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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some people with clinical depression can’t get out of bed. But what about those who exhibit other signs of depression who never stop moving, and may double down on their work?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psychiatrist \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Dr. Judith Joseph\u003c/u>\u003c/a> says the second group often goes unnoticed, even by the people living it. She calls it “high-functioning depression”: people who keep meeting their obligations at work and at home while quietly losing the ability to feel pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When you are joyful, you have better physical health, you have better relationships, you have better productivity at work,” Joseph said in an interview for the \u003cem>Your Turn\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/your-turn\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>podcast\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. “So why don’t we prioritize it?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the center of Joseph’s work is anhedonia: a reduced ability to feel joy, pleasure or interest in things that once brought those feelings. Joseph describes it as “the silent sister” of depression.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“One sister is depressed, and crying, and not getting out of bed, and getting all the attention,” she says. “The other one is quiet and numb.” Anhedonia may not seem like a crisis in the classic sense, Joseph says. “But it is an existential crisis, and it’s not something to ignore.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>What the research shows\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cureus.com/articles/322152-understanding-high-functioning-depression-in-adults#!/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>peer-reviewed study\u003c/u>\u003c/a> published in the journal Cureus, Joseph and colleagues interviewed adults using a set of questionnaires designed to assess high-functioning depression, trauma and anhedonia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results supported the researchers’ hypothesis that people with high-functioning depression have increased levels of anhedonia and trauma. Participants with higher anhedonia scores also had higher high-functioning depression scores.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents and caregivers had the highest anhedonia and high-functioning depression scores in the study.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The authors note that high-functioning depression is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, the manual clinicians use to diagnose mental health conditions. They say that is part of the problem: people who keep functioning may not recognize their symptoms or seek treatment until they reach burnout.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>‘Something’s gonna give’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph says she often sees the pattern in women who are the steady presence for everyone around them. They are so focused on their responsibilities at work and at home that they don’t realize they are burned out, or close to it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“But eventually something’s gonna give,” she said. “Either they do break down and they have a clinical depression and they lose their functioning, they go into distress or crisis, or they physically break down.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said she has seen patients end up in the emergency room without understanding why, only to learn they had been carrying unresolved emotional pain.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph said the pattern is common in professions that discourage vulnerability, including her own. In medicine, she said, crying after a patient died was seen as weakness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“In medicine, we focus on the crisis,” Joseph said. “You’re [taught] to look for the mania, for the psychosis.” She believes there should be more focus on anhedonia, the loss of sense of joy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>A self-assessment\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph developed an \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/anhedoniaquiz/?gf_page_4=1\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>anhedonia quiz\u003c/u>\u003c/a> based on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, a measure of the capacity to feel pleasure that was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The questionnaire asks about everyday experiences, such as whether you have trouble enjoying praise, whether you savor your meals or other small pleasures, and whether you struggle to enjoy your work or accomplishments because they never feel good enough.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The quiz is not a diagnostic tool. It’s an invitation to take stock of what might be standing in the way of a fuller, more joyful life. If you’d like to take the quiz, you’ll be asked to share your email to see the results.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Five V’s\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her book, “High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy,” Joseph also outlines a framework she calls the Five V’s:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Validation:\u003c/strong> naming and accepting what you feel.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Venting:\u003c/strong> expressing emotions, through talking, writing, creative expression or maybe a good cry.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Values:\u003c/strong> making time for what matters most.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Vision:\u003c/strong> having something to look forward to.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Vitals:\u003c/strong> caring for your whole self (mind + body) through sleep, nutrition and movement.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph says anhedonia appears across many conditions, in many people in midlife and other times, too. “It’s something that we need to learn how to detect,” she said, because it can be a silent problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to know more? Follow the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/your-turn\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Your Turn newsletter\u003c/u>\u003c/a> and listen to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/g-s1-143389/your-turn-with-allison-aubrey\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Your Turn podcast\u003c/u>\u003c/a> on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Midlife comes with a ton of challenges, and among them is the feeling of burnout – getting through the day but not necessarily enjoying it. NPR’s Allison Aubrey, a host of Your Turn, joins us now to talk about the research behind burnout. And stay with us because she’s also sharing a tool that can help you understand it. Hey there, Allison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Hi, Juana. Great to be here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: So, Allison, I mean, when I think about burnout, it seems like any sense of joy or wonder that we might have, it really just has to take a backseat to that long to-do list that we all have, everything we have to get done every day. There’s just so much happening.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Yeah, that’s definitely part of it. I mean, we focus on our obligations at work and at home. But for some people, Juana, they quietly and slowly, maybe without noticing it, lose a sense of joy. Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist who studies this, points to a term for this – anhedonia. This is the inability or reduced capacity to experience pleasure from things that are normally enjoyable. And this can accompany what she calls high-functioning depression. Here she is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JUDITH JOSEPH: When I describe depression, I describe twin sisters. One sister is depressed and crying and not getting out of bed and getting all the attention, and the other one is quiet and numb, you know? And she’s not in crisis in the classic sense, but it is an existential crisis. And it’s not something to ignore.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: Oh, OK, that’s an interesting way to describe it. So, Allison, is Dr. Joseph making the point that that quiet sister that she describes is easy to miss?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Yes, it can be. She says she sees this in patients, including many high achievers who feel that they need to be the rock for everyone else. They are the person holding it together, maybe doubling down on work or caregiving or both. This often comes in midlife. It can come at any point, really. They may not realize they’re burned out or emotionally flat. So Dr. Joseph’s peer-reviewed study found that people with what she calls high-functioning depression had higher levels of anhedonia, and parents and caregivers scored highest. So she thinks there should be more focus on all this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JOSEPH: In medicine, we focus on the crisis. Like, oh, you have to look for the mania, you have to look for the psychosis. Anhedonia was never put on a pedestal. And study after study shows that when you are joyful, you have better physical health, you have better relationships, you have better productivity at work. You’re more likely to help the world. So why don’t we prioritize it?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: And Allison, I know you’ve got a resource for us, a way for all of us to sort of better assess our emotional health. Tell us about it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Yeah, well, Dr. Joseph developed a short anhedonia quiz. It’s based on a clinical tool called the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale. And questions include things like, is it hard for you to enjoy praise? Do you rarely savor your meals or other small pleasures? And this one got me thinking, Juana. Do you find it hard to enjoy taking breaks because you feel restless when you’re not busy? I mean, sometimes…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: Oh, yeah.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: …We’re so accustomed to being busy, when we do get a break, it can feel like something’s missing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: This is a familiar one to me. Allison, if this quiz raises a flag for someone, what next?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Joseph says, maybe it’s time to slow down or reassess. She has a couple of simple steps you can take to start. The first one is simply validation. You take a moment to name what you’re feeling, or not feeling, and then you vent about it. Venting doesn’t mean screaming, necessarily, but rather to find a way to release what’s been bottled up, Juana. So talk to someone. Maybe have a good cry. Start journaling. Write a letter. Or maybe just find another creative way to get it out. This is really an invitation to take stock, Juana, of what might be standing between you and more joy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: That was NPR’s Allison Aubrey. Nice to talk with you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Great to talk to you, too, Juana.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: And you can sign up for the newsletter at npr.org/yourturnnewsletter.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Joseph developed an \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/anhedoniaquiz/?gf_page_4=1\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>anhedonia quiz\u003c/u>\u003c/a> based on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, a measure of the capacity to feel pleasure that was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Joseph says anhedonia appears across many conditions, in many people in midlife and other times, too. “It’s something that we need to learn how to detect,” she said, because it can be a silent problem.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Want to know more? Follow the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/your-turn\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Your Turn newsletter\u003c/u>\u003c/a> and listen to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/g-s1-143389/your-turn-with-allison-aubrey\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Your Turn podcast\u003c/u>\u003c/a> on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Midlife comes with a ton of challenges, and among them is the feeling of burnout – getting through the day but not necessarily enjoying it. NPR’s Allison Aubrey, a host of Your Turn, joins us now to talk about the research behind burnout. And stay with us because she’s also sharing a tool that can help you understand it. Hey there, Allison.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>SUMMERS: So, Allison, I mean, when I think about burnout, it seems like any sense of joy or wonder that we might have, it really just has to take a backseat to that long to-do list that we all have, everything we have to get done every day. There’s just so much happening.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AUBREY: Yeah, that’s definitely part of it. I mean, we focus on our obligations at work and at home. But for some people, Juana, they quietly and slowly, maybe without noticing it, lose a sense of joy. Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist who studies this, points to a term for this – anhedonia. This is the inability or reduced capacity to experience pleasure from things that are normally enjoyable. And this can accompany what she calls high-functioning depression. Here she is.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>AUBREY: Yeah, that’s definitely part of it. I mean, we focus on our obligations at work and at home. But for some people, Juana, they quietly and slowly, maybe without noticing it, lose a sense of joy. Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist who studies this, points to a term for this – anhedonia. This is the inability or reduced capacity to experience pleasure from things that are normally enjoyable. And this can accompany what she calls high-functioning depression. Here she is.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>JUDITH JOSEPH: When I describe depression, I describe twin sisters. One sister is depressed and crying and not getting out of bed and getting all the attention, and the other one is quiet and numb, you know? And she’s not in crisis in the classic sense, but it is an existential crisis. And it’s not something to ignore.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>JUDITH JOSEPH: When I describe depression, I describe twin sisters. One sister is depressed and crying and not getting out of bed and getting all the attention, and the other one is quiet and numb, you know? And she’s not in crisis in the classic sense, but it is an existential crisis. And it’s not something to ignore.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>AUBREY: Joseph says, maybe it’s time to slow down or reassess. She has a couple of simple steps you can take to start. The first one is simply validation. You take a moment to name what you’re feeling, or not feeling, and then you vent about it. Venting doesn’t mean screaming, necessarily, but rather to find a way to release what’s been bottled up, Juana. So talk to someone. Maybe have a good cry. Start journaling. Write a letter. Or maybe just find another creative way to get it out. This is really an invitation to take stock, Juana, of what might be standing between you and more joy.\u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some people with clinical depression can’t get out of bed. But what about those who exhibit other signs of depression who never stop moving, and may double down on their work?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psychiatrist \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Dr. Judith Joseph\u003c/u>\u003c/a> says the second group often goes unnoticed, even by the people living it. She calls it “high-functioning depression”: people who keep meeting their obligations at work and at home while quietly losing the ability to feel pleasure.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When you are joyful, you have better physical health, you have better relationships, you have better productivity at work,” Joseph said in an interview for the \u003cem>Your Turn\u003c/em> \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/your-turn\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>podcast\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. “So why don’t we prioritize it?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the center of Joseph’s work is anhedonia: a reduced ability to feel joy, pleasure or interest in things that once brought those feelings. Joseph describes it as “the silent sister” of depression.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“One sister is depressed, and crying, and not getting out of bed, and getting all the attention,” she says. “The other one is quiet and numb.” Anhedonia may not seem like a crisis in the classic sense, Joseph says. “But it is an existential crisis, and it’s not something to ignore.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>What the research shows\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a \u003ca href=\"https://www.cureus.com/articles/322152-understanding-high-functioning-depression-in-adults#!/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>peer-reviewed study\u003c/u>\u003c/a> published in the journal Cureus, Joseph and colleagues interviewed adults using a set of questionnaires designed to assess high-functioning depression, trauma and anhedonia.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The results supported the researchers’ hypothesis that people with high-functioning depression have increased levels of anhedonia and trauma. Participants with higher anhedonia scores also had higher high-functioning depression scores.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Parents and caregivers had the highest anhedonia and high-functioning depression scores in the study.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The authors note that high-functioning depression is not an official diagnosis in the DSM-5, the manual clinicians use to diagnose mental health conditions. They say that is part of the problem: people who keep functioning may not recognize their symptoms or seek treatment until they reach burnout.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>‘Something’s gonna give’\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph says she often sees the pattern in women who are the steady presence for everyone around them. They are so focused on their responsibilities at work and at home that they don’t realize they are burned out, or close to it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“But eventually something’s gonna give,” she said. “Either they do break down and they have a clinical depression and they lose their functioning, they go into distress or crisis, or they physically break down.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She said she has seen patients end up in the emergency room without understanding why, only to learn they had been carrying unresolved emotional pain.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph said the pattern is common in professions that discourage vulnerability, including her own. In medicine, she said, crying after a patient died was seen as weakness.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“In medicine, we focus on the crisis,” Joseph said. “You’re [taught] to look for the mania, for the psychosis.” She believes there should be more focus on anhedonia, the loss of sense of joy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>A self-assessment\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph developed an \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/anhedoniaquiz/?gf_page_4=1\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>anhedonia quiz\u003c/u>\u003c/a> based on the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale, a measure of the capacity to feel pleasure that was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The questionnaire asks about everyday experiences, such as whether you have trouble enjoying praise, whether you savor your meals or other small pleasures, and whether you struggle to enjoy your work or accomplishments because they never feel good enough.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The quiz is not a diagnostic tool. It’s an invitation to take stock of what might be standing in the way of a fuller, more joyful life. If you’d like to take the quiz, you’ll be asked to share your email to see the results.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Five V’s\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In her book, “High Functioning: Overcome Your Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy,” Joseph also outlines a framework she calls the Five V’s:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Validation:\u003c/strong> naming and accepting what you feel.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Venting:\u003c/strong> expressing emotions, through talking, writing, creative expression or maybe a good cry.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Values:\u003c/strong> making time for what matters most.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Vision:\u003c/strong> having something to look forward to.\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Vitals:\u003c/strong> caring for your whole self (mind + body) through sleep, nutrition and movement.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Joseph says anhedonia appears across many conditions, in many people in midlife and other times, too. “It’s something that we need to learn how to detect,” she said, because it can be a silent problem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Want to know more? Follow the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/newsletter/your-turn\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Your Turn newsletter\u003c/u>\u003c/a> and listen to the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/g-s1-143389/your-turn-with-allison-aubrey\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Your Turn podcast\u003c/u>\u003c/a> on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.\u003cbr>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Midlife comes with a ton of challenges, and among them is the feeling of burnout – getting through the day but not necessarily enjoying it. NPR’s Allison Aubrey, a host of Your Turn, joins us now to talk about the research behind burnout. And stay with us because she’s also sharing a tool that can help you understand it. Hey there, Allison.