Swipe Right on Putting Yourself Out There...
Hey In The Loop readers! It’s Ally & Olivia back with another edition, here to wish you a Happy Black History Month, Happy Valentine’s Day, and a month full of kindness, creativity, and connection! 💞🫂
This month, we’re talking teens taking the stage and making change💪, how YOU can shape Digital Civics Academy ‘26 👀, advocating for teens in public spaces, and much much more!
Happy reading! ⬇️
MLK Day at the Apollo 🎤✨
On MLK day, our own Daniella and Emily took the stage at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem for a panel hosted by Apollo Education, sharing how young people can use their voices and leadership to create change both online and off. We’re so grateful to be part of a broader ecosystem committed to uplifting communities and driving lasting impact on the issues that matter most!
Civics Unplugged Mentor Meetup!
Last week, DCA Intern Harveer and the Civics Unplugged team led a powerful DCA Mentor Meetup, showing our teens that they don’t have to wait to make change—they can help pass bills and shape policy right now! Check out the recap here! 🔗
TEENS! Help shape the 2026 Digital Civics Academy!
Fill out our quick Speaker Mad-Libs to share the creators, advocates, and voices that inspire you most. Your ideas will help decide the speakers and experiences at this summer’s Digital Civics Academy…and you may win a prize! 👀 Click that link to fill it out! 😉🔗
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 Big Tech finally being exposed for its harmful platforms and addictive algorithms? Over the last few weeks, the world’s largest social media companies including Meta, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok are being sued over claims of their addictive design features causing harm to young users mental health. While Snapchat and TikTok settled before the trial started, the jury is still awaiting testimonies from Instagram CEO, Adam Mosseri, CEO, and Mark Zuckerberg. This landmark trial has been compared to lawsuits that targeted ‘Big Tobacco’ back in the 1990s and could create huge implications for the future of social media platforms. Check out Gabe’s POV in this video!
Give a little love this month! ❤️ We all know that February 14th is Valentine’s Day, but did you know that February 17th is Random Acts of Kindness Day?!💭 The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is a nonprofit group that encourages people and organizations to “make kindness the norm,” not just something that happens once in a while. So yes, go make a stranger’s day on February 17th, but don’t stop there! Hold the door, hype a friend up, send a “thinking of you” text, or show up with kindness whenever you can. A little love goes a long way. 💌
👎What’s Not:
Using AI to undo the AI…sounds totally crazy, right?! Maybe not so much if you’re a college student. A recent NBC article talked about a new category of generative AI known as “humanizers”; students use these both to make sure they’re not caught using AI, and to avoid being wrongly accused of using it. This is a strong indicator of the pressure college students are feeling to prove they are human, even students who have never touched AI are feeling it!
Social media isn’t social anymore and it hasn’t been for a long time. The more that our feeds are “personalized” and curated to the tiniest of niches that only we ourselves care about, the more disconnected we become from the people right next to us. New York Mag calls this the era “desocialized social media.” The question becomes: do we move off these platforms in order to find more community or are we going to continue down our algorithmically-created rabbit holes?
We’re banning teens from social media…but we’re also taking away their access to public spaces. An article from The Atlantic talks about the decline in teens who hangout at the local Target, malls, and even movie theaters. The reason? Teens are seen as a “disturbance” - ultimately leading to curfew zones and restrictions from entering certain spaces without an adult. Yet, adults wonder why screen time and loneliness among youth are up. These restrictions not only leave teens feeling unwanted and discouraged from being out in the world, but deprives them of the learnings that being independent can bring.
Would you give up social media for 7 days?! If you read our December edition (click here if you haven’t), we talked about the impact of digital detoxes on mental health (at least for young adults). Two of our storytellers, Ben and Anxhelika, shared their takes in this video below.
If you’ve made it this far, this is your sign to get crafty and make some cute Valentine’s for the special people in your life!! From a traditional card to digital photobooths like the one below, get creative and spread some kindness. ✨ 💖
Ever heard of the swag gap? It’s a term that stemmed from TikTok that describes a relationship where one partner comes off as “cooler” or “better” than the other. Some Gen Zers find this to be a dealbreaker when it comes to relationships, one TikTok user saying “me showing up in public looking swagged out, looking fly, I have a cool outfit. And then my partner just looks an effing mess behind me....I can’t do it.” Even celebrity couples like Justin and Hailey Bieber have fallen victim to this idea. Founders of Grownkid, Gael Aitor and Kayla Suarez, dive into this idea on their podcast below! ⬇️
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! 🤩
