Soo…we’re less than a month away from 2025?! A little too close for comfort if you ask us. But, nonetheless, we fear we’ve put together another great round-up of the latest trends and news you’ll want to know.
Whether you’re already setting goals for the new year or simply trying to get through these next few weeks, the end of the year can bring up a lot of emotions so don’t be afraid to shut your phone off and spend some time offline 🩵 ☃️!!
Before we dive in…take FIVE seconds to join the community and stay in the loop!
Where Are They Now? ✌️
One of our Digital Civics Academy leaders, C.J. Getting, did a deep dive into student-led nonprofits for the Central Times (his school’s student-run news publication!!) AND featured our founder Larz! Check it out below👇
Need ideas for your holiday shopping list? Our Teen Advisory Board has compiled a list of goodies anyone would love to receive. The best part? This guide includes items that offer a sense of calm and connection in a fast-paced digital world!
At #HalfTheStory, we look at both sides of the internet, so here are the latest trends and tips you should know and who knows…maybe watch out for 👇
🔥What’s Hot:
Have we discovered a new “third space”?🌳🎭 If you’ve noticed, celebrity lookalike contests have been popping up all over, including a Timothée Chalamet contest in NYC to a Paul Mescal contest in Dublin. The draw? Well, not only are these events free compared to a concert or a night out, but they are also fun and lighthearted forms of IRL connection and an alternative to doomscrolling!
Mental health breaks done right!! 🧠💗 Many TikTok users express their annoyance with “stop scrolling” style videos. Commenters say they can sound condescending or discouraging, but creator Melissa Romano has discovered a positive, calm style using grounding and breathing techniques. Check out her page for some much-needed scroll breaks!
👎What’s Not:
💁♂️ The “manosphere” is defined as the part of the internet that promotes toxic masculinity and misogyny…and if you noticed, it played a huge role in the 2024 Presidential Election. However, its impact is far greater than politics. In fact, this culture stems from a larger issue of you guessed it, an increase in loneliness and isolation among young men due to social media. More on this later…
Is pursuing the offline lifestyle only for the wealthy?!🗞️ This TikTok creator (@notesfromkayla) shares her commentary on the future of social media and the shift back to traditional print media. Unfortunately, however, many publications are blocked by expensive paywalls (like this one that was referenced in the TikTok) and for the average person, social media is free, which makes it the default method to consume content.
A few weeks ago, Australia placed a social media ban on kids under 16. While there has been plenty of discourse on both sides of the coin, #HTS Content Creator, Kerry, dives into her POV on schoolphone bans!
Going into the 2024-25 academic year, many schools across the United States are considering banning smartphones for students during school hours. According to the New York Times in August, eight states have already placed rules or passed laws regarding mitigating phone use.
As a senior attending a high school that has an active cell phone ban, I thought it would be interesting to share my own experiences and shed light on the matter, for both the proponents and the opponents of this policy.
Let’s break it down.
Pros ✅
🧠 Mental health awareness: One of the most significant harms of using social media on phones is not the content itself — it's the fact that these highly addictive platforms and materials are so easily accessible to students as young as seven. Being “chronically online” and “brainrot” is funny until it exponentially decreases the attention span of our generation. Banning phones in school may not fully reach this goal but it is a start on redirecting kids’ and teens’ attention to something other than endless Instagram Reels.
Enjoying this article? Teen Feed has it’s own column now! Click here to keep reading!
Does anything ever truly go away once it’s on the internet? The answer👇
We’ve been asking for this feature FOR YEARS and Meta finally answered👇
If you need to refresh your algorithm, you can now RESET it 🔄.Our teens tried it, so stay tuned for a review! In the meantime…try it for yourself— better now than never!
How do people actually feel about our tie with social media? 🤔 Find out in Jubilee’srecent video where a group of young people share their POV on social media app age requirements to hate comments.
Thanks for scrolling along with us! Don’t leave us on read…subscribe…we’ll be back next month! In the meantime, stay 'In The Loop’ daily by keeping up with us @halfthestory on all socials! 🤩
