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.

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 “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

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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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