teens

Health & Safety

Science says teens need more sleep. So why is it so hard to start school later?

9:14am November 09, 2023

by Catherine Sweeney - WPLN

Reasearch shows teens don't get sleepy until 10:45 or 11 p.m. But high school classes in Nashville still start at 7:05 a.m. "It's not a badge of honor," says the mayor.

Illustration of young people holding their cell phones up to their face

How to help young people limit screen time — and feel better about how they look

5:01am February 26, 2023

by Allison Aubrey

New research found teens and young adults who even briefly cut time on social media gained self esteem. Try these 5 tips to help them — and yourself — improve screen-life balance.

Nearly two years after the FDA issued a policy denouncing the marketing of fruit-flavored vape juice and other vape products to young people, the products are still widely available in stores. But experts hope that could be about to change.

The chase is on: Regulators are slowly cracking down on vapes aimed at teens

5:00am November 29, 2022

by Yuki Noguchi

The advent of vaping revived nicotine addiction among young people after a dramatic decline. The FDA seems poised to at last yank some products aimed at teens from the market. Will it work?

A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many U.S. families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.

Health & Safety

Paying for mental health care leaves families in debt and isolated

2:31pm October 19, 2022

by Yuki Noguchi

A youth mental health crisis and a shortage of therapists and other care providers who take insurance are pushing many U.S. families into financial ruin. But it's rarely acknowledged as medical debt.

Queue Listen Now

Writer and health educator Marni Sommer is co-author of A Girl's Guide to Puberty & Periods, which aims to help young people ages 9 to 14 understand the changes that happen in puberty and what to expect when.

Opinion: With abortion bans on the rise, kids need to know more about menstruation

11:50am September 17, 2022

by Marni Sommer

Today, even one missed period could have serious implications for a young person's life. But how late is late, and when is pain or a heavy period a medical concern? Many preteens don't know.

Snapchat is rolling out new parental controls that allow parents to see their teenager's contacts and confidentially report to the social media company any accounts that concern them. A child lies in bed illuminated by the glow of a cell phone.

Snapchat's new parental controls try to mimic real-life parenting, minus the hovering

4:26pm August 11, 2022

by Raquel Maria Dillon

Snapchat's Family Center lets parents see whom their teen is contacting, but not their messages. Parents can also confidentially report accounts that concern them, without their child's knowledge.

Linnea Sorensen attends Schaumburg High School in Schaumburg, Ill. Now that Illinois allows students to take up to five days off per school year for their mental health, she can stay home when she feels "not fully mentally there."

More states are allowing students to take mental health days off

5:00am June 10, 2022

by Giles Bruce

While a growing number of states are trying to address the increasing mental health crisis among youths, many schools are woefully short of therapists and the budget to hire them.

This 16-year-old got his Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 shot late last month at the UCI Health Family Health Center in Anaheim, Calif. Students as young as 12 are now eligible to get the vaccine, too, the FDA says.

FAQ: What You Need To Know About Pfizer's COVID Vaccine And Adolescents

8:47pm May 10, 2021

by Pien Huang

Adolescents age 12 and older are now eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the FDA says. Buy when and where, and what about younger kids? You have questions. We have answers.

North Carolina says it is taking action against e-cigarette companies it alleges target their products at children.

North Carolina Says It Is Suing 8 E-Cigarette Companies

4:30pm August 27, 2019

by Merrit Kennedy

The state's attorney general accuses the companies of targeting children and failing to properly verify customers' ages. The state already filed a similar lawsuit against Juul.

A 15-year-old in Cambridge, Mass., shows off her vaping device in 2018. Schools and health officials across the U.S. are struggling to curb what they say is an epidemic of underage vaping.

Cigarettes Can't Be Advertised On TV. Should Juul Ads Be Permitted?

12:16pm August 20, 2019

by Michelle Andrews

Though tobacco ads have been banned from TV for about 50 years, the marketing of electronic cigarettes isn't constrained by the law. Public health advocates consider that a loophole that hurts kids.