It's About Time We All Turn On Airplane Mode
Even if you're not actually hopping on a flight, who said you couldn't use airplane mode on the ground?
In The Loop is a monthly newsletter, managed and written by the teens who make up #HalfTheStory. Whether you’re a teen yourself, parent, educator, or someone who just wants to know what’s happening in the world of digital wellness, you’re in the right place!
Happy June, Happy Pride, and Men’s Mental Health Month! 🏳️🌈🧠 It’s Ally & Olivia here, and we’ve got some exciting #HTS updates ahead of this summer.
First, we want to give a spotlight on one of our Core Storytellers, Vyomini Vabilisetty, who contributed to the Bright and Dark Side this month! 🙌
Before we get into June’s edition, it’s Olivia, signing off for my last edition of In The Loop! Thank you readers and #HTS for everything, it’s been an incredible 2.5 years of proudc ITL. 😊🩵
Let’s dive in!
What's Your Dream Screen-Free Event?
Is it a phone-free dance? A color walk with Polaroid cameras? A junk journaling bar meets matcha pop up? We’re dreaming up what our fall activations will be like and we want YOUR input. Fill out a short survey (takes less than 5 minutes) and you get a chance to win a $15 gift card!
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:
Our work was spotlighted by Secretary Hillary Clinton! If you recall, last month we hinted about showing the behind the scenes of Jack and Addison’s phone-free fund project, made possible through a grant from Verizon. Check out this video (co-posted with Sec. Clinton) sharing how bringing board games and crafts to their school has led to deeper community and connection. More spotlights will be coming your way this summer!
Over the last few years, the manosphere has infiltrated the internet and pushing harmful toxic masculinity norms on young men. However, Mindy Kaling is offering an antidote these stereotypes through her new show Not Suitable for Work which explores the lives of five 20-somethings striving for a work-life balance in NYC. What makes this special? The eight-episode series shines a light on male friendship and what coming-of-age looks like in today’s culture. Read more about it on Teen Vogue.
Need a summer challenge? The New York Times just launched the “Touch Grass Challenge”. This 4-week interactive series encourages you to swap your screens for green, literally. This study found that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week, reported healthier levels of well-being. In other words, touching grass for just 20 minutes a day could be the key to the best summer you’ve ever had.
👎What’s Not:
In light of PRIDE month, a study conducted by Hopelab found that youth who identify as LGBTQ+ report poorer mental health compared to straight, cisgendered young people. The impacts are widespread with 60% of LGBTQ+ youth claiming family issues and schoolwork affect their mental health compared to 41% among cisgendered youth. This is why it’s so important solutions addressing these challenges aren’t one-size-fits-all but rather that these solutions give LGBTQ+ youth the tools to lead and shape the community they want to be a part of.
Did you know that 90% of teens ages 13 to 24 have Snapchat? Findings from a recent study by the Heat Initiative alongside other digital wellness organizations are alarming to say the least. In a national quantitative survey looking at the experiences of 1,016 minors who’ve used Snapchat in the last six months, they found that minors were frequently recommended adult strangers on Find Friends and 90% received unwanted messages from strangers — some involving sextortion. Later this month, our teens will share their take on this study so stay tuned.
Instagram just launched something called Instants, and surprise, it’s another feature of social media that we didn’t ask for. Inspired by Snapchat’s disappearing photos, we find Instants to be oddly annoying. Not only does it work similarly to the Stories feature that already exists, but it feeds into a culture of oversharing. Anxhelika share how you can turn off this feature here.
If you have five minutes to spare, check out this new video from John Green! He connects art, fifteen minutes of fame, influencer culture, and how the algorithm has conditioned us to crave more and more content…just to feel something. The human experience is no longer “3D” but has turned into optimizing for “2D screen-friendly” posts.
Ever hang out with your friends and you end up “phubbing”? Don’t worry, because this summer, that won’t be happening! Instead, turn on airplane mode! This way, you’re not tempted scroll and you’ll hopefully have conversations that aren’t about the last funny TikTok you saw…
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! 🤩