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: Hi, Juana. Great to be here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: So, Allison, I mean, when I think about burnout, it seems like any sense of joy or wonder that we might have, it really just has to take a backseat to that long to-do list that we all have, everything we have to get done every day. There’s just so much happening.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Yeah, that’s definitely part of it. I mean, we focus on our obligations at work and at home. But for some people, Juana, they quietly and slowly, maybe without noticing it, lose a sense of joy. Dr. Judith Joseph, a psychiatrist who studies this, points to a term for this – anhedonia. This is the inability or reduced capacity to experience pleasure from things that are normally enjoyable. And this can accompany what she calls high-functioning depression. Here she is.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JUDITH JOSEPH: When I describe depression, I describe twin sisters. One sister is depressed and crying and not getting out of bed and getting all the attention, and the other one is quiet and numb, you know? And she’s not in crisis in the classic sense, but it is an existential crisis. And it’s not something to ignore.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: Oh, OK, that’s an interesting way to describe it. So, Allison, is Dr. Joseph making the point that that quiet sister that she describes is easy to miss?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Yes, it can be. She says she sees this in patients, including many high achievers who feel that they need to be the rock for everyone else. They are the person holding it together, maybe doubling down on work or caregiving or both. This often comes in midlife. It can come at any point, really. They may not realize they’re burned out or emotionally flat. So Dr. Joseph’s peer-reviewed study found that people with what she calls high-functioning depression had higher levels of anhedonia, and parents and caregivers scored highest. So she thinks there should be more focus on all this.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">JOSEPH: In medicine, we focus on the crisis. Like, oh, you have to look for the mania, you have to look for the psychosis. Anhedonia was never put on a pedestal. And study after study shows that when you are joyful, you have better physical health, you have better relationships, you have better productivity at work. You’re more likely to help the world. So why don’t we prioritize it?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: And Allison, I know you’ve got a resource for us, a way for all of us to sort of better assess our emotional health. Tell us about it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Yeah, well, Dr. Joseph developed a short anhedonia quiz. It’s based on a clinical tool called the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale. And questions include things like, is it hard for you to enjoy praise? Do you rarely savor your meals or other small pleasures? And this one got me thinking, Juana. Do you find it hard to enjoy taking breaks because you feel restless when you’re not busy? I mean, sometimes…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: Oh, yeah.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: …We’re so accustomed to being busy, when we do get a break, it can feel like something’s missing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: This is a familiar one to me. Allison, if this quiz raises a flag for someone, what next?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Joseph says, maybe it’s time to slow down or reassess. She has a couple of simple steps you can take to start. The first one is simply validation. You take a moment to name what you’re feeling, or not feeling, and then you vent about it. Venting doesn’t mean screaming, necessarily, but rather to find a way to release what’s been bottled up, Juana. So talk to someone. Maybe have a good cry. Start journaling. Write a letter. Or maybe just find another creative way to get it out. This is really an invitation to take stock, Juana, of what might be standing between you and more joy.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: That was NPR’s Allison Aubrey. Nice to talk with you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">AUBREY: Great to talk to you, too, Juana.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SUMMERS: And you can sign up for the newsletter at npr.org/yourturnnewsletter.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>“You’re an idiot.” “You’re weak.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Have you ever said critical things to yourself when you feel any emotions? If so, it may be a sign you struggle with self-worth, says \u003ca href=\"https://drmarisagfranco.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>psychologist Marisa Franco\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. That means feeling good about yourself and “treating your emotions like they matter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The good news is that self-worth is a skill that you can learn and get better at, says Franco, author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/784327/worth-by-marisa-g-franco-phd/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>\u003cu>Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment\u003c/u>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, published in September. Drawing on the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, the book offers insights and exercises on how to build a stronger sense of value for yourself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One effective way to do that is to revisit difficult memories, Franco says. This approach is based on memory reconsolidation theory, based on the work of behavioral neuroscientist \u003ca href=\"https://www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/naderlab/The_Nader_Lab/Home.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Karim Nader\u003c/u>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s about looking back at these memories, giving yourself catharsis and allowing those feelings to move through you more so they don’t continue to shape your sense of self right now,” Franco says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a conversation with Life Kit, Franco explains the benefits of good self-esteem — and shares an exercise to boost your sense of self-worth. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Let’s talk about memory reconsolidation. Researchers have found that we can transform our memories, and that can make us feel more worthy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The thing about memories is they don’t just record the past, they predict the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When you return to a memory and envision yourself intervening as an adult and saying, “You’re safe, I care about you and I’m never going to leave you,” it can be quite transformative.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That leads to higher self-esteem, less symptoms of trauma, and also changes in the hippocampus, which is the part of our brain where our memories are stored.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg\" alt=\"This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and research by psychologist Soljana Çili. Print out this worksheet or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \" class=\"wp-image-66656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u003cem>This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472487/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>research\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> by psychologist Soljana Çili.\u003c/em>\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1thb9elN1fuz8nsRT27UYYf-gk75bpr_zVGEQ_Pl2SV4/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Print out\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>this worksheet\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \u003c/em> \u003ccite> (Malaka Gharib/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>In your book, you explain how to do a memory reconsolidation exercise called reparenting (see instructions above). It asks you, as your current self, to provide reassurance to your younger self as a way to work through a troubling past event. Can you share an example? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the memories I reconsolidated was the experience of being a kid whose mom showed up late to soccer practice. I was one of the only kids of color [on the team]. When I go back to that memory, I can viscerally experience how I felt ashamed, embarrassed and different from everyone else.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I picture my current self showing up before my mom gets there. Adult me looks so excited to see younger me. Adult me gives younger me a hug and says, “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that I get to pick you up. Even though your mom is late, she loves you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>How does this exercise make you feel? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It allows me to see the good in the world, to not evaluate things based off of the negativity eclipsing everything good about it. [It makes me] feel more valued, more enthusiastic, less afraid, bolder.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Why is it worth addressing low self-esteem?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All the beauties of life slip off of you when you have lower self-esteem. You can experience great success and still feel like a failure. You can find great love and still feel unlovable. So your ability to internalize the good is disrupted by your own sense of self.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If we’re able to feel good about ourselves, we are able to receive all the good happening in our lives more deeply.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Life Kit on self-esteem\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079587715/whats-your-attachment-style-quiz\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>What’s your attachment style? Take this quiz to find out\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>According to the field of attachment theory, each person has a unique attachment style that informs how that person relates to intimacy: secure, anxious or avoidant. We talk with Amir Levine, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book \u003cem>Attached,\u003c/em> about how your attachment style can impact your relationships.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/04/1133860237/stop-hurting-your-own-feelings-tips-on-quashing-negative-self-talk\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Stop hurting your own feelings: Tips on quashing negative self-talk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>Can’t stop thinking mean thoughts about yourself? Researchers and psychologists share how to break the cycle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124806233/when-something-feels-personal-heres-how-to-cope\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>How to stop stewing about something you’ve taken (a little too) personally\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong> Being offended by something that someone did or said can be upsetting — but it doesn’t have to eat away at us. Mental health experts share how to slow down and gain clarity when things get personal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This digital story was edited by Meghan Keane. It was fact-checked by Andrea López-Cruzado.\u003c/em> \u003cem>The visual editor is CJ Riculan. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We’d love to hear from you. Email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Listen to Life Kit on\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, and sign up for our\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s about looking back at these memories, giving yourself catharsis and allowing those feelings to move through you more so they don’t continue to shape your sense of self right now,” Franco says.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s about looking back at these memories, giving yourself catharsis and allowing those feelings to move through you more so they don’t continue to shape your sense of self right now,” Franco says.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a conversation with Life Kit, Franco explains the benefits of good self-esteem — and shares an exercise to boost your sense of self-worth. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n",
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"text": "Let’s talk about memory reconsolidation. Researchers have found that we can transform our memories, and that can make us feel more worthy. ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Let’s talk about memory reconsolidation. Researchers have found that we can transform our memories, and that can make us feel more worthy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Let’s talk about memory reconsolidation. Researchers have found that we can transform our memories, and that can make us feel more worthy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The thing about memories is they don’t just record the past, they predict the future.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The thing about memories is they don’t just record the past, they predict the future.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When you return to a memory and envision yourself intervening as an adult and saying, “You’re safe, I care about you and I’m never going to leave you,” it can be quite transformative.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When you return to a memory and envision yourself intervening as an adult and saying, “You’re safe, I care about you and I’m never going to leave you,” it can be quite transformative.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That leads to higher self-esteem, less symptoms of trauma, and also changes in the hippocampus, which is the part of our brain where our memories are stored.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That leads to higher self-esteem, less symptoms of trauma, and also changes in the hippocampus, which is the part of our brain where our memories are stored.\u003c/p>\n"
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"alt": "This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and research by psychologist Soljana Çili. Print out this worksheet or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg\" alt=\"This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and research by psychologist Soljana Çili. Print out this worksheet or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \" class=\"wp-image-66656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u003cem>This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472487/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>research\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> by psychologist Soljana Çili.\u003c/em>\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1thb9elN1fuz8nsRT27UYYf-gk75bpr_zVGEQ_Pl2SV4/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Print out\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>this worksheet\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \u003c/em> \u003ccite> (Malaka Gharib/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg\" alt=\"This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and research by psychologist Soljana Çili. Print out this worksheet or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \" class=\"wp-image-66656\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u003cem>This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472487/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>research\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> by psychologist Soljana Çili.\u003c/em>\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1thb9elN1fuz8nsRT27UYYf-gk75bpr_zVGEQ_Pl2SV4/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Print out\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>this worksheet\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \u003c/em> \u003ccite> (Malaka Gharib/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"text": "In your book, you explain how to do a memory reconsolidation exercise called reparenting (see instructions above). It asks you, as your current self, to provide reassurance to your younger self as a way to work through a troubling past event. Can you share an example? ",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the memories I reconsolidated was the experience of being a kid whose mom showed up late to soccer practice. I was one of the only kids of color [on the team]. When I go back to that memory, I can viscerally experience how I felt ashamed, embarrassed and different from everyone else.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the memories I reconsolidated was the experience of being a kid whose mom showed up late to soccer practice. I was one of the only kids of color [on the team]. When I go back to that memory, I can viscerally experience how I felt ashamed, embarrassed and different from everyone else.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>I picture my current self showing up before my mom gets there. Adult me looks so excited to see younger me. Adult me gives younger me a hug and says, “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that I get to pick you up. Even though your mom is late, she loves you.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>I picture my current self showing up before my mom gets there. Adult me looks so excited to see younger me. Adult me gives younger me a hug and says, “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that I get to pick you up. Even though your mom is late, she loves you.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "How does this exercise make you feel?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It allows me to see the good in the world, to not evaluate things based off of the negativity eclipsing everything good about it. [It makes me] feel more valued, more enthusiastic, less afraid, bolder.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It allows me to see the good in the world, to not evaluate things based off of the negativity eclipsing everything good about it. [It makes me] feel more valued, more enthusiastic, less afraid, bolder.\u003c/p>\n"
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"text": "Why is it worth addressing low self-esteem?",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Why is it worth addressing low self-esteem?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>All the beauties of life slip off of you when you have lower self-esteem. You can experience great success and still feel like a failure. You can find great love and still feel unlovable. So your ability to internalize the good is disrupted by your own sense of self.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>All the beauties of life slip off of you when you have lower self-esteem. You can experience great success and still feel like a failure. You can find great love and still feel unlovable. So your ability to internalize the good is disrupted by your own sense of self.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If we’re able to feel good about ourselves, we are able to receive all the good happening in our lives more deeply.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Life Kit on self-esteem\u003c/h2>\n",
