New Year, Same Mission: Empowering Youth to Design The Future Their Way
It's not just about getting off screens, but exploring what connection and community really looks like in the digital age.
After our two-weeks of being offline, #HalfTheStory is back and ready to take on 2026 with less screen time and more analog hobbies. 🧶
+ If you’re a new reader, welcome, welcome! In The Loop is a teen-written newsletter helping you (yes you!) make sense of what’s happening in the digital world.
This month, we have a lot to catch up on from what’s been going on in Big Tech to some of our predictions for this coming year.
Happy reading! ⬇️
#HalfTheStory is in Forbes! ✌️
This past week, we were featured in Forbes for our work in powering the future of phone-free schools. Our strategy? Empowering the next generation to lead and design their own initiatives that reflect the world they want to live in. This was never about banning phones — rather it’s about shifting culture so that the policies actually work!
Speaking Of… 📲 👀
Word has gone around that tells us that there are only two days left to apply for a spot on the New York Teen Tech Council — an initiative backed by the state of New York and Secretary Hillary Clinton where YOU have the opportunity to bring screen-free activations to your school. And once you’re a part of the TTC, you can apply for a grant up to $5,000 to bring your vision to reality! We want to see your application by January 11th! What are you waiting for?!
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:
Is 2026 The Year of the Digital Detox? Just as we predicted last month, it seems like a big social media trend right now is…limiting time on social media. Countless creators on TikTok have been advocating for lower screen time and less social media addiction in 2026, offering advice, showing how they’re “going analog,” and encouraging others to do the same. We love this new attitude and hope it stays strong for 2026! The more people joining the movement, the better.
75 hard tech challenge? Substack user Tiffany (@cybercelibate) published a reflection on her eight hour bus ride with no tech, commenting on the fact that everyone is talking about “going analog”, but not always explaining what that looks like or means. Tiffany shared the full challenge here, a comprehensive guide on the rules of the challenge as well as how to execute them to make it stick.
👎What’s Not:
This week, Elon Musk’s “Grok” has faced backlash after the AI image generator was used to create deepfakes of “digitally undressed” women and minors. When X users prompted the bot to remove the clothes of these women and children, Grok did so, despite xAi’s policy prohibiting “depicting likenesses of persons in a pornographic manner” and “the sexualization or exploitation of children.” The governments of France, India, and the United Kingdom have implored Musk to address these disturbing deepfakes, as they are punishable offenses in both France and India.
Instagram is back in the headlines…again. This time, The Washington Post reported on Meta’s long-running strategy to “win back” teen users to the platform. Instagram had been losing young users to rival apps like TikTok, but teens are a key audience for driving trends and keeping social media platforms culturally relevant. So amid lawsuits, public backlash, and growing evidence about harm to young people, Instagram’s internal priorities often clashed with its new “safety features,” raising real concerns about whether teen well-being was ever the main goal.
New year means setting goals and making vision boards! With infinite social media feeds, it’s easy to feel like you need to take on the same workout routine or reading goal of your favorite influencer, but it’s important to take a step back and create goals that actually serve YOU! 💛
A “dumb phone” is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a basic phone that can call and text, but skips social media and endless scrolling. But you don’t need a new device!
In just a few steps, you can set your home screen to look like this using the Blank Spaces app widget & a Focus Mode. Even starting out by doing this for one hour a day could help your digital detox!
Here is a quick tutorial. Try it out and let us know how it goes! Here’s to healthier habits in 2026! 💪
If you need a new podcast to listen to on your morning commute, check out Tech Unfiltered, a podcast created by Design it For Us and hosted by Arielle Geismar, leading ethical tech activist and organizer!
Don’t forget to apply to our NY Teen Tech Council!
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! 🤩
