A.I.-generated nude photo of himself demanding he pay $3,000 to keep it from being sent to friends and family, everything changed. He died by suicide shortly after receiving the message, CBS affiliate KFDA reported. Burnett and Elijah's mother, Shannon Heacock, didn't know what had happened until they found the messages on his phone.

Elijah was the victim of a sextortion scam, where bad actors target young people online and threaten to release explicit images of them. Scammers often ask for money or coerce their victims into performing harmful acts. Elijah's parents said they had never even heard of the term until the investigation into his death. READ MORE

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