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"\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Life Kit on self-esteem\u003c/h2>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079587715/whats-your-attachment-style-quiz\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>What’s your attachment style? Take this quiz to find out\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>According to the field of attachment theory, each person has a unique attachment style that informs how that person relates to intimacy: secure, anxious or avoidant. We talk with Amir Levine, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book \u003cem>Attached,\u003c/em> about how your attachment style can impact your relationships.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079587715/whats-your-attachment-style-quiz\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>What’s your attachment style? Take this quiz to find out\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>According to the field of attachment theory, each person has a unique attachment style that informs how that person relates to intimacy: secure, anxious or avoidant. We talk with Amir Levine, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book \u003cem>Attached,\u003c/em> about how your attachment style can impact your relationships.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/04/1133860237/stop-hurting-your-own-feelings-tips-on-quashing-negative-self-talk\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Stop hurting your own feelings: Tips on quashing negative self-talk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>Can’t stop thinking mean thoughts about yourself? Researchers and psychologists share how to break the cycle.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/04/1133860237/stop-hurting-your-own-feelings-tips-on-quashing-negative-self-talk\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Stop hurting your own feelings: Tips on quashing negative self-talk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>Can’t stop thinking mean thoughts about yourself? Researchers and psychologists share how to break the cycle.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124806233/when-something-feels-personal-heres-how-to-cope\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>How to stop stewing about something you’ve taken (a little too) personally\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong> Being offended by something that someone did or said can be upsetting — but it doesn’t have to eat away at us. Mental health experts share how to slow down and gain clarity when things get personal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124806233/when-something-feels-personal-heres-how-to-cope\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>How to stop stewing about something you’ve taken (a little too) personally\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong> Being offended by something that someone did or said can be upsetting — but it doesn’t have to eat away at us. Mental health experts share how to slow down and gain clarity when things get personal.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This digital story was edited by Meghan Keane. It was fact-checked by Andrea López-Cruzado.\u003c/em> \u003cem>The visual editor is CJ Riculan. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We’d love to hear from you. Email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Listen to Life Kit on\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, and sign up for our\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We’d love to hear from you. Email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Listen to Life Kit on\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, and sign up for our\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "In a new book, psychologist Marisa Franco explains why it's good to feel good about yourself — and shares a helpful memory technique that we've turned into a printable worksheet.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>“You’re an idiot.” “You’re weak.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Have you ever said critical things to yourself when you feel any emotions? If so, it may be a sign you struggle with self-worth, says \u003ca href=\"https://drmarisagfranco.com/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>psychologist Marisa Franco\u003c/u>\u003c/a>. That means feeling good about yourself and “treating your emotions like they matter.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The good news is that self-worth is a skill that you can learn and get better at, says Franco, author of \u003ca href=\"https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/784327/worth-by-marisa-g-franco-phd/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>\u003cu>Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment\u003c/u>\u003c/em>\u003c/a>, published in September. Drawing on the latest research in psychology and neuroscience, the book offers insights and exercises on how to build a stronger sense of value for yourself.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One effective way to do that is to revisit difficult memories, Franco says. This approach is based on memory reconsolidation theory, based on the work of behavioral neuroscientist \u003ca href=\"https://www.psych.mcgill.ca/labs/naderlab/The_Nader_Lab/Home.html\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cu>Karim Nader\u003c/u>\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s about looking back at these memories, giving yourself catharsis and allowing those feelings to move through you more so they don’t continue to shape your sense of self right now,” Franco says.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In a conversation with Life Kit, Franco explains the benefits of good self-esteem — and shares an exercise to boost your sense of self-worth. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Let’s talk about memory reconsolidation. Researchers have found that we can transform our memories, and that can make us feel more worthy. \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The thing about memories is they don’t just record the past, they predict the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When you return to a memory and envision yourself intervening as an adult and saying, “You’re safe, I care about you and I’m never going to leave you,” it can be quite transformative.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That leads to higher self-esteem, less symptoms of trauma, and also changes in the hippocampus, which is the part of our brain where our memories are stored.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg\" alt=\"This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and research by psychologist Soljana Çili. Print out this worksheet or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \" class=\"wp-image-66656\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting.jpg 1200w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting-160x200.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/09/reparenting-768x960.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">\u003cem>This exercise is adapted from our conversation with Franco and \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27472487/\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem>research\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> by psychologist Soljana Çili.\u003c/em>\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003ca href=\"https://docs.google.com/document/d/1thb9elN1fuz8nsRT27UYYf-gk75bpr_zVGEQ_Pl2SV4/edit?usp=sharing\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>\u003cem>Print out\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003cstrong>\u003cem>this worksheet\u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>\u003cem> \u003c/em>\u003c/strong>\u003cem>or take a screen grab of it and fill it out. You can do this exercise on your own, but you may want to try it with a friend or therapist. \u003c/em> \u003ccite> (Malaka Gharib/NPR)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>In your book, you explain how to do a memory reconsolidation exercise called reparenting (see instructions above). It asks you, as your current self, to provide reassurance to your younger self as a way to work through a troubling past event. Can you share an example? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the memories I reconsolidated was the experience of being a kid whose mom showed up late to soccer practice. I was one of the only kids of color [on the team]. When I go back to that memory, I can viscerally experience how I felt ashamed, embarrassed and different from everyone else.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>I picture my current self showing up before my mom gets there. Adult me looks so excited to see younger me. Adult me gives younger me a hug and says, “Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that I get to pick you up. Even though your mom is late, she loves you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>How does this exercise make you feel? \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It allows me to see the good in the world, to not evaluate things based off of the negativity eclipsing everything good about it. [It makes me] feel more valued, more enthusiastic, less afraid, bolder.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Why is it worth addressing low self-esteem?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>All the beauties of life slip off of you when you have lower self-esteem. You can experience great success and still feel like a failure. You can find great love and still feel unlovable. So your ability to internalize the good is disrupted by your own sense of self.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If we’re able to feel good about ourselves, we are able to receive all the good happening in our lives more deeply.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More Life Kit on self-esteem\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/02/09/1079587715/whats-your-attachment-style-quiz\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>What’s your attachment style? Take this quiz to find out\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>According to the field of attachment theory, each person has a unique attachment style that informs how that person relates to intimacy: secure, anxious or avoidant. We talk with Amir Levine, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book \u003cem>Attached,\u003c/em> about how your attachment style can impact your relationships.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/11/04/1133860237/stop-hurting-your-own-feelings-tips-on-quashing-negative-self-talk\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>Stop hurting your own feelings: Tips on quashing negative self-talk\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>Can’t stop thinking mean thoughts about yourself? Researchers and psychologists share how to break the cycle.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124806233/when-something-feels-personal-heres-how-to-cope\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cstrong>How to stop stewing about something you’ve taken (a little too) personally\u003c/strong>\u003c/a>\u003cstrong>.\u003c/strong> Being offended by something that someone did or said can be upsetting — but it doesn’t have to eat away at us. Mental health experts share how to slow down and gain clarity when things get personal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003chr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"/>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This digital story was edited by Meghan Keane. It was fact-checked by Andrea López-Cruzado.\u003c/em> \u003cem>The visual editor is CJ Riculan. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>We’d love to hear from you. Email us at LifeKit@npr.org. Listen to Life Kit on\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, and sign up for our\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\" target=\"_blank\">\u003cem> newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Increasingly, teens and adults are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for companionship and emotional support, \u003ca href=\"https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-42411-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent studies\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surveys \u003c/a>show. And so, mental health care providers should inquire if and how their patients are using this technology, just like they seek information on sleep, diet, exercise and alcohol consumption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2847068\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to a new paper\u003c/a> out in \u003cem>JAMA Psychiatry\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that AI use is good or bad,” says \u003ca href=\"https://socialwork.nyu.edu/faculty-and-research/our-faculty/shaddy-saba.html?challenge=d06e90d7-4d8f-4b88-9d8c-10b73beb60f1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shaddy Saba\u003c/a>, an assistant professor at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, “just like we wouldn’t say substance use is necessarily good or bad, [or] consulting with a friend about something is good or bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, learning about a person’s use of AI for emotional support and advice could provide valuable insight into someone’s life and mental health status, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our job is to understand why people are behaving as they are — in this case, why they are seeking help from an AI system,” adds Saba. “And to learn about what it’s doing for them, what it’s not doing for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saba and his co-author’s recommendations are “very aligned” with recommendations by the American Psychological Association (APA) in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/health-advisory-ai-chatbots-wellness-apps-mental-health.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health advisory released in November\u003c/a> of last year, says the APA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.drvailewright.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vaile Wright\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking what a patient is getting out of their conversations with an AI chatbot sets “a foundation for the therapist to better know how they are trying to navigate their emotional wellbeing and their mental illness,” says Wright.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“Treasure trove of information”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“People are using these tools on a regular basis to ask about how to cope with stressful experiences, personal relationship challenges,” explains Saba.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And some are using chatbots for advice on how to cope with symptoms of anxiety and depression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To the extent that we can prompt our clients to bring these conversations, in increasing detail, even into the therapy room, I think there’s potentially a treasure trove of information,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It could be information about the main causes of stress in someone’s life, or if they are turning to a chatbot as a way to avoid confrontations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let’s say, for example, you have a client who is having relationship issues with their spouse,” says the APA’s Wright. “And instead of trying to have open conversations with their spouse about how to get their needs met, they’re instead going to the chatbot to either fill those needs or to avoid having these difficult conversations with their spouse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That background will help a therapist better support the patient, she explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Helping them understand how to have a safe conversation with their spouse, helping them understand the limitations of AI as a tool for filling those gaps in those needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discussing use of AI is also a chance to learn about things a client might not voluntarily share with a therapist, says psychiatrist \u003ca href=\"https://www.thomasinselmd.com/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Tom Insel\u003c/a>, former director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nimh.nih.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Institute of Mental Health\u003c/a>. “People often use the chatbots to talk about things that they can’t talk about with other people because they’re so worried about being judged,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, suicidal thoughts may be something a patient is reluctant to share with their therapist, but that is critical for the therapist to know to keep the patient safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Be curious, but don’t judge\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When it comes to first broaching the subject with patients, Saba suggests doing it without any judgment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want to make clients feel like we’re judging them,” he says. “They’re just not going to want to work with us in general if we do that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He recommends therapists approach the topic with genuine curiosity, and offers suggested language for these conversations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“‘You know, AI is something that’s kind of rapidly growing, and I’m hearing from a lot of people that they’re using things like ChatGPT for emotional support,” he suggests. “‘Is that the case for you? Have you tried that?'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also recommends asking specific questions about what they found helpful so they can better understand how a patient is using these tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It could also help a therapist figure out whether a chatbot can complement therapy in helpful ways, says Insel, such as to vet which topics to bring to their sessions or to vent about day-to-day life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a way, therapy and chatbots “could be aligned to work together,” says Insel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saba and his co-author, William Weeks, also suggest asking patients if they found any chatbot interactions unhelpful or problematic, and also offering to share risks of using chatbots for emotional support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, the risks to data privacy, because many AI companies \u003ca href=\"https://hai.stanford.edu/news/be-careful-what-you-tell-your-ai-chatbot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">use the conversations — even sensitive ones — to further train their models\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are also risks of treating a chatbot like a therapist, says Insel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Talking with a chatbot about one’s mental health is “the opposite of therapy,” he says, because chatbots are designed to affirm and flatter, reinforcing users’ thoughts and feelings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Therapy is there to help you change and to challenge you,” says Insel, “and to get you to talk about things that are particularly difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Adopting the advice\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Psychologist \u003ca href=\"https://www.childpsychologysolutions.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cami Winkelspecht\u003c/a> has a private practice working primarily with children and adolescents in Wilmington, Del.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has been considering adding questions about social media and AI use to her intake form and appreciated Saba’s study as it offered some sample questions to include.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3500x2333+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffa%2Fb0%2Fa25ed5cc45429d44c18de99ecba5%2Fap25217544822086.jpg\" alt=\"ChatGPT's landing page on a computer screen.\">\u003cfigcaption>ChatGPT’s landing page on a computer screen. \u003ccite> (Kiichiro Sato | AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the past year or so, Winkelspecht has had a growing number of clients and their parents ask her for help with using AI for brainstorming and other tasks in ways that don’t break a school’s honor code. So, she’s had to familiarize herself with the technology to be able to support her clients. Along the way, she’s come to realize that therapists and kids’ parents need to be more aware of how children and teens are using their digital devices — both social media and AI chatbots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t necessarily think about what they’re doing with their phones quite as much,” says Winkelspecht. “And I think it’s pretty clear that we need to be doing that more and encouraging ourselves to have that conversation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent studies suggest that many Americans with mental health conditions now turn to AI chatbots for mental health advice. Now a new paper in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that therapists should regularly ask patients about their use of AI for emotional support, just like they seek information about sleep, exercise and how much you drink. NPR’s Rhitu Chatterjee reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE: These days, when people feel stressed or anxious, many reach for an AI chatbot like ChatGPT. It’s at their fingertips and easy. Study author Shaddy Saba is an assistant professor at New York University Silver School of Social Work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SHADDY SABA: You know, people who are using these tools on a regular basis to ask about stressful experiences and how to cope with stressful experiences, personal relationship challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: For example, anticipating a tough conversation with a boss or a friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SABA: How do I approach it? Do I say this? Do I say that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: People also vent to chatbots and ask for ways to cope with anxiety and depression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SABA: If they’re doing a back and forth with a chatbot about these things, they might be picking up on ideas of what might be helpful for them. They might also be, you know, exposed to ideas that might be less helpful for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: That’s why Saba and his coauthors suggest mental health providers ask clients about their use of AI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SABA: The extent that we can prompt our clients to bring these conversations, you know, in increasing detail even, into the therapy room, I think there’s potentially kind of a treasure trove of information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Information about the main causes of stress in someone’s life, or whether they’re turning to a chatbot to avoid confrontations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VAILE WRIGHT: Let’s say, for example, you have a client who is having relationship issues with their spouse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Psychologist Vaile Wright is with the American Psychological Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WRIGHT: And instead of trying to have open conversations with their spouse about how to get their needs met, they’re instead going to the chatbot to either fill those needs or to avoid having these difficult conversations with their spouse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Wright says understanding this background will help a therapist better support the patient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WRIGHT: So helping them understand how to have a safe conversation with their spouse, helping them understand the limitations of the AI as a tool for filling those gaps and those needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Talking about AI use can also help therapists learn about things that their patient might not voluntarily share with them. Psychiatrist Tom Insel is former director of the National Institute of Mental Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TOM INSEL: People often use the chatbots to talk about things that they can’t talk about with other people ’cause they’re so worried about being judged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: For example, if they are having thoughts of suicide – he says discussing AI use also allows mental health providers to educate patients about the risks of using a chatbot like a therapist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSEL: Because it’s the opposite of therapy in so many ways, you know, they’re affirming. They may even be sycophantic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Which only reinforces a user’s thoughts and feelings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSEL: Therapy is there to help you change and to challenge you and to get you to talk about things that are particularly difficult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: And helping people understand this can itself be transformative for their mental health in the long run. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Increasingly, teens and adults are turning to artificial intelligence chatbots for companionship and emotional support, \u003ca href=\"https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2026-42411-001\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">recent studies\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2026/02/24/how-teens-use-and-view-ai/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">surveys \u003c/a>show. And so, mental health care providers should inquire if and how their patients are using this technology, just like they seek information on sleep, diet, exercise and alcohol consumption.