Why Kids Needs More Free, Wild Play
Seven must-read stories about TikTok, social-emotional learning, vaccines, and fentanyl. PLUS: Why some experts oppose social media bans for teens.
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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 “Drinking Causes Cancer. How Should We Talk To Teens About This?”
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In this edition:
TikTok Changed How We Talk About Health
What’s Behind the Falloff in Social-Emotional Learning for Teens
Why Kids Need To Take More Risks: Science Reveals The Benefits Of Wild, Free Play
Even Adults May Soon Be Vulnerable To ‘Childhood’ Diseases
Why We Shouldn’t Ban Kids From Social Media
Fewer Than 1 in 1,000 U.S. Adolescents Receive Gender-Affirming Medications, Researchers Find
Oregon Teens Raise Awareness On Fentanyl Dangers In New Public Service Announcement
TikTok Changed How We Talk About Health (New York Times)
Some of the posts are raw. Some are insightful, others wildly elaborate. Some are just plain wrong.
TikTok has changed American culture in many ways. But its impact on how we talk about health stands out. In tens of millions of videos, users have opened up about their health and how they take care of themselves in big and small ways. They have touted “Oatzempic” for weight loss and extolled the (supposed) benefits of beef tallow face masks. They have shared their abortion stories and brought viewers inside the reality of living with terminal illnesses. And sometimes they have shared health advice so off-base that doctors and therapists stepped in to correct the record. READ MORE
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