Joanne Jacobs
It's a school, not a mental-health clinic
School-based mental health programs don't improve mental health or academic outcomes, concludes an analysis of the research by Carolyn D....
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Joanne Jacobs
- Sep 3
- 2 min
90% of teachers support cellphone bans
Ninety percent of teachers in a NEA survey want their schools to ban cellphones in class, and 83 percent back all-day bans.
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 15
- 3 min
The anti-anxiety experiment: Friends without phones, adult-free camping
British mother persuaded teens to go smartphone-free for a month, then camp out for the weekend on their own.
Joanne Jacobs
- Aug 12
- 2 min
Bullying, violence are up: 1 in 10 teens are afraid to go to school, says CDC
Teens aren't quite as sad or suicidal as they were in 2021, reports the CDC, but violence, bullying and school avoidance are up.
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 27
- 1 min
Let's stop terrifying children
New York state will ban "active shooter drills" with actors playing shooters and victims, reports Shayla Colon in the New York Times. ...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 13
- 2 min
US follows the politics -- not the science -- on gender care for kids
Britain's new Labour government plans to continue the ban on puberty blockers ordered by the Tories."We will always put the safety of...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jul 1
- 2 min
Teachers don't have time to be therapists, cops, nurses and social workers
“Students who are habitually ungovernable should be removed from teachers’ classrooms so teachers can actually teach and students can...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 30
- 1 min
Growing up is hard to do: 'Puberty hits like a wrecking ball'
Pixar's new Inside Out 2 is about dealing with puberty and growing up, writes Emma Camp on Reason. Inside Out, released in 2015, featured...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jun 23
- 2 min
No phones, no Moms, just kids playing in the park
Parents should band together to "say 'no' to smart phones and social," writes Laura Yuen in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. She dreams of...
Joanne Jacobs
- May 11
- 2 min
Teaching depression: Mental health programs can make students feel worse
Mental health awareness campaigns aimed at teenagers may backfire, writes Ellen Barry in the New York Times. While the truly troubled may...
Joanne Jacobs
- May 4
- 2 min
Digital addiction starts early: 30% of K-2 kids use TikTok
Young children are becoming digital addicts, hooked on fast-paced scrolling, swiping and mini-rewards designed into platforms such as...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 15
- 3 min
Evidence is 'shaky' for 'gender affirming care,' says UK report
There's no reliable evidence that puberty blockers, hormones and surgery are the best treatment for children with "gender-related...
Joanne Jacobs
- Apr 14
- 2 min
How to succeed at college: Try doing the work
Anxious about their children's anxiety, parents are going into crisis mode when their 18-year-olds face the normal challenges of college...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 24
- 3 min
Childhood's end
Phone-centered childhood is a disaster, writes Jonathan Haidt in The Atlantic. In the early 2010s, "adolescents in rich countries traded...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 22
- 2 min
Four years after 'two weeks to flatten the curve' ...
Four years ago, schools across the country closed their doors. It was supposed to be for two weeks or three or . . . Most schools stayed...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 17
- 2 min
Happy habits: Get out of your head and your house
California wants its citizens to be happy, reports Lynn La on Cal Matters. The Legislature, which once made "self-esteem" a running joke...
Joanne Jacobs
- Mar 10
- 2 min
The 'gold standard' for autism therapy may be ineffective -- or harmful
As autism diagnoses soar -- 1 in 36 U.S. children is now considered autistic -- providing therapy is a booming business, writes Beth...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 29
- 3 min
If you want to climb a mountain, don't go two steps and ask, 'How do I feel?'
Nearly all public schools offer some type of counseling, mental health or "wellness" lessons, writes Abigail Shrier in Free Press. But...
Joanne Jacobs
- Feb 3
- 3 min
Transitioning kids: 'I expected it to change everything, but I was just me with a deeper voice'
Silencing critics of transitioning children is a mistake, writes Pamela Paul in a New York Times commentary based on interviews with...
Joanne Jacobs
- Jan 30
- 2 min
Psych out: Why are we teaching kids to be hopeless and helpless?
"Anti-racists" are demoralizing black students, write Julian Adorney and Jake Mackey on Quillette. Teenage depression and suicide rates...
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