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That’s \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2847068\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">according to a new paper\u003c/a> out in \u003cem>JAMA Psychiatry\u003c/em>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re not saying that AI use is good or bad,” says \u003ca href=\"https://socialwork.nyu.edu/faculty-and-research/our-faculty/shaddy-saba.html?challenge=d06e90d7-4d8f-4b88-9d8c-10b73beb60f1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Shaddy Saba\u003c/a>, an assistant professor at New York University’s Silver School of Social Work, “just like we wouldn’t say substance use is necessarily good or bad, [or] consulting with a friend about something is good or bad.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, learning about a person’s use of AI for emotional support and advice could provide valuable insight into someone’s life and mental health status, he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Our job is to understand why people are behaving as they are — in this case, why they are seeking help from an AI system,” adds Saba. “And to learn about what it’s doing for them, what it’s not doing for them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saba and his co-author’s recommendations are “very aligned” with recommendations by the American Psychological Association (APA) in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.apa.org/topics/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning/health-advisory-ai-chatbots-wellness-apps-mental-health.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">health advisory released in November\u003c/a> of last year, says the APA’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.drvailewright.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vaile Wright\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Asking what a patient is getting out of their conversations with an AI chatbot sets “a foundation for the therapist to better know how they are trying to navigate their emotional wellbeing and their mental illness,” says Wright.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>“Treasure trove of information”\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“People are using these tools on a regular basis to ask about how to cope with stressful experiences, personal relationship challenges,” explains Saba.\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And some are using chatbots for advice on how to cope with symptoms of anxiety and depression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To the extent that we can prompt our clients to bring these conversations, in increasing detail, even into the therapy room, I think there’s potentially a treasure trove of information,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It could be information about the main causes of stress in someone’s life, or if they are turning to a chatbot as a way to avoid confrontations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Let’s say, for example, you have a client who is having relationship issues with their spouse,” says the APA’s Wright. “And instead of trying to have open conversations with their spouse about how to get their needs met, they’re instead going to the chatbot to either fill those needs or to avoid having these difficult conversations with their spouse.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That background will help a therapist better support the patient, she explains.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Helping them understand how to have a safe conversation with their spouse, helping them understand the limitations of AI as a tool for filling those gaps in those needs.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Discussing use of AI is also a chance to learn about things a client might not voluntarily share with a therapist, says psychiatrist \u003ca href=\"https://www.thomasinselmd.com/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Tom Insel\u003c/a>, former director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.nimh.nih.gov/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Institute of Mental Health\u003c/a>. “People often use the chatbots to talk about things that they can’t talk about with other people because they’re so worried about being judged,” he says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, suicidal thoughts may be something a patient is reluctant to share with their therapist, but that is critical for the therapist to know to keep the patient safe.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Be curious, but don’t judge\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When it comes to first broaching the subject with patients, Saba suggests doing it without any judgment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t want to make clients feel like we’re judging them,” he says. “They’re just not going to want to work with us in general if we do that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He recommends therapists approach the topic with genuine curiosity, and offers suggested language for these conversations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“‘You know, AI is something that’s kind of rapidly growing, and I’m hearing from a lot of people that they’re using things like ChatGPT for emotional support,” he suggests. “‘Is that the case for you? Have you tried that?'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He also recommends asking specific questions about what they found helpful so they can better understand how a patient is using these tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It could also help a therapist figure out whether a chatbot can complement therapy in helpful ways, says Insel, such as to vet which topics to bring to their sessions or to vent about day-to-day life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a way, therapy and chatbots “could be aligned to work together,” says Insel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saba and his co-author, William Weeks, also suggest asking patients if they found any chatbot interactions unhelpful or problematic, and also offering to share risks of using chatbots for emotional support.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>For example, the risks to data privacy, because many AI companies \u003ca href=\"https://hai.stanford.edu/news/be-careful-what-you-tell-your-ai-chatbot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">use the conversations — even sensitive ones — to further train their models\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>There are also risks of treating a chatbot like a therapist, says Insel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Talking with a chatbot about one’s mental health is “the opposite of therapy,” he says, because chatbots are designed to affirm and flatter, reinforcing users’ thoughts and feelings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Therapy is there to help you change and to challenge you,” says Insel, “and to get you to talk about things that are particularly difficult.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Adopting the advice\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Psychologist \u003ca href=\"https://www.childpsychologysolutions.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cami Winkelspecht\u003c/a> has a private practice working primarily with children and adolescents in Wilmington, Del.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>She has been considering adding questions about social media and AI use to her intake form and appreciated Saba’s study as it offered some sample questions to include.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/3500x2333+0+0/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffa%2Fb0%2Fa25ed5cc45429d44c18de99ecba5%2Fap25217544822086.jpg\" alt=\"ChatGPT's landing page on a computer screen.\">\u003cfigcaption>ChatGPT’s landing page on a computer screen. \u003ccite> (Kiichiro Sato | AP)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Over the past year or so, Winkelspecht has had a growing number of clients and their parents ask her for help with using AI for brainstorming and other tasks in ways that don’t break a school’s honor code. So, she’s had to familiarize herself with the technology to be able to support her clients. Along the way, she’s come to realize that therapists and kids’ parents need to be more aware of how children and teens are using their digital devices — both social media and AI chatbots.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We don’t necessarily think about what they’re doing with their phones quite as much,” says Winkelspecht. “And I think it’s pretty clear that we need to be doing that more and encouraging ourselves to have that conversation.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Recent studies suggest that many Americans with mental health conditions now turn to AI chatbots for mental health advice. Now a new paper in JAMA Psychiatry suggests that therapists should regularly ask patients about their use of AI for emotional support, just like they seek information about sleep, exercise and how much you drink. NPR’s Rhitu Chatterjee reports.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>RHITU CHATTERJEE, BYLINE: These days, when people feel stressed or anxious, many reach for an AI chatbot like ChatGPT. It’s at their fingertips and easy. Study author Shaddy Saba is an assistant professor at New York University Silver School of Social Work.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SHADDY SABA: You know, people who are using these tools on a regular basis to ask about stressful experiences and how to cope with stressful experiences, personal relationship challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: For example, anticipating a tough conversation with a boss or a friend.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SABA: How do I approach it? Do I say this? Do I say that?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: People also vent to chatbots and ask for ways to cope with anxiety and depression.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SABA: If they’re doing a back and forth with a chatbot about these things, they might be picking up on ideas of what might be helpful for them. They might also be, you know, exposed to ideas that might be less helpful for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: That’s why Saba and his coauthors suggest mental health providers ask clients about their use of AI.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>SABA: The extent that we can prompt our clients to bring these conversations, you know, in increasing detail even, into the therapy room, I think there’s potentially kind of a treasure trove of information.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Information about the main causes of stress in someone’s life, or whether they’re turning to a chatbot to avoid confrontations.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>VAILE WRIGHT: Let’s say, for example, you have a client who is having relationship issues with their spouse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Psychologist Vaile Wright is with the American Psychological Association.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WRIGHT: And instead of trying to have open conversations with their spouse about how to get their needs met, they’re instead going to the chatbot to either fill those needs or to avoid having these difficult conversations with their spouse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Wright says understanding this background will help a therapist better support the patient.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WRIGHT: So helping them understand how to have a safe conversation with their spouse, helping them understand the limitations of the AI as a tool for filling those gaps and those needs.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Talking about AI use can also help therapists learn about things that their patient might not voluntarily share with them. Psychiatrist Tom Insel is former director of the National Institute of Mental Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>TOM INSEL: People often use the chatbots to talk about things that they can’t talk about with other people ’cause they’re so worried about being judged.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: For example, if they are having thoughts of suicide – he says discussing AI use also allows mental health providers to educate patients about the risks of using a chatbot like a therapist.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSEL: Because it’s the opposite of therapy in so many ways, you know, they’re affirming. They may even be sycophantic.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: Which only reinforces a user’s thoughts and feelings.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>INSEL: Therapy is there to help you change and to challenge you and to get you to talk about things that are particularly difficult.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>CHATTERJEE: And helping people understand this can itself be transformative for their mental health in the long run. Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Last year, Susana Beltrán-Grimm was visiting Hispanic families for a research project about parents and math, when she started to notice a trend. Parents didn’t want to talk about math with the Portland State University professor. Instead, they wanted to talk about their fears as immigration enforcement ramped up across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The concern was, ‘This is happening, and I’m scared to go to work, I’m scared to take my child to the park. I don’t feel comfortable taking them to school,’” Beltrán-Grimm said. Many parents told her, “I’m trying to figure out how I’m not as stressed so I don’t stress my child,” she recalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These comments led Beltrán-Grimm to launch a small pilot study looking at how parental stress and fear around immigration enforcement was affecting children, and specifically, their opportunities to play. Her initial findings painted a clear picture: Parents were so fearful of immigration enforcement, they were avoiding taking their kids to playgrounds and parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re living in survival mode,” said Beltrán-Grimm. That has consequences for young children, she added, who are now losing out on chances to play and can easily pick up on their parents’ anxiety. “That’s not a good way for a child to develop,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beltrán-Grimm’s initial findings from the pilot study, which is expanding this year to nearly 500 additional families, add to a growing body of research tracking the effects of aggressive immigration enforcement on the mental health of young children. Experts say such policies, like those that have been playing out across the country since President Donald Trump took office last year, are felt not only by immigrant children, but \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/08/08/child-mental-health-crisis-tied-immigration-enforcement\">also by children\u003c/a> whose families are not at risk of deportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kids know about people being taken, and they worry. That diffused fear just spreads,” said Joanna Dreby, a professor of sociology at the University of Albany. Dreby said she expects this anxiety to affect more children as they see and hear about violent events involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, like accounts of U.S. citizens getting detained or shot. “As more and more children are being exposed to those severe episodes, then more and more children are going to carry those fears,” Dreby said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research shows children can \u003ca href=\"https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2018_ourchildrensfears.pdf\">display troubling behaviors\u003c/a> when their communities are targeted by immigration enforcement, including increased aggression, separation anxiety and withdrawal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents and early educators have \u003ca href=\"https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2018_ourchildrensfears.pdf\">long reported\u003c/a> increased aggression, separation anxiety and withdrawal among children when \u003ca href=\"https://www.apha.org/policy-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-briefs/policy-database/2014/07/18/11/24/opposing-the-dhs-ice-secure-communities-program\">administrations ramp up immigration enforcement\u003c/a>, with worse effects for those who fear enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If that anxiety is left unaddressed, there can be long-term consequences. Exposure to immigration enforcement in childhood has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740925001598\">found to lead to long-term anxiety\u003c/a>, PTSD and depression in adolescence and young adulthood. Young children are especially vulnerable to trauma because their brains are rapidly developing during the first five years of life, and that development can be highly influenced by stress hormones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dreby, who has spent years interviewing and studying children who have experienced immigration enforcement to some degree, said the longer enforcement goes on, the more children can be affected. It’s even more damaging if they witness arrests. “Unfortunately, some of the things we found most harmful for children are exactly the tactics currently being used by federal immigration enforcement agents,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is absolutely no reason that immigration regulation has to unfold in this way that’s very public, that’s in front of children,” Dreby added. “That needs to stop immediately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although parents can often serve as buffers for trauma, they may struggle to do so when they are also overly stressed and anxious. A \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9132160/\">2021\u003c/a> study of pre-K students in New York City, for example, found when parents felt higher levels of immigration enforcement threat, children showed lower levels of self-regulation skills, especially around their ability to pay attention. Children in those families also experienced greater separation anxiety and overanxious behaviors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The stress of parents is certainly trickling down to children,” said Suma Setty, a senior policy analyst for immigration and immigrant families at the Center for Law and Social Policy. In her previous research, Setty has heard accounts of children as young as 3 saying they were scared of losing their parents to deportation. “It’s very apparent in their behavior that stress is impacting them, and that has long-term implications,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While interviewing parents, child care providers and professionals who interact with children over the past six months, Setty has heard widespread reports of children having trouble sleeping, showing fear of police, regressing in skills like potty training and being more emotionally reactive. One respondent shared a story about a child who asked her mom to teach her how to cook, so the girl would be able to feed herself if her mom was deported. A child care provider told Setty that children in her program used to be curious about visitors, but now hide behind their teacher when someone new enters the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Minnesota, where ICE has engaged in violent clashes over the last month, Sonia Mayren, a Minneapolis-based clinical trainee who specializes in child trauma and works largely with the Latino population, has seen a sharp uptick in anxiety among her patients. Many of the children she serves have regressed behaviorally. In recent months, all of her clients have moved their sessions online. Several have stopped therapy altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Dreby, Mayren is also hearing about children fearing immigration agents even if their family is not at risk of enforcement. “It’s not just, ‘I’m afraid of ICE detaining my friends or family,’ it’s, ‘I’m afraid of ICE in general, because they can come hurt us,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayren is telling parents to be patient with children, try to protect them from the news and maintain routines, especially if kids have been pulled out of school. She also encourages parents to find mental health assistance to try to keep kids stable, with the caveat that they may not see much improvement in their kids’ mental health while immigration enforcement remains so aggressive and visible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re just keeping children’s heads above water now because they’re in a state of emergency,” she said. “It’s just survival.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about immigration raids was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood\">newsletter here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Last year, Susana Beltrán-Grimm was visiting Hispanic families for a research project about parents and math, when she started to notice a trend. Parents didn’t want to talk about math with the Portland State University professor. Instead, they wanted to talk about their fears as immigration enforcement ramped up across the country.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The concern was, ‘This is happening, and I’m scared to go to work, I’m scared to take my child to the park. I don’t feel comfortable taking them to school,’” Beltrán-Grimm said. Many parents told her, “I’m trying to figure out how I’m not as stressed so I don’t stress my child,” she recalled.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>These comments led Beltrán-Grimm to launch a small pilot study looking at how parental stress and fear around immigration enforcement was affecting children, and specifically, their opportunities to play. Her initial findings painted a clear picture: Parents were so fearful of immigration enforcement, they were avoiding taking their kids to playgrounds and parks.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They’re living in survival mode,” said Beltrán-Grimm. That has consequences for young children, she added, who are now losing out on chances to play and can easily pick up on their parents’ anxiety. “That’s not a good way for a child to develop,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beltrán-Grimm’s initial findings from the pilot study, which is expanding this year to nearly 500 additional families, add to a growing body of research tracking the effects of aggressive immigration enforcement on the mental health of young children. Experts say such policies, like those that have been playing out across the country since President Donald Trump took office last year, are felt not only by immigrant children, but \u003ca href=\"https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/08/08/child-mental-health-crisis-tied-immigration-enforcement\">also by children\u003c/a> whose families are not at risk of deportation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Kids know about people being taken, and they worry. That diffused fear just spreads,” said Joanna Dreby, a professor of sociology at the University of Albany. Dreby said she expects this anxiety to affect more children as they see and hear about violent events involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement, like accounts of U.S. citizens getting detained or shot. “As more and more children are being exposed to those severe episodes, then more and more children are going to carry those fears,” Dreby said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Research shows children can \u003ca href=\"https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2018_ourchildrensfears.pdf\">display troubling behaviors\u003c/a> when their communities are targeted by immigration enforcement, including increased aggression, separation anxiety and withdrawal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Parents and early educators have \u003ca href=\"https://www.clasp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/2018_ourchildrensfears.pdf\">long reported\u003c/a> increased aggression, separation anxiety and withdrawal among children when \u003ca href=\"https://www.apha.org/policy-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-briefs/policy-database/2014/07/18/11/24/opposing-the-dhs-ice-secure-communities-program\">administrations ramp up immigration enforcement\u003c/a>, with worse effects for those who fear enforcement.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If that anxiety is left unaddressed, there can be long-term consequences. Exposure to immigration enforcement in childhood has been \u003ca href=\"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740925001598\">found to lead to long-term anxiety\u003c/a>, PTSD and depression in adolescence and young adulthood. Young children are especially vulnerable to trauma because their brains are rapidly developing during the first five years of life, and that development can be highly influenced by stress hormones.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dreby, who has spent years interviewing and studying children who have experienced immigration enforcement to some degree, said the longer enforcement goes on, the more children can be affected. It’s even more damaging if they witness arrests. “Unfortunately, some of the things we found most harmful for children are exactly the tactics currently being used by federal immigration enforcement agents,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“There is absolutely no reason that immigration regulation has to unfold in this way that’s very public, that’s in front of children,” Dreby added. “That needs to stop immediately.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although parents can often serve as buffers for trauma, they may struggle to do so when they are also overly stressed and anxious. A \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9132160/\">2021\u003c/a> study of pre-K students in New York City, for example, found when parents felt higher levels of immigration enforcement threat, children showed lower levels of self-regulation skills, especially around their ability to pay attention. Children in those families also experienced greater separation anxiety and overanxious behaviors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The stress of parents is certainly trickling down to children,” said Suma Setty, a senior policy analyst for immigration and immigrant families at the Center for Law and Social Policy. In her previous research, Setty has heard accounts of children as young as 3 saying they were scared of losing their parents to deportation. “It’s very apparent in their behavior that stress is impacting them, and that has long-term implications,” she added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While interviewing parents, child care providers and professionals who interact with children over the past six months, Setty has heard widespread reports of children having trouble sleeping, showing fear of police, regressing in skills like potty training and being more emotionally reactive. One respondent shared a story about a child who asked her mom to teach her how to cook, so the girl would be able to feed herself if her mom was deported. A child care provider told Setty that children in her program used to be curious about visitors, but now hide behind their teacher when someone new enters the building.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Minnesota, where ICE has engaged in violent clashes over the last month, Sonia Mayren, a Minneapolis-based clinical trainee who specializes in child trauma and works largely with the Latino population, has seen a sharp uptick in anxiety among her patients. Many of the children she serves have regressed behaviorally. In recent months, all of her clients have moved their sessions online. Several have stopped therapy altogether.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Like Dreby, Mayren is also hearing about children fearing immigration agents even if their family is not at risk of enforcement. “It’s not just, ‘I’m afraid of ICE detaining my friends or family,’ it’s, ‘I’m afraid of ICE in general, because they can come hurt us,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Mayren is telling parents to be patient with children, try to protect them from the news and maintain routines, especially if kids have been pulled out of school. She also encourages parents to find mental health assistance to try to keep kids stable, with the caveat that they may not see much improvement in their kids’ mental health while immigration enforcement remains so aggressive and visible.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We’re just keeping children’s heads above water now because they’re in a state of emergency,” she said. “It’s just survival.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about immigration raids was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for the \u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/earlychildhood\">newsletter here\u003c/a>. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>For decades, economists could rely on a comforting graph about happiness over a lifetime: It followed a U-shape, like a smile. Young people were carefree and happy. Middle age was rough but joy returned again in old age. This wasn’t a flimsy finding. More than 600 academic papers, published from 1980 to 2020, documented this up-down-up trend in human psychology across 145 countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Classic example of a happiness U-curve from the U.K.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66083\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66083\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/U-Curve.png\" alt=\"A graph showing a steep U shaped curve compared to a more flat U shaped curve. \" width=\"512\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/U-Curve.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/U-Curve-160x114.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Life satisfaction at different ages in the UK, 2011-2015 (416,000 observations) Source: Andrew Oswald and David Blanchflower, 2017. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/midlife-low-human-beings\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then, during the pandemic, many people noticed that the young weren’t so happy anymore. There was a surge of youth mental illness, especially anxiety and depression. The U-shaped smile was fast disappearing globally and shifting into a sneer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Blanchflower, a prominent British-American labor economist at Dartmouth College, has been studying this decline in youth well-being and trying to understand it. Based on large surveys of mental health, he dates the start of the deterioration in the U.S. and the U.K. to around 2013, seven years before the Covid pandemic and the isolation of lockdowns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when smartphones came along,” said Blanchflower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Social media would seem a logical culprit for the rise in misery. Smartphones had just become ubiquitous around that time, and critics like social psychologist Jonathan Haidt have argued that they’ve been rewiring adolescent brains for the worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when Blanchflower dug into the data, the smartphone story provided only a partial explanation. If social media were the main driver, you’d expect misery to rise among all young people at roughly the same rate. And while it’s true that ill-being increased among all young adults, Blanchflower discovered that the decline in well-being was concentrated among those young adults who were working, especially females under 25. College students and others not working still showed something close to the old happiness curve, even if the left corner wasn’t quite as upturned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That raises a puzzling question: Why are young \u003cem>workers\u003c/em> so unhappy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re not having trouble getting a job. Employment rates for 16- to 24-year-olds have risen since 2010. Their hours have increased. Their relative wages have also risen. Blanchflower analyzed decades of U.S. survey data on mental health and linked it to employment outcomes. His analysis appeared in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w34696/w34696.pdf\">working paper\u003c/a>, not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, but circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research in January 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This data shows that the rise in ill-being and fall in well-being are especially large for the youngest workers aged 18-22 over the last decade. And it confirms that non-workers this age, namely college students, aren’t as miserable. They’re still relatively happy. This diverging pattern was true for the U.S. as a whole and in all 50 states between 2020 and 2025. What’s particularly new, according to Blanchflower, is the sharp increase in despair and misery among young workers. He created this chart for me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66082\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/Despair-and-U-curve.png\" alt=\"A graph showing a gradual rise over time of despair\" width=\"360\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/Despair-and-U-curve.png 360w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/Despair-and-U-curve-160x96.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despair is also sharply stratified by education: High school dropouts fare far worse than college graduates, even those of the same age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But back to why. Blanchflower notes that job satisfaction among the young has fallen. A Conference Board survey shows a persistent gap between younger and older workers. In 2025, job satisfaction was 72 percent among workers aged 55 and over and just 57 percent among those aged 18 to 24. Across multiple dimensions, young workers rate their jobs as lower quality than older workers do, and report greater difficulty with job stability and making ends meet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One interpretation is that young people increasingly have what anthropologist David Graeber memorably called “bullshit jobs” — work that feels pointless, insecure and disconnected from any sense of purpose. There’s no direct proof of that, but other researchers have argued that young workers have borne the brunt of gig work, declining bargaining power, and vanishing career ladders. Fears of being replaced by AI are also strongest among the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previous generations also often landed boring first jobs and worried about financial security. But expectations for work may have changed for members of Gen Z. Since around 2012, the share of young people who say they expect their chosen work to be “extremely satisfying” has fallen from about 40 percent to closer to 20 percent. If work is no longer expected to deliver meaning or identity, its psychological payoff may be lower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another theory is that the mental health of today’s young workers began deteriorating when they were still in high school. That damage carried into adulthood, making the transition from school to work harder — especially for those without college credentials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The youngest workers, especially those without any college, are hardest hit, and we don’t know why,” Blanchflower concludes in his paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blanchflower’s study is a warning that something fundamental has gone wrong as young people enter the workforce. Policymakers need to keep this in mind as they create more pathways to good jobs that don’t require college.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about young adult \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/young-adult-misery/\">\u003cem>misery\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>For decades, economists could rely on a comforting graph about happiness over a lifetime: It followed a U-shape, like a smile. Young people were carefree and happy. Middle age was rough but joy returned again in old age. This wasn’t a flimsy finding. More than 600 academic papers, published from 1980 to 2020, documented this up-down-up trend in human psychology across 145 countries.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Classic example of a happiness U-curve from the U.K.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_66083\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 512px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-66083\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/U-Curve.png\" alt=\"A graph showing a steep U shaped curve compared to a more flat U shaped curve. \" width=\"512\" height=\"364\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/U-Curve.png 512w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/U-Curve-160x114.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 100vw, 512px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Life satisfaction at different ages in the UK, 2011-2015 (416,000 observations) Source: Andrew Oswald and David Blanchflower, 2017. https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/midlife-low-human-beings\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Then, during the pandemic, many people noticed that the young weren’t so happy anymore. There was a surge of youth mental illness, especially anxiety and depression. The U-shaped smile was fast disappearing globally and shifting into a sneer.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>David Blanchflower, a prominent British-American labor economist at Dartmouth College, has been studying this decline in youth well-being and trying to understand it. Based on large surveys of mental health, he dates the start of the deterioration in the U.S. and the U.K. to around 2013, seven years before the Covid pandemic and the isolation of lockdowns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s when smartphones came along,” said Blanchflower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Social media would seem a logical culprit for the rise in misery. Smartphones had just become ubiquitous around that time, and critics like social psychologist Jonathan Haidt have argued that they’ve been rewiring adolescent brains for the worse.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But when Blanchflower dug into the data, the smartphone story provided only a partial explanation. If social media were the main driver, you’d expect misery to rise among all young people at roughly the same rate. And while it’s true that ill-being increased among all young adults, Blanchflower discovered that the decline in well-being was concentrated among those young adults who were working, especially females under 25. College students and others not working still showed something close to the old happiness curve, even if the left corner wasn’t quite as upturned.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>That raises a puzzling question: Why are young \u003cem>workers\u003c/em> so unhappy?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>They’re not having trouble getting a job. Employment rates for 16- to 24-year-olds have risen since 2010. Their hours have increased. Their relative wages have also risen. Blanchflower analyzed decades of U.S. survey data on mental health and linked it to employment outcomes. His analysis appeared in a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w34696/w34696.pdf\">working paper\u003c/a>, not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal, but circulated by the National Bureau of Economic Research in January 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This data shows that the rise in ill-being and fall in well-being are especially large for the youngest workers aged 18-22 over the last decade. And it confirms that non-workers this age, namely college students, aren’t as miserable. They’re still relatively happy. This diverging pattern was true for the U.S. as a whole and in all 50 states between 2020 and 2025. What’s particularly new, according to Blanchflower, is the sharp increase in despair and misery among young workers. He created this chart for me.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66082\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/Despair-and-U-curve.png\" alt=\"A graph showing a gradual rise over time of despair\" width=\"360\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/Despair-and-U-curve.png 360w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2026/01/Despair-and-U-curve-160x96.png 160w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 360px) 100vw, 360px\">\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Despair is also sharply stratified by education: High school dropouts fare far worse than college graduates, even those of the same age.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But back to why. Blanchflower notes that job satisfaction among the young has fallen. A Conference Board survey shows a persistent gap between younger and older workers. In 2025, job satisfaction was 72 percent among workers aged 55 and over and just 57 percent among those aged 18 to 24. Across multiple dimensions, young workers rate their jobs as lower quality than older workers do, and report greater difficulty with job stability and making ends meet.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One interpretation is that young people increasingly have what anthropologist David Graeber memorably called “bullshit jobs” — work that feels pointless, insecure and disconnected from any sense of purpose. There’s no direct proof of that, but other researchers have argued that young workers have borne the brunt of gig work, declining bargaining power, and vanishing career ladders. Fears of being replaced by AI are also strongest among the young.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Previous generations also often landed boring first jobs and worried about financial security. But expectations for work may have changed for members of Gen Z. Since around 2012, the share of young people who say they expect their chosen work to be “extremely satisfying” has fallen from about 40 percent to closer to 20 percent. If work is no longer expected to deliver meaning or identity, its psychological payoff may be lower.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Another theory is that the mental health of today’s young workers began deteriorating when they were still in high school. That damage carried into adulthood, making the transition from school to work harder — especially for those without college credentials.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The youngest workers, especially those without any college, are hardest hit, and we don’t know why,” Blanchflower concludes in his paper.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Blanchflower’s study is a warning that something fundamental has gone wrong as young people enter the workforce. Policymakers need to keep this in mind as they create more pathways to good jobs that don’t require college.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story about young adult \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/young-adult-misery/\">\u003cem>misery\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> was produced by \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/special-reports/higher-education/\">The Hechinger Report\u003c/a>\u003cem>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Sign up for \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/proofpoints/\">\u003cem>Proof Points\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and other \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://hechingerreport.org/newsletters/\">\u003cem>Hechinger newsletters\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>Anish Mehta, a computer science engineer, grew up in a culture that he said did not address mental health concerns even when he knew he could have benefitted from therapy. So when he was searching for a new edtech business venture, the connection to mental health resources was personal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By 2022, he and his team saw an opportunity to fill the ever-growing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55382/investing-in-counselors-isnt-only-about-mental-health-its-good-for-academics-too\">gap between school counselors and students\u003c/a>. According to the American School Counselor Association, school counselors in the U.S., on average, each serve \u003ca href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a988972b-1faa-4b5f-8b9e-a73b5ac44476/ratios-22-23-alpha.pdf#:~:text=The%20American%20School%20Counselor%20Association%20recommends%20a%20ratio%20of%20250%2Dto%2D1.\">385 students at a time\u003c/a>; their \u003ca href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/bd376246-0b4f-413f-b3e0-1b9938f36e68/ANM-executive-summary-4th-ed.pdf#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20appropriate%20student%2Dto%2Dschool%2Dcounselor%20ratios%20have,of%20school%20counseling%20programs%2C%20go%20to%20www.schoolcounselor.org/effectiveness.