Darker Days Mean Brighter Digital Habits this Holiday Season!
Hey friends! đ Happy Happy November!đđŚ Welcome back to In The Loop! This month, weâre covering everything from:
Taking back our personalities from poor online habits!
Menâs Health Awareness Month
Unveiling a brand new section⌠đ
Weâre probably not the first to say it, but thereâs a lot going on in the world right now but hopefully this serves as a dose of hope and food for thought as you go about your day!
MEET THE NEW YORK TEEN TECH COUNCILđ˝
Last month, we welcomed 60 high schoolers across New York State to the first-ever New York Teen Tech Council â an initiative in partnership with the State of New York and Secretary Hillary Clinton. These leaders have already been shaping their schoolâs phone-free policies and weâre so excited to see how these students empower their peers to embrace digital wellness this school year!
WEâRE ON YOUTUBE đ
If you didnât know, now you do! Jessica Herzog, Ed.M, #HalfTheStoryâs Education Content Creator, is sharing the latest on all things Social Media U â our flagship education program teaching students how to navigate their relationship with tech. Check out our content on YouTube! If you enjoy this contentâŚstay tuned because weâre launching something just for our educators soon!
INTRODUCINGâŚđĽ
Our new Digital Civics Academy Alum Spotlight series! Each month, weâll be celebrating members of our 2025 cohort who continue to make an impact beyond the program. First up is Anxhelika Deda, a freshman at the University of Rhode Island whose passion for storytelling and digital advocacy is already shining through. Click the link to learn more about what sheâs been up to since the Digital Civics Academy! âŹď¸
Instagram Post Here!
At #HalfTheStory, we look at both sides of the internet, so here are the latest trends and tips you should know. And who knowsâŚmaybe watch out for đ
đĽWhatâs Hot:
Common Sense Mediaâs new âBoys in the Digital Wildâ report shows that boys are navigating a digital world that isnât designed with their wellbeing in mind. By having conversations and centering teen voices, we can bring real awareness to the issue of digital masculinity. Check out this excellent video from Design It for Us that breaks it down, and keep an eye out for something new weâre launching for Menâs Health Awareness Month! đđ§
TikTok user @olivia.unplugged dedicates her content to helping young people balance their digital lives with their day-to-day, and forming healthy habits. And she doesnât explain how through editing, but with a dry-erase board and a marker! We LOVE this content and hope more influencers use their platforms to model mindful screen use and real-life connection. â¨đ¤ Take a look through her page, as well as this video on how online habits are changing our personalities.
đWhatâs Not:
Gen Alpha is taking Gen Zâs screen-time records to the next level. A new report from Morning Consult shows that todayâs youngest users (age 3-11) spend an average of 5+ hours a day online, with YouTube, Roblox, and TikTok dominating their daily lives. The next generation isnât growing into tech, theyâre already immersed in it! Yet platforms continue to prioritize engagement over wellbeing, making it even more critical to push for products and policies that protect kids instead of monetizing their attention. đ¤
OpenAI made a deepfake version of TikTok. 𤌠This new app called âSora by OpenAIâ looks and operates just like TikTok, but with 100% fake content. But not downloading the app doesnât mean you wonât be bombarded by these deepfakesâusers have been making these videos on the Sora app and reposting them to TikTok. Itâs getting harder and harder to immediately distinguish AI from the real thing these days, and the difference between these deepfakes and others is that theyâre scarily realistic looking. Stay vigilant and keep and eye out! If something looks a little fishyâŚit probably is.
As a busy college student, I was ecstatic when fall break rolled around. After I spent the first two months at school busy with coursework, extracurriculars, and getting back into the swing of academic life⌠I was absolutely exhausted. Safe to say, going home for fall break, (even though for just a few days), gave me a much-needed reset.
It was on the train home from school that I got the idea: what if I deleted TikTok and Instagram until I got back? Now, this idea isnât revolutionary: I, along with many others, routinely delete social media apps to help with productivity. What made this experience different though was that it wasnât motivated by a desire for productivity. . Usually, I end up deleting TikTok or Instagram when I need to focus on work, as the easily-scrollable content distracts me from it. Maybe I have a paper due, maybe a quiz is tomorrow, or maybe Iâm not paying attention in class. This time, however, I had none of those things. A week of study-free, essay-free relaxation awaited me: why delete now?
It comes down to the goals I set going into fall break: read more, think about others less, and spend quality time with loved ones. Hereâs how they worked out.
Enjoying this article? Teen Feed has itâs own column! Click here to keep reading!
Chances are, you probably see dozens of âday in the lifeâ videos on your feeds on a daily basis. But, have you seen one thatâs actually realistic? Probably not. So, Alyssa, one of our Core Storytellers at #HalfTheStory, filmed her day and you definitely want to watch till the end. đ
Did you know you can turn off AI images on Pinterest? Due to popular user demand, Pinterest, now allows you to toggle off âGenAIâ content. Get the how-to in the graphic below! âŹď¸ (link the original post)
Thanks for scrolling along with us! Donât leave us on readâŚsubscribeâŚweâll be back next month! In the meantime, stay 'In The Loopâ daily by keeping up with us @halfthestory on all socials! đ¤Š
