Teenagers
Landmark Social Media Addiction Trial Starts Today in California
In the first social media addiction case to reach a jury, K.G.M. claims TikTok, YouTube, and other platforms are responsible for her depression, anxiety, and poor self esteem.
Porn Sites Must Block VPNs To Comply With Indiana's Age-Verification Law, State Suggests in New Lawsuit
It's an insane—and frighteningly dystopian—interpretation of the law.
Young People's Mental Health Is Improving. Tech Alarmists Take Note.
Depression and anxiety are declining, adding yet more complications to the anti-smartphone and anti–social media narratives.
Ambivalence About Marriage Grows—Among Girls
Twelfth grade boys are now more likely than their female counterparts to say they are likely to get married.
Oregon's E-Cigarette Censorship Is Unconstitutional—and Makes No Sense
Sometimes the state's rules require stores to cover almost the entire label of products—in places that don't even admit minors.
The Federal Trade Commission Goes After Pornhub
Plus: Nepal bans social media platforms and kills protesters, MAGA's war on the tech industry intensifies, and more...
Bluesky Blocks Mississippi Users
Age verification laws are already coming for Americans’ access to free speech.
'Subway Surfing' Death Suit Against TikTok, Meta Further Chips Away at Section 230
Norma Nazario blames her son's death on social media algorithms.
A Harsher Teen Curfew Won't Reduce D.C.'s Crime
Between 2006 and 2013, gun violence increased by 150 percent in the city when juvenile curfews were in effect.
Americans Don't Party Enough. Here's How To Change That.
In our increasingly antisocial world, the best way to bring people together is a good party. This weekend, if possible.
Give Your Teen Some Freedom on Their Summer Vacation
Most parents say they wouldn’t let their teen wander alone on vacation. But a study shows that declining independence in children could be feeding anxiety and depression.
The 5th Circuit Rejects Qualified Immunity for a Child-Snatching Texas Cop Who Falsely Alleged Abandonment
Alexandra Weaver argued that she could not reasonably have been expected to know her actions were unconstitutional.
Trump Promised To 'Save Vaping.' His FDA Head Does Not Seem Inclined To Do That.
Marty Makary grossly exaggerates the prevalence of adolescent nicotine addiction, the concern underlying his agency's restrictions on e-cigarette flavors.
C. Bradley Thompson and Jeremiah Johnson: Rise of the 'MAGA Manosphere'
Did mainstream conservatives and libertarians lose a generation of young men to the reactionary right?
Airport Human-Trafficking Posters Are Overstating the Risks to Young People
"That guy isn't being trafficked by anyone," says sociologist Emily Horowitz.
California Sex Trafficking Fight Erupts Over Punishment for Soliciting Minors
Democrats did the right thing, got attacked for it, then caved.
Will Florida Teens With Sexually Transmitted Diseases Have To Tell Their Parents Before They Can Get Treatment?
These bills would require exactly that—and a lot more.
Does Tween Tech Study Prove Jonathan Haidt Right?
Nope, but it does show how complicated the issue is.
BBC Grills Member of Parliament for Not Watching Enough TV
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch said she doesn’t have to watch Adolescence to understand the show’s themes.
Study: Kids With Smartphones Are Less Depressed, Anxious, Bullied Than Peers Without Them
A large new study finds smartphone ownership positively correlated with multiple measures of well being in 11- to 13-year-old kids.
Everyone Is Wrong About RFK Jr. and Cellphones
There's no strong evidence that cellphones cause cancer. There also isn't strong evidence that cellphones cause teen depression.
Study: Age-Verification Laws Don't Work
At least not if the goal is keeping minors from viewing porn.
Banning Diet Supplements Won't Stop Teen Eating Disorders
Dietary supplement bans for minors may spread—but they’ll be costly, confusing, and ineffective.
Study Finds Almost No Good Evidence on Gender Dysphoria Drugs for Young People
Two new meta-analyses make a case for individualistic approaches to puberty blockers and hormone treatments, driven by patients, parents, and doctors rather than the state.
Steven Soderbergh's Presence Is a Stylish, Experimental Ghost Story
In this POV haunted house film from the Ocean's 11 director, the camera plays the ghost.
The Future of Online Porn Is At Stake Today
The Supreme Court is hearing arguments in a Texas case that could have major ramifications across the country—including, perhaps, the end of anonymity online.
A Change in Administrations Underlines the Stakes of an E-Cigarette Case SCOTUS Heard This Week
An e-liquid manufacturer is challenging the FDA's "arbitrary and capricious" rejection of flavored vaping products.
Food and Drug Administration Defends Refusal To Approve Flavored E-Cigarettes Before the Supreme Court
The FDA’s regulations are burdensome and unnecessary to address the inflated high school vaping epidemic.
Review: Are Teen Girls Suffering From Hysteria?
A new podcast explores a mysterious case of teens developing Tourette syndrome–like tics and other cases of suspected mass psychogenic illness.
Australian Prime Minister Proposes Total Social Media Ban for Anyone Under 16
Under this restrictive measure, there will be no exceptions, even for parental consent.
'Let Parents Decide' What Kids Can Do Online, Argue Tech Groups in New Lawsuit
The groups are challenging a Florida law that bans some teens from social media.
Mandatory ID Checks for Nonalcoholic Beer?
Some people really think nonalcoholic beer is a gateway to alcoholism.
Instagram Announces AI Age Verification on New Teen Accounts
Voluntary AI age verification is preferable to federally mandated verification at the operating system level.
Michigan Judge Handcuffed and Jailed a Teen for Falling Asleep During a Field Trip
Judge Kenneth King is facing a lawsuit for punishing a 15-year-old who visited his courtroom with his "own version of Scared Straight.''
Censoring the Internet Won't Protect Kids
Sen. Rand Paul makes the case against the Kids Online Safety Act.
Ted and Courtney Balaker: College Students Are Rejecting Wokeness
The filmmakers who brought The Coddling of the American Mind to the big screen discuss the students whose stories inspired the film and the state of the media, Hollywood, and storytelling.
FTC Opens a Backdoor Route to Age Verification on Social Media
In a "novel" order concerning the app NGL, the agency takes aim at online anonymity and at minors on social media.
Judges Block Indiana and Mississippi Age Verification Laws for Porn, Social Media
And the Supreme Court agrees to weigh in.
Is Inside Out 2 Secretly About Helicopter Parenting?
In the sequel to 2015's Inside Out, letting kids grow up means relinquishing control.
Don't Freak Out Over Florida Teen Labor Laws
Laws letting teens work longer hours won't have the disastrous effects critics claim they will.
Parents, Not Lax Regulation, To Blame for Tweens' Excessive Screen Time
We need parents with better phone habits, not more government regulation of social media.
WARNING: You Won't Like This New Label
Plus: Ex-NSA chief joins forces with OpenAI, conscription squads hunt Ukrainian draft-dodgers, and more...
Vermont Cops Terrorize High School Students With 'Mock Shooting'
"I'm shaking and crying because I'm like, 'Oh my god, I'm gonna get shot,'" one student told a Vermont newspaper. "It felt so real."
Rethinking the 5-Paragraph Essay in the Age of AI
Artificial intelligence writes a pretty good analysis of George Orwell's 1984.
California's $20 Fast Food Minimum Wage Law Is Already Having Disastrous Unintended Consequences
Many have seen their hours reduced—or have lost their jobs entirely.
Old Enough for a Gun, Too Young for TikTok: What's Legal for Teens in Your State?
From tattoos to abortions to gender expression, a confusing mess of laws govern which Americans are considered adults.