\">recommended ratio\u003c/a> is 250:1. And counselors are balancing a number of issues, like college readiness, while managing a s\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64715/youth-mental-health-is-declining-school-based-supports-can-help\">urge of mental health concerns among students\u003c/a>. An AI chatbot would’ve been the sounding board that he and many of his friends would have benefitted from when they were growing up, said Mehta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, they wanted to develop a scripted rules-based chatbot, “and then ChatGPT came out, and like everything changed overnight,” said Mehta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Alongside was developed by Mehta and others for students in grades four through twelve, with an ambitious goal of solving students’ every day mental health, social and behavioral challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When students chat with Kiwi, Alongside’s original chatbot, they are prompted to complete a skill-building exercise when the conversation has concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside has big plans to break negative cycles before they turn clinical, said Dr. Elsa Friis, a licensed psychologist for the company, whose background includes identifying autism, ADHD and suicide risk using Large Language Models (LLMs).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alongside app currently partners with more than 200 schools across 19 states, and collects student chat data for their \u003ca href=\"https://www.alongside.care/pages/pdf-2025-youth-mental-health-report?utm_campaign=Youth%20Mental%20Health%20Report%20%2725&utm_source=thirdparty_youthmhreport25&utm_medium=third%20party&utm_content=pdf_youthmhreport&utm_term=pr&eid=\">annual youth mental health report\u003c/a> — not a peer reviewed publication. Their findings this year, said Friis, were surprising. With almost no mention of social media or cyberbullying, the student users reported that their most pressing issues had to do with feeling overwhelmed, poor sleep habits and relationship problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside boasts positive and insightful data points in their report and pilot study conducted earlier in 2025, but experts like \u003ca href=\"https://www.rand.org/about/people/m/mcbain_ryan.html\">Ryan McBain\u003c/a>, a health researcher at the RAND Corporation, said that the data isn’t robust enough to understand the real implications of these types of AI mental health tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re going to market a product to millions of children in adolescence throughout the United States through school systems, they need to meet some minimum standard in the context of actual rigorous trials,” said McBain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But underneath all of the report’s data, what does it really mean for students to have 24/7 access to a chatbot that is designed to address their mental health, social, and behavioral concerns?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What’s the difference between AI chatbots and AI companions?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>AI companions fall under the larger umbrella of AI chatbots. And while chatbots are becoming more and more sophisticated, AI companions are distinct in the ways that they interact with users. AI companions tend to have less built-in guardrails, meaning they are coded to endlessly adapt to user input; AI chatbots on the other hand might have more guardrails in place to keep a conversation on track or on topic. For example, a troubleshooting chatbot for a food delivery company has specific instructions to carry on conversations that only pertain to food delivery and app issues and isn’t designed to stray from the topic because it doesn’t know how to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the line between AI chatbot and AI companion becomes blurred as more and more people are \u003ca href=\"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19218\">using chatbots like ChatGPT as an emotional or therapeutic sounding board\u003c/a>. The people-pleasing features of AI companions can and have become a growing issue of concern, especially when it comes to teens and other vulnerable people who use these companions to, at times, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/19/nx-s1-5545749/ai-chatbots-safety-openai-meta-characterai-teens-suicide\">validate their suicidality\u003c/a>, delusions and unhealthy dependency on these AI companions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf\">report from Common Sense Media\u003c/a> expanded on the harmful effects that AI companion use has on adolescents and teens. According to the report, AI platforms like Character.AI are “designed to simulate humanlike interaction” in the form of “virtual friends, confidants, and even therapists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Common Sense Media found that AI companions “pose ‘unacceptable risks’ for users under 18,” young people are still using these platforms at high rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65898\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2110px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65898\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2110\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report.png 2110w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-2000x773.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-160x62.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-768x297.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-1536x594.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-2048x792.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2110px) 100vw, 2110px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Common Sense Media 2025 report, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf\">Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions\u003c/a>.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Seventy two percent of the 1,060 teens surveyed by Common Sense said that they had used an AI companion before, and 52% of teens surveyed are “regular users” of AI companions. However, for the most part, the report found that the majority of teens value human friendships more than AI companions, don’t share personal information with AI companions and hold some level of skepticism toward AI companions. Thirty nine percent of teens surveyed also said that they apply skills they practiced with AI companions, like expressing emotions, apologizing and standing up for themselves, in real life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When comparing Common Sense Media’s recommendations for safer AI use to Alongside’s chatbot features, they do meet some of these recommendations — like crisis intervention, usage limits and skill-building elements. According to Mehta, there is a big difference between an AI companion and Alongside’s chatbot. Alongside’s chatbot has built-in safety features that require a human to review certain conversations based on trigger words or concerning phrases. And unlike tools like AI companions, Mehta continued, Alongside discourages student users from chatting too much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the biggest challenges that chatbot developers like Alongside face is mitigating people-pleasing tendencies, said Friis, a defining characteristic of AI companions. Guardrails have been put into place by Alongside’s team to avoid people-pleasing, which can turn sinister. “We aren’t going to adapt to foul language, we aren’t going to adapt to bad habits,” said Friis. But it’s up to Alongside’s team to anticipate and determine which language falls into harmful categories including when students try to use the chatbot for cheating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Friis, Alongside errs on the side of caution when it comes to determining what kind of language constitutes a concerning statement. If a chat is flagged, teachers at the partner school are pinged on their phones. In the meantime the student is prompted by Kiwi to complete a crisis assessment and directed to emergency service numbers if needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Addressing staffing shortages and resource gaps\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In school settings where the ratio of students to school counselors is often impossibly high, Alongside acts as a triaging tool or liaison between students and their trusted adults, said Friis. For example, a conversation between Kiwi and a student might consist of back-and-forth troubleshooting about creating healthier sleeping habits. The student might be prompted to talk to their parents about making their room darker or adding in a nightlight for a better sleep environment. The student might then come back to their chat after a conversation with their parents and tell Kiwi whether or not that solution worked. If it did, then the conversation concludes, but if it didn’t then Kiwi can suggest other potential solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Dr. Friis, a couple of 5-minute back-and-forth conversations with Kiwi, would translate to days if not weeks of conversations with a school counselor who has to prioritize students with the most severe issues and needs like repeated suspensions, suicidality and dropping out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using digital technologies to triage health issues is not a new idea, said RAND researcher McBain, and pointed to doctor wait rooms that greet patients with a health screener on an iPad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a chatbot is a slightly more dynamic user interface for gathering that sort of information, then I think, in theory, that is not an issue,” McBain continued. The unanswered question is whether or not chatbots like Kiwi perform better, as well, or worse than a human would, but the only way to compare the human to the chatbot would be through randomized control trials, said McBain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of my biggest fears is that companies are rushing in to try to be the first of their kind,” said McBain, and in the process are lowering safety and quality standards under which these companies and their academic partners circulate optimistic and eye-catching results from their product, he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s mounting pressure on school counselors to meet student needs with limited resources. “It’s really hard to create the space that [school counselors] want to create. Counselors want to have those interactions. It’s the system that’s making it really hard to have them,” said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside offers their school partners professional development and consultation services, as well as quarterly summary reports. A lot of the time these services revolve around packaging data for grant proposals or for presenting compelling information to superintendents, said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A research-backed approach\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On their website, Alongside touts research-backed methods used to develop their chatbot, and the company has partnered with Dr. Jessica Schleider at Northwestern University, who studies and develops \u003ca href=\"https://www.apa.org/topics/population-health/single-session-interventions\">single-session mental health interventions\u003c/a> (SSI) — mental health interventions designed to address and provide resolution to mental health concerns without the expectation of any follow-up sessions. A typical counseling intervention is at minimum, 12 weeks long, so single-session interventions were appealing to the Alongside team, but “what we know is that no product has ever been able to really effectively do that,” said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Schleider’s Lab for Scalable Mental Health has published multiple \u003ca href=\"https://www.schleiderlab.org/yes.html\">peer-reviewed trials and clinical research\u003c/a> demonstrating positive results for implementation of SSIs. The Lab for Scalable Mental Health also offers \u003ca href=\"https://www.schleiderlab.org/resources.html\">open source materials\u003c/a> for parents and professionals interested in implementing SSIs for teens and young people, and their initiative Project YES offers free and anonymous online SSIs for youth experiencing mental health concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of my biggest fears is that companies are rushing in to try to be the first of their kind,” said McBain, and in the process are lowering safety and quality standards under which these companies and their academic partners circulate optimistic and eye-catching results from their product, he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What happens to a kid’s data when using AI for mental health interventions?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alongside gathers student data from their conversations with the chatbot like mood, hours of sleep, exercise habits, social habits, online interactions, among other things. While this data can offer schools insight into their students’ lives, it does bring up questions about student surveillance and data privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65899\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1126px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65899\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1126\" height=\"1428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information.png 1126w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information-160x203.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information-768x974.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1126px) 100vw, 1126px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Common Sense Media 2025 report, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf\">Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions\u003c/a>.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Alongside like many other generative AI tools uses other LLM’s APIs — or application programming interface — meaning they include another company’s LLM code, like that used for OpenAI’s ChatGPT, in their chatbot programming which processes chat input and produces chat output. They also have their own in-house LLMs which the Alongside’s AI team has developed over a couple of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing concerns about how user data and personal information is stored is especially pertinent when it comes to sensitive student data. The Alongside team have opted-in to OpenAI’s zero data retention policy, which means that none of the student data is stored by OpenAI or other LLMs that Alongside uses, and none of the data from chats is used for training purposes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because Alongside operates in schools across the U.S., they are FERPA and COPPA compliant, but the data has to be stored somewhere. So, student’s personal identifying information (PII) is uncoupled from their chat data as that information is stored by Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud-based industry standard for private data storage by tech companies around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside uses an encryption process that disaggregates the student PII from their chats. Only when a conversation gets flagged, and needs to be seen by humans for safety reasons, does the student PII connect back to the chat in question. In addition, Alongside is required by law to store student chats and information when it has alerted a crisis, and parents and guardians are free to request that information, said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Typically, parental consent and student data policies are done through the school partners, and as with any school services offered like counseling, there is a parental opt-out option which must adhere to state and district guidelines on parental consent, said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside and their school partners put guardrails in place to make sure that student data is kept safe and anonymous. However, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/65868/friendship-romantic-relationship-high-school-students-are-depending-on-ai-in-new-ways\">data breaches\u003c/a> can still happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How the Alongside LLMs are trained\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of Alongside’s in-house LLMs is used to identify potential crises in student chats and alert the necessary adults to that crisis, said Mehta. This LLM is trained on student and synthetic outputs and keywords that the Alongside team enters manually. And because language changes often and isn’t always straight forward or easily recognizable, the team keeps an ongoing log of different words and phrases, like the popular abbreviation “KMS” (shorthand for “kill myself”) that they retrain this particular LLM to understand as crisis driven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although according to Mehta, the process of manually inputting data to train the crisis assessing LLM is one of the biggest efforts that he and his team has to tackle, he doesn’t see a future in which this process could be automated by another AI tool. “I wouldn’t be comfortable automating something that could trigger a crisis [response],” he said — the preference being that the clinical team led by Friis contribute to this process through a clinical lens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with the potential for rapid growth in Alongside’s number of school partners, these processes will be very difficult to keep up with manually, said Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media. Although Alongside emphasized their process of including human input in both their crisis response and LLM development, “you can’t necessarily scale a system like [this] easily because you’re going to run into the need for more and more human review,” continued Torney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside’s 2024-25 report tracks conflicts in students’ lives, but doesn’t distinguish whether those conflicts are happening online or in person. But according to Friis, it doesn’t really matter where peer-to-peer conflict was taking place. Ultimately, it’s most important to be person-centered, said Dr. Friis, and remain focused on what really matters to each individual student. Alongside does offer proactive skill building lessons on social media safety and digital stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to sleep, Kiwi is programmed to ask students about their phone habits “because we know that having your phone at night is one of the main things that’s gonna keep you up,” said Dr. Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Universal mental health screeners available\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alongside also offers an in-app universal \u003ca href=\"https://www.forensiccounselor.org/images/file/MHSF%20III.pdf\">mental health screener\u003c/a> to school partners. One district in Corsicana, Texas — an old oil town situated outside of Dallas — found the data from the universal mental health screener invaluable. According to Margie Boulware, executive director of special programs for Corsicana Independent School District, the community has had issues with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/pregnant-teen-in-icu-after-corsicana-double-shooting-police-seek-leads/\">gun violence\u003c/a>, but the district didn’t have a way of surveying their 6,000 students on the mental health effects of traumatic events like these until Alongside was introduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Boulware, 24% of students surveyed in Corsicana, had a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nami.org/kids-teens-and-young-adults/be-a-trusted-adult-for-young-people-in-your-life/\">trusted adult\u003c/a> in their life, six percentage points fewer than the average in Alongside’s 2024-25 report. “It’s a little shocking how few kids are saying ‘we actually feel connected to an adult,’” said Friis. \u003ca href=\"https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(12)00717-3/fulltext\">According to research\u003c/a>, having a trusted adult helps with young people’s social and emotional health and wellbeing, and can also counter the effects of adverse childhood experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a county where the school district is the biggest employer and where 80% of students are economically disadvantaged, mental health resources are bare. Boulware drew a correlation between the uptick in gun violence and the high percentage of students who said that they did not have a trusted adult in their home. And although the data given to the district from Alongside did not directly correlate with the violence that the community had been experiencing, it was the first time that the district was able to take a more comprehensive look at student mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the district formed a task force to tackle these issues of increased gun violence, and decreased mental health and belonging. And for the first time, rather than having to guess how many students were struggling with behavioral issues, Boulware and the task force had representative data to build off of. And without the universal screening survey that Alongside delivered, the district would have stuck to their end of year feedback survey — asking questions like “How was your year?” and “Did you like your teacher?