To our digital thriving community, Welcome to the sixth installment of our limited newsletter and video series, Three for Thriving, where we share some the latest news articles at the intersection of youth well-being and technology.
These stories reflect a prevailing tension: how do we uphold values like trust, safety, and agency in a tech landscape evolving faster than our systems? They also remind us that young people are often navigating technologies that weren’t built with them in mind—and that’s where thoughtful guidance and design come in.
Everything is designed and design is not neutral. To bring more visibility to tech's persuasive design practices, we partnered with Common Sense Education and KQED to co-create a video and teaching resources that unpack the subtle but powerful ways tech is built to capture attention—often at the expense of agency and well-being.
Our Three for Thriving video recap breaks down these stories in under three minutes. Watch it here, and read on for the full roundup of headlines that sparked our team’s curiosity.
You can also follow along on LinkedIn, Instagram, or Bluesky. If someone forwarded this email, you can opt in here to have the next installment delivered direct to your inbox.
The Atlanta Voice | Quintessa Williams | Black Students Are Being Watched Under AI — and They Know It The Atlanta Voice reports that AI-enabled surveillance tools are disproportionately deployed in Black and low-income schools, fueling civil rights concerns about bias, the school-to-prison pipeline, and the replacement of supportive services with punitive monitoring; advocates urge a shift toward youth-centered, transparent safety solutions.
Axios | Emily Peck | AI is keeping recent college grads out of work Axios reports that recent college grads are facing higher unemployment, and AI seems to be a big part of why—it's cutting out many entry-level office jobs, leaving young professionals struggling, even as the overall job market holds steady.
Brookings | Rebecca Winthrop | Generative AI is coming for our students, and now is the moment to shape it Brookings highlights concerns from Rebecca Winthrop about generative AI, urging that we learn from the past mistakes with social media and establish strong guidelines and protections before AI becomes an everyday part of students’ lives.
The Conversation | Giselle Woodley, Kath Albury, Zahra Stardust | Sexual health info online is crucial for teens. Australia’s new tech codes may threaten their access The Conversation warns that Australia’s proposed online safety codes, intended to shield teens from harmful content, risk excessively restricting access to vital sexual health information, especially for marginalized youth, with experts urging a pause to ensure the codes don’t undermine public health and informational rights.
EdSurge | Lauren Coffey | Researchers Turn to AI to Help Diagnose Children’s Speech Disorders EdSurge shares how researchers are developing AI tools to help diagnose children’s speech disorders earlier and more accurately, with the goal of supporting overworked clinicians—not replacing them—while also addressing care inequities and the need for strong privacy protections.
EdWeek | Elizabeth Heubeck | Cellphone Ban Adopters Share How They Did It—and How It’s Changed Students EdWeek reports that schools enacting cellphone bans have seen academic and behavioral improvements, as administrators succeeded by securing support from teachers, involving students in decision-making, and addressing divided parent concerns through better communication.
EdWeek | Lauraine Langreo | What Teachers Need To Level Up Their AI Use: 4 Lessons Learned EdWeek explains that many teachers want to use AI in their classrooms but often feel unprepared or unsure about what's allowed, so experts say schools should offer more hands-on training and clearer guidelines. They also stress that teaching students to use AI responsibly is just as important as helping teachers get comfortable with the technology.
EdWeek | Arianna Prothero | Students Don’t Think Cellphones Distract Them From Learning STEM. Teachers Disagree EdWeek points out a big disconnect between STEM teachers and students on cellphone use in the classroom, with teachers blaming phones and social media for declining focus while most students don’t believe their devices are harming their learning.
The Hill | Taylor Delandro | Study reveals decline in mental health among US mothers The Hill shares that the mental health of US mothers has been dropping for years, with far fewer describing their well-being as "excellent"—a troubling trend that began before the pandemic and could have ripple effects on children’s health, too.
HuffPost UK | Sydni Ellis | Teens Are Location-Tracking Their Friends. This Is Why You Should Talk To Them About It In HuffPost UK, experts discuss the growing trend of teens using location-sharing apps like Life360 and Snap Map to stay in the loop with friends, noting that while it can foster connection, it also raises concerns around privacy, anxiety, and control—making it important for families to have open conversations about boundaries and consent.
Mashable | Rebecca Ruiz | Poll: Banning state regulation of AI is massively unpopular Mashable reveals that the majority of Americans, regardless of party, really dislike the idea of banning states from regulating AI, with many especially focused on protecting kids and trusting local officials over Congress to get these rules right.
MIT Technology Review | The Editors | The AI Hype Index: College students are hooked on ChatGPT MIT Technology Review introduced its "AI Hype Index" to track the latest buzz and realities in artificial intelligence, spotlighting trends such as college students’ widespread use of ChatGPT. The Index highlights that while these tools offer promising breakthroughs like better accessibility and tech performance, they are also fueling risks such as misinformation, citation errors, and unpredictable chatbot behaviors.
NBC News | Alexandra Marquez | Former surgeon general says Congress has failed to protect children's mental health NBC News shares that former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is calling out Congress for failing to protect kids from social media’s harms, pushing for warning labels and better data transparency, and comparing the current lack of oversight to letting children drive without seat belts.
The New York Times | Tripp Mickle | Texas Requires Apple and Google to Verify Ages for App Downloads The New York Times reports that Texas now requires Apple and Google to verify users’ ages for app downloads in an effort to give parents more control over children’s online activity, a law applauded for child safety but criticized for privacy risks, as states and Congress consider wider regulation.
Stanford Graduate School of Business | Michael McDowell | Designing AI That Keeps Human Decision-Makers in Mind Stanford Graduate School of Business explores how AI can be most effective when it’s designed to support human decision-makers, not override them, especially in areas like social policy and education, where thoughtful integration of algorithms and human judgment can lead to better outcomes.
TIME | Rebecca Schneid | What to Know About the Kids Online Safety Act and Where It Currently Stands TIME reports that the Kids Online Safety Act is back on the table in Congress, aiming to hold tech companies more accountable for protecting young users, though critics worry the bill could have unintended consequences for free speech and vulnerable communities.
TIME | Michael Serazio | What College Graduates Need Most in the Age of AI TIME features Michael Serazio’s perspective that, though AI tools like ChatGPT are reshaping how college students approach learning and assessment, educators must foster both resistance to and engagement with AI, doubling down on uniquely human skills like deep focus, connection, and critical thought.
The Wall Street Journal | Ben Cohen | They Were Every Student’s Worst Nightmare. Now Blue Books Are Back. The Wall Street Journal highlights a surge in the use of traditional blue books for handwritten exams on college campuses, as educators grapple with AI-driven cheating and seek ways to ensure academic integrity in an increasingly digital era. The Washington Post | James Pollard | Philanthropy wants to build Gen Z's confidence in institutions. Will youth empowerment foster trust? The Washington Post explores how Gen Z’s deep skepticism of major institutions is motivating philanthropists and nonprofits to empower young people through initiatives prioritizing meaningful engagement and leadership, with the hope that this participatory approach will rebuild trust for the future.
The Washington Post | Heather Kelly | The White House is worried about kids’ screen time. Here are five things parents can do. The Washington Post reports that while the White House is worried about excessive screen time, experts recommend practical, balanced steps for parents—like making tech-free zones at night and modeling healthy habits—rather than striving for perfection or banning screens altogether.
A few words on our approach...
We track dozens of stories each week across youth mental health, AI in education, tech policy, and more. Then, we curate this newsletter to share the emerging trends, tensions, and ideas shaping the digital lives of young people. Inclusion of a story doesn’t mean it reflects our thinking—it means we think it’s worth understanding. This newsletter is all about capturing what we see across the landscape and surfacing the patterns that are shaping the conversation. While we use AI to help with organization and drafting, this newsletter is very much human made. And sometimes, humans make mistakes. If you catch one, let us know!
View email in browser. To our digital thriving community,Welcome to the ninth edition of Three for Thriving, our weekly video and newsletter series from the Center for Digital Thriving, where we share headlines at the intersection of youth well-being and technology. This week, we’re spotlighting: New research published in JAMA that reframes the screen time debate around patterns of use, not just hours logged Two very different stories about how AI chatbots are showing up in teen mental health...
View email in browser. To our digital thriving community,Welcome to the eighth edition of Three for Thriving, our weekly video and newsletter series from the Center for Digital Thriving, where we share headlines at the intersection of youth well-being and technology. In this week’s recap, we’re spotlighting a global analysis from the American Psychological Association that links screen use and emotional challenges in young kids, OpenAI’s ambitious effort to embed AI tools across college...
View email in browser. To our digital thriving community,Welcome to the seventh installment of our newsletter and video series, Three for Thriving, where we share some the latest news articles at the intersection of youth well-being and technology. In this week’s video recap, we’re spotlighting how narratives about adolescence are shifting— from Hollywood-crafted stories of rebellion to the self-produced content teens now create and consume on their phones. We also look at the rise of AI as...