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boulware believed that the universal screening survey encouraged students to self-reflect and answer questions more truthfully when compared with previous feedback surveys the district had conducted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Boulware, student resources and mental health resources in particular are scarce in Corsicana. But the district does have a team of counselors including 16 academic counselors and six social emotional counselors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With not enough social emotional counselors to go around, Boulware said that a lot of tier one students, or students that don’t require regular one-on-one or group academic or behavioral interventions, fly under their radar. She saw Alongside as an easily accessible tool for students that offers discrete coaching on mental health, social and behavioral issues. And it also offers educators and administrators like herself a glimpse behind the curtain into student mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boulware praised Alongside’s proactive features like gamified skill building for students who struggle with time management or task organization and can earn points and badges for completing certain skills lessons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Alongside fills an important gap for staff in Corsicana ISD. “The amount of hours that our kiddos are on Alongside…are hours that they’re not waiting outside of a student support counselor office,” which, because of the low ratio of counselors to students, allows for the social emotional counselors to focus on students experiencing a crisis, said Boulware. There is “no way I could have allotted the resources,” that Alongside brings to Corsicana, Boulware added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alongside app requires 24/7 human monitoring by their school partners. This means that designated educators and admin in each district and school are assigned to receive alerts all hours of the day, any day of the week including during holidays. This feature was a concern for Boulware at first. “If a kiddo’s struggling at three o’clock in the morning and I’m asleep, what does that look like?” she said. Boulware and her team had to hope that an adult sees a crisis alert very quickly, she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 24/7 human monitoring system was tested in Corsicana last Christmas break. An alert came in and it took Boulware ten minutes to see it on her phone. By that time, the student had already begun working on an assessment survey prompted by Alongside, the principal who had seen the alert before Boulware had called her, and she had received a text message from the student support council. Boulware was able to contact their local chief of police and address the crisis unfolding. The student was able to connect with a counselor that same afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>Anish Mehta, a computer science engineer, grew up in a culture that he said did not address mental health concerns even when he knew he could have benefitted from therapy. So when he was searching for a new edtech business venture, the connection to mental health resources was personal.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>By 2022, he and his team saw an opportunity to fill the ever-growing \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/55382/investing-in-counselors-isnt-only-about-mental-health-its-good-for-academics-too\">gap between school counselors and students\u003c/a>. According to the American School Counselor Association, school counselors in the U.S., on average, each serve \u003ca href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/a988972b-1faa-4b5f-8b9e-a73b5ac44476/ratios-22-23-alpha.pdf#:~:text=The%20American%20School%20Counselor%20Association%20recommends%20a%20ratio%20of%20250%2Dto%2D1.\">385 students at a time\u003c/a>; their \u003ca href=\"https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/bd376246-0b4f-413f-b3e0-1b9938f36e68/ANM-executive-summary-4th-ed.pdf#:~:text=Research%20shows%20that%20appropriate%20student%2Dto%2Dschool%2Dcounselor%20ratios%20have,of%20school%20counseling%20programs%2C%20go%20to%20www.schoolcounselor.org/effectiveness.\">recommended ratio\u003c/a> is 250:1. And counselors are balancing a number of issues, like college readiness, while managing a s\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/64715/youth-mental-health-is-declining-school-based-supports-can-help\">urge of mental health concerns among students\u003c/a>. An AI chatbot would’ve been the sounding board that he and many of his friends would have benefitted from when they were growing up, said Mehta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At first, they wanted to develop a scripted rules-based chatbot, “and then ChatGPT came out, and like everything changed overnight,” said Mehta.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So Alongside was developed by Mehta and others for students in grades four through twelve, with an ambitious goal of solving students’ every day mental health, social and behavioral challenges.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When students chat with Kiwi, Alongside’s original chatbot, they are prompted to complete a skill-building exercise when the conversation has concluded.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside has big plans to break negative cycles before they turn clinical, said Dr. Elsa Friis, a licensed psychologist for the company, whose background includes identifying autism, ADHD and suicide risk using Large Language Models (LLMs).\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alongside app currently partners with more than 200 schools across 19 states, and collects student chat data for their \u003ca href=\"https://www.alongside.care/pages/pdf-2025-youth-mental-health-report?utm_campaign=Youth%20Mental%20Health%20Report%20%2725&utm_source=thirdparty_youthmhreport25&utm_medium=third%20party&utm_content=pdf_youthmhreport&utm_term=pr&eid=\">annual youth mental health report\u003c/a> — not a peer reviewed publication. Their findings this year, said Friis, were surprising. With almost no mention of social media or cyberbullying, the student users reported that their most pressing issues had to do with feeling overwhelmed, poor sleep habits and relationship problems.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside boasts positive and insightful data points in their report and pilot study conducted earlier in 2025, but experts like \u003ca href=\"https://www.rand.org/about/people/m/mcbain_ryan.html\">Ryan McBain\u003c/a>, a health researcher at the RAND Corporation, said that the data isn’t robust enough to understand the real implications of these types of AI mental health tools.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you’re going to market a product to millions of children in adolescence throughout the United States through school systems, they need to meet some minimum standard in the context of actual rigorous trials,” said McBain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But underneath all of the report’s data, what does it really mean for students to have 24/7 access to a chatbot that is designed to address their mental health, social, and behavioral concerns?\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What’s the difference between AI chatbots and AI companions?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>AI companions fall under the larger umbrella of AI chatbots. And while chatbots are becoming more and more sophisticated, AI companions are distinct in the ways that they interact with users. AI companions tend to have less built-in guardrails, meaning they are coded to endlessly adapt to user input; AI chatbots on the other hand might have more guardrails in place to keep a conversation on track or on topic. For example, a troubleshooting chatbot for a food delivery company has specific instructions to carry on conversations that only pertain to food delivery and app issues and isn’t designed to stray from the topic because it doesn’t know how to.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the line between AI chatbot and AI companion becomes blurred as more and more people are \u003ca href=\"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.19218\">using chatbots like ChatGPT as an emotional or therapeutic sounding board\u003c/a>. The people-pleasing features of AI companions can and have become a growing issue of concern, especially when it comes to teens and other vulnerable people who use these companions to, at times, \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/19/nx-s1-5545749/ai-chatbots-safety-openai-meta-characterai-teens-suicide\">validate their suicidality\u003c/a>, delusions and unhealthy dependency on these AI companions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A recent \u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf\">report from Common Sense Media\u003c/a> expanded on the harmful effects that AI companion use has on adolescents and teens. According to the report, AI platforms like Character.AI are “designed to simulate humanlike interaction” in the form of “virtual friends, confidants, and even therapists.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although Common Sense Media found that AI companions “pose ‘unacceptable risks’ for users under 18,” young people are still using these platforms at high rates.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65898\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 2110px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65898\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2110\" height=\"816\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report.png 2110w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-2000x773.png 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-160x62.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-768x297.png 768w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-1536x594.png 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-AI-Report-2048x792.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2110px) 100vw, 2110px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Common Sense Media 2025 report, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf\">Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions\u003c/a>.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Seventy two percent of the 1,060 teens surveyed by Common Sense said that they had used an AI companion before, and 52% of teens surveyed are “regular users” of AI companions. However, for the most part, the report found that the majority of teens value human friendships more than AI companions, don’t share personal information with AI companions and hold some level of skepticism toward AI companions. Thirty nine percent of teens surveyed also said that they apply skills they practiced with AI companions, like expressing emotions, apologizing and standing up for themselves, in real life.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When comparing Common Sense Media’s recommendations for safer AI use to Alongside’s chatbot features, they do meet some of these recommendations — like crisis intervention, usage limits and skill-building elements. According to Mehta, there is a big difference between an AI companion and Alongside’s chatbot. Alongside’s chatbot has built-in safety features that require a human to review certain conversations based on trigger words or concerning phrases. And unlike tools like AI companions, Mehta continued, Alongside discourages student users from chatting too much.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the biggest challenges that chatbot developers like Alongside face is mitigating people-pleasing tendencies, said Friis, a defining characteristic of AI companions. Guardrails have been put into place by Alongside’s team to avoid people-pleasing, which can turn sinister. “We aren’t going to adapt to foul language, we aren’t going to adapt to bad habits,” said Friis. But it’s up to Alongside’s team to anticipate and determine which language falls into harmful categories including when students try to use the chatbot for cheating.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Friis, Alongside errs on the side of caution when it comes to determining what kind of language constitutes a concerning statement. If a chat is flagged, teachers at the partner school are pinged on their phones. In the meantime the student is prompted by Kiwi to complete a crisis assessment and directed to emergency service numbers if needed.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Addressing staffing shortages and resource gaps\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In school settings where the ratio of students to school counselors is often impossibly high, Alongside acts as a triaging tool or liaison between students and their trusted adults, said Friis. For example, a conversation between Kiwi and a student might consist of back-and-forth troubleshooting about creating healthier sleeping habits. The student might be prompted to talk to their parents about making their room darker or adding in a nightlight for a better sleep environment. The student might then come back to their chat after a conversation with their parents and tell Kiwi whether or not that solution worked. If it did, then the conversation concludes, but if it didn’t then Kiwi can suggest other potential solutions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Dr. Friis, a couple of 5-minute back-and-forth conversations with Kiwi, would translate to days if not weeks of conversations with a school counselor who has to prioritize students with the most severe issues and needs like repeated suspensions, suicidality and dropping out.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Using digital technologies to triage health issues is not a new idea, said RAND researcher McBain, and pointed to doctor wait rooms that greet patients with a health screener on an iPad.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If a chatbot is a slightly more dynamic user interface for gathering that sort of information, then I think, in theory, that is not an issue,” McBain continued. The unanswered question is whether or not chatbots like Kiwi perform better, as well, or worse than a human would, but the only way to compare the human to the chatbot would be through randomized control trials, said McBain.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of my biggest fears is that companies are rushing in to try to be the first of their kind,” said McBain, and in the process are lowering safety and quality standards under which these companies and their academic partners circulate optimistic and eye-catching results from their product, he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But there’s mounting pressure on school counselors to meet student needs with limited resources. “It’s really hard to create the space that [school counselors] want to create. Counselors want to have those interactions. It’s the system that’s making it really hard to have them,” said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside offers their school partners professional development and consultation services, as well as quarterly summary reports. A lot of the time these services revolve around packaging data for grant proposals or for presenting compelling information to superintendents, said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>A research-backed approach\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>On their website, Alongside touts research-backed methods used to develop their chatbot, and the company has partnered with Dr. Jessica Schleider at Northwestern University, who studies and develops \u003ca href=\"https://www.apa.org/topics/population-health/single-session-interventions\">single-session mental health interventions\u003c/a> (SSI) — mental health interventions designed to address and provide resolution to mental health concerns without the expectation of any follow-up sessions. A typical counseling intervention is at minimum, 12 weeks long, so single-session interventions were appealing to the Alongside team, but “what we know is that no product has ever been able to really effectively do that,” said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>However, Schleider’s Lab for Scalable Mental Health has published multiple \u003ca href=\"https://www.schleiderlab.org/yes.html\">peer-reviewed trials and clinical research\u003c/a> demonstrating positive results for implementation of SSIs. The Lab for Scalable Mental Health also offers \u003ca href=\"https://www.schleiderlab.org/resources.html\">open source materials\u003c/a> for parents and professionals interested in implementing SSIs for teens and young people, and their initiative Project YES offers free and anonymous online SSIs for youth experiencing mental health concerns.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“One of my biggest fears is that companies are rushing in to try to be the first of their kind,” said McBain, and in the process are lowering safety and quality standards under which these companies and their academic partners circulate optimistic and eye-catching results from their product, he continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>What happens to a kid’s data when using AI for mental health interventions?\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alongside gathers student data from their conversations with the chatbot like mood, hours of sleep, exercise habits, social habits, online interactions, among other things. While this data can offer schools insight into their students’ lives, it does bring up questions about student surveillance and data privacy.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure id=\"attachment_65899\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 1126px\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65899\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1126\" height=\"1428\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information.png 1126w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information-160x203.png 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2025/10/Common-Sense-Media-Personal-Information-768x974.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1126px) 100vw, 1126px\">\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">From Common Sense Media 2025 report, “\u003ca href=\"https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/research/report/talk-trust-and-trade-offs_2025_web.pdf\">Talk, Trust, and Trade-Offs: How and Why Teens Use AI Companions\u003c/a>.”\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Alongside like many other generative AI tools uses other LLM’s APIs — or application programming interface — meaning they include another company’s LLM code, like that used for OpenAI’s ChatGPT, in their chatbot programming which processes chat input and produces chat output. They also have their own in-house LLMs which the Alongside’s AI team has developed over a couple of years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Growing concerns about how user data and personal information is stored is especially pertinent when it comes to sensitive student data. The Alongside team have opted-in to OpenAI’s zero data retention policy, which means that none of the student data is stored by OpenAI or other LLMs that Alongside uses, and none of the data from chats is used for training purposes.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Because Alongside operates in schools across the U.S., they are FERPA and COPPA compliant, but the data has to be stored somewhere. So, student’s personal identifying information (PII) is uncoupled from their chat data as that information is stored by Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud-based industry standard for private data storage by tech companies around the world.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside uses an encryption process that disaggregates the student PII from their chats. Only when a conversation gets flagged, and needs to be seen by humans for safety reasons, does the student PII connect back to the chat in question. In addition, Alongside is required by law to store student chats and information when it has alerted a crisis, and parents and guardians are free to request that information, said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Typically, parental consent and student data policies are done through the school partners, and as with any school services offered like counseling, there is a parental opt-out option which must adhere to state and district guidelines on parental consent, said Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside and their school partners put guardrails in place to make sure that student data is kept safe and anonymous. However, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/65868/friendship-romantic-relationship-high-school-students-are-depending-on-ai-in-new-ways\">data breaches\u003c/a> can still happen.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>How the Alongside LLMs are trained\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>One of Alongside’s in-house LLMs is used to identify potential crises in student chats and alert the necessary adults to that crisis, said Mehta. This LLM is trained on student and synthetic outputs and keywords that the Alongside team enters manually. And because language changes often and isn’t always straight forward or easily recognizable, the team keeps an ongoing log of different words and phrases, like the popular abbreviation “KMS” (shorthand for “kill myself”) that they retrain this particular LLM to understand as crisis driven.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Although according to Mehta, the process of manually inputting data to train the crisis assessing LLM is one of the biggest efforts that he and his team has to tackle, he doesn’t see a future in which this process could be automated by another AI tool. “I wouldn’t be comfortable automating something that could trigger a crisis [response],” he said — the preference being that the clinical team led by Friis contribute to this process through a clinical lens.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But with the potential for rapid growth in Alongside’s number of school partners, these processes will be very difficult to keep up with manually, said Robbie Torney, senior director of AI programs at Common Sense Media. Although Alongside emphasized their process of including human input in both their crisis response and LLM development, “you can’t necessarily scale a system like [this] easily because you’re going to run into the need for more and more human review,” continued Torney.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Alongside’s 2024-25 report tracks conflicts in students’ lives, but doesn’t distinguish whether those conflicts are happening online or in person. But according to Friis, it doesn’t really matter where peer-to-peer conflict was taking place. Ultimately, it’s most important to be person-centered, said Dr. Friis, and remain focused on what really matters to each individual student. Alongside does offer proactive skill building lessons on social media safety and digital stewardship.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When it comes to sleep, Kiwi is programmed to ask students about their phone habits “because we know that having your phone at night is one of the main things that’s gonna keep you up,” said Dr. Friis.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Universal mental health screeners available\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Alongside also offers an in-app universal \u003ca href=\"https://www.forensiccounselor.org/images/file/MHSF%20III.pdf\">mental health screener\u003c/a> to school partners. One district in Corsicana, Texas — an old oil town situated outside of Dallas — found the data from the universal mental health screener invaluable. According to Margie Boulware, executive director of special programs for Corsicana Independent School District, the community has had issues with \u003ca href=\"https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/pregnant-teen-in-icu-after-corsicana-double-shooting-police-seek-leads/\">gun violence\u003c/a>, but the district didn’t have a way of surveying their 6,000 students on the mental health effects of traumatic events like these until Alongside was introduced.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Boulware, 24% of students surveyed in Corsicana, had a \u003ca href=\"https://www.nami.org/kids-teens-and-young-adults/be-a-trusted-adult-for-young-people-in-your-life/\">trusted adult\u003c/a> in their life, six percentage points fewer than the average in Alongside’s 2024-25 report. “It’s a little shocking how few kids are saying ‘we actually feel connected to an adult,’” said Friis. \u003ca href=\"https://www.jahonline.org/article/S1054-139X(12)00717-3/fulltext\">According to research\u003c/a>, having a trusted adult helps with young people’s social and emotional health and wellbeing, and can also counter the effects of adverse childhood experiences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In a county where the school district is the biggest employer and where 80% of students are economically disadvantaged, mental health resources are bare. Boulware drew a correlation between the uptick in gun violence and the high percentage of students who said that they did not have a trusted adult in their home. And although the data given to the district from Alongside did not directly correlate with the violence that the community had been experiencing, it was the first time that the district was able to take a more comprehensive look at student mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So the district formed a task force to tackle these issues of increased gun violence, and decreased mental health and belonging. And for the first time, rather than having to guess how many students were struggling with behavioral issues, Boulware and the task force had representative data to build off of. And without the universal screening survey that Alongside delivered, the district would have stuck to their end of year feedback survey — asking questions like “How was your year?” and “Did you like your teacher?”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boulware believed that the universal screening survey encouraged students to self-reflect and answer questions more truthfully when compared with previous feedback surveys the district had conducted.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to Boulware, student resources and mental health resources in particular are scarce in Corsicana. But the district does have a team of counselors including 16 academic counselors and six social emotional counselors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>With not enough social emotional counselors to go around, Boulware said that a lot of tier one students, or students that don’t require regular one-on-one or group academic or behavioral interventions, fly under their radar. She saw Alongside as an easily accessible tool for students that offers discrete coaching on mental health, social and behavioral issues. And it also offers educators and administrators like herself a glimpse behind the curtain into student mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Boulware praised Alongside’s proactive features like gamified skill building for students who struggle with time management or task organization and can earn points and badges for completing certain skills lessons.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And Alongside fills an important gap for staff in Corsicana ISD. “The amount of hours that our kiddos are on Alongside…are hours that they’re not waiting outside of a student support counselor office,” which, because of the low ratio of counselors to students, allows for the social emotional counselors to focus on students experiencing a crisis, said Boulware. There is “no way I could have allotted the resources,” that Alongside brings to Corsicana, Boulware added.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Alongside app requires 24/7 human monitoring by their school partners. This means that designated educators and admin in each district and school are assigned to receive alerts all hours of the day, any day of the week including during holidays. This feature was a concern for Boulware at first. “If a kiddo’s struggling at three o’clock in the morning and I’m asleep, what does that look like?” she said. Boulware and her team had to hope that an adult sees a crisis alert very quickly, she continued.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This 24/7 human monitoring system was tested in Corsicana last Christmas break. An alert came in and it took Boulware ten minutes to see it on her phone. By that time, the student had already begun working on an assessment survey prompted by Alongside, the principal who had seen the alert before Boulware had called her, and she had received a text message from the student support council. Boulware was able to contact their local chief of police and address the crisis unfolding. The student was able to connect with a counselor that same afternoon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp> \u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>A new federal report finds that the percentage of adults with suicidal thoughts and attempts remained about the same between 2021 and 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the analysis of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Survey on Drug Use and Health\u003c/a> did offer some good news: Over that same time period, depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in teens declined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s very promising, and we’re very hopeful about it,” says\u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/bio/jill-harkavy-friedman-ph-d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jill Harkavy-Friedman\u003c/a>, senior vice president of research at the \u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Foundation for Suicide Prevention\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first annual report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since the entire team of scientists in charge of the survey was fired this year by the Trump administration. The federal government has been doing this annual survey for decades. It currently interviews over 70,000 people 12 years and older in households across the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new report shows that the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in 12-to-17-year-olds fell from nearly 13% in 2021 to 10% in 2024. And the prevalence of suicide attempts by teens also fell slightly — from 3.6% to 2.7%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suicide is complex and influenced by a \u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">whole host of risk factors\u003c/a>, including untreated mental illness, prolonged stress, isolation and access to lethal means such as firearms and medications. The new report doesn’t delve into the potential causes for the improvement in teens in recent years. But one reason might be that more teens are opening up to others about their suicidal thoughts, says Harkavy-Friedman. She pointed to a suicide prevention program run by her organization called \u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/talk-saves-lives/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Talk Saves Lives\u003c/a>, which educates people about the warning signs of suicide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not keeping it inside and just sharing with someone that you’re struggling can be helpful,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Besides, she adds, more teens have been seeking help and finding it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More and more kids are getting connected with treatment. And those treatments are specific for suicide and suicide prevention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also found that the share of teens with an episode of major depression in the past year fell during this time — from 21% to 15%. But only about 60% of teens with a recent episode of depression got treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And 2.6 million teens still had thoughts of suicide in 2024, notes Hannah Wesolowski, chief of advocacy with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s 1 in 10 kids, which is still far too high in this country,” she adds. “So we’re making progress, but we’re not making progress fast enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also found that 700,000 adolescents did attempt suicide in the past year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wesolowski notes that access to mental health care remains challenging for Americans, partly due to high out-of-pocket costs, a shortage of mental health care providers and lack of culturally competent care for different racial and ethnic groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the new report, while there was a slight increase in the number of adults getting mental health treatment, nearly half of adults with mental illness had trouble accessing treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disappearing data\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wesolowski notes something missing in the new report compared with previous years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This report does not break out prevalence or treatment rates by race or ethnicity, which it has in the past,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The 2023 report, like in previous years, provided breakdowns by race and ethnicity,” KFF researcher \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/person/heather-saunders/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heather Saunders\u003c/a> wrote NPR in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Removing these data limits our ability to track behavioral health trends and any differences in access to care,” she noted\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saunders and her colleagues have used that data in the past to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-coverage-for-adults-with-mental-illness/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">understand differences in prevalence of mental illness and serious mental illness\u003c/a> in different racial and ethnic groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey reports from past years, for example, have been key to identifying the recent increase in suicide rates among Black youth, explains Wesolowski.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Are we making progress on that?” she says. “Without that prevalence data and really looking at the data by demographics, we’re going to maybe not spend our resources in the right way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson at the Department of Health and Human Services, told NPR in an email that the demographic data including race and ethnicity will be published in a forthcoming report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., notes Wesolowski. As the new report notes, suicide claimed more than 49,000 lives in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are putting a lot of money into suicide prevention and mental health services. But the need is so great that we know we need to do more,” says Wesolowski, “that this isn’t enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can dial or text 988 and be connected to help.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>A new federal report finds that the percentage of adults with suicidal thoughts and attempts remained about the same between 2021 and 2024.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But the analysis of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt56287/2024-nsduh-annual-national-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Survey on Drug Use and Health\u003c/a> did offer some good news: Over that same time period, depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in teens declined.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s very promising, and we’re very hopeful about it,” says\u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/bio/jill-harkavy-friedman-ph-d\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Jill Harkavy-Friedman\u003c/a>, senior vice president of research at the \u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">American Foundation for Suicide Prevention\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>This is the first annual report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services since the entire team of scientists in charge of the survey was fired this year by the Trump administration. The federal government has been doing this annual survey for decades. It currently interviews over 70,000 people 12 years and older in households across the United States.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The new report shows that the prevalence of serious suicidal thoughts in 12-to-17-year-olds fell from nearly 13% in 2021 to 10% in 2024. And the prevalence of suicide attempts by teens also fell slightly — from 3.6% to 2.7%.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suicide is complex and influenced by a \u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/risk-factors-protective-factors-and-warning-signs/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">whole host of risk factors\u003c/a>, including untreated mental illness, prolonged stress, isolation and access to lethal means such as firearms and medications. The new report doesn’t delve into the potential causes for the improvement in teens in recent years. But one reason might be that more teens are opening up to others about their suicidal thoughts, says Harkavy-Friedman. She pointed to a suicide prevention program run by her organization called \u003ca href=\"https://afsp.org/talk-saves-lives/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Talk Saves Lives\u003c/a>, which educates people about the warning signs of suicide.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Not keeping it inside and just sharing with someone that you’re struggling can be helpful,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Besides, she adds, more teens have been seeking help and finding it.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“More and more kids are getting connected with treatment. And those treatments are specific for suicide and suicide prevention.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also found that the share of teens with an episode of major depression in the past year fell during this time — from 21% to 15%. But only about 60% of teens with a recent episode of depression got treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And 2.6 million teens still had thoughts of suicide in 2024, notes Hannah Wesolowski, chief of advocacy with the National Alliance on Mental Illness.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“That’s 1 in 10 kids, which is still far too high in this country,” she adds. “So we’re making progress, but we’re not making progress fast enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The report also found that 700,000 adolescents did attempt suicide in the past year.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wesolowski notes that access to mental health care remains challenging for Americans, partly due to high out-of-pocket costs, a shortage of mental health care providers and lack of culturally competent care for different racial and ethnic groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>According to the new report, while there was a slight increase in the number of adults getting mental health treatment, nearly half of adults with mental illness had trouble accessing treatment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Disappearing data\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Wesolowski notes something missing in the new report compared with previous years.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“This report does not break out prevalence or treatment rates by race or ethnicity, which it has in the past,” she says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The 2023 report, like in previous years, provided breakdowns by race and ethnicity,” KFF researcher \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/person/heather-saunders/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Heather Saunders\u003c/a> wrote NPR in an email.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Removing these data limits our ability to track behavioral health trends and any differences in access to care,” she noted\u003cstrong>. \u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Saunders and her colleagues have used that data in the past to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kff.org/mental-health/issue-brief/5-key-facts-about-medicaid-coverage-for-adults-with-mental-illness/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">understand differences in prevalence of mental illness and serious mental illness\u003c/a> in different racial and ethnic groups.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The survey reports from past years, for example, have been key to identifying the recent increase in suicide rates among Black youth, explains Wesolowski.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Are we making progress on that?” she says. “Without that prevalence data and really looking at the data by demographics, we’re going to maybe not spend our resources in the right way.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson at the Department of Health and Human Services, told NPR in an email that the demographic data including race and ethnicity will be published in a forthcoming report.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., notes Wesolowski. As the new report notes, suicide claimed more than 49,000 lives in 2023.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“We are putting a lot of money into suicide prevention and mental health services. But the need is so great that we know we need to do more,” says Wesolowski, “that this isn’t enough.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, you can dial or text 988 and be connected to help.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>ST. PAUL, Minn. — Olivia Kanavati might think about social media more than she uses it. The 17-year-old from a Twin Cities suburb uses an app that tracks how many times a day she opens social media on her phone. Before she can log on, it prompts her to take a deep breath and offers her an inspirational quote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beginning next summer, any Minnesotan using social media will get a pop-up warning before they log on. Unlike Kanavati’s app, the label they’ll encounter will ask users to acknowledge that prolonged social media use can pose a hazard to their mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s helpful for people that just take a second and, like, pause and be like, ‘Hmm,'” Kanavati says, “‘why am I doing this? What is this purpose?'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kanavati didn’t have a say in the new law, but she says she is in favor of it. She’s a member of the Digital Well-Being Club at her school, along with Evangeline Fuentes, who is also starting her senior year this fall. Fuentes agrees it’s worth giving people the chance to think twice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Obviously, you know, there’s always going to be the people who don’t,” she says. “The best that we can do is just offer the outlet for them to change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Minnesota takes a different route\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After courts blocked other state bans on social media for young people — laws that also require apps to verify users’ ages — \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/07/14/minnesota-law-to-require-mental-health-warnings-on-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Minnesota lawmakers\u003c/u>\u003c/a> approved the measure that takes a different approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Tim Walz signed the law this year, which requires sites to provide users with the warning label starting in July 2026. Social media companies say they’ll seek changes or try to block enforcement, but supporters say the pop-ups could encourage people, especially kids, to be more thoughtful about their time online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171773181/social-media-teens-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>evidence is very clear\u003c/u>\u003c/a> that social media use is linked with depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, all sorts of terrible mental health conditions,” says Democratic state Rep. Zack Stephenson, the main sponsor of the law. “You’ll see a message telling you that prolonged use of social media can lead to those outcomes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stephenson says the labels, while not yet written, will be like warnings for tobacco products or alcohol, and it’s up to the Minnesota Department of Health to decide what they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you had expected big tobacco to make cigarettes less addictive in the ’50s and ’60s, you would have been sorely mistaken,” Stephenson says. “Addiction was their business model. And the same thing is true for big tech.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Biden-era national charge\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under President Biden, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/17/opinion/social-media-health-warning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>warning labels\u003c/u>\u003c/a> to be placed on sites last year. He pointed to \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2749480#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>research indicating that prolonged social media\u003c/u>\u003c/a> use can lead to worse mental health outcomes, higher rates of eating disorders and body image issues among children and adolescents. Minnesota is the first state to pass legislation requiring these kinds of labels. New York could soon follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1483x1112+2057+900/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F30%2F29%2Fc4cc41d04d3b9e06b9d0de57b996%2Fdsc03459.JPG\" alt=\"Olivia Kanavati, left, and Evangeline Fuentes, right, are members of the Digital Well-Being Club at their school and say they support a new state law that will require social media companies to add mental health warning labels to their sites starting next year. The pair posed for photos outside their school on July 17, 2025.\">\u003cfigcaption>Olivia Kanavati, left, and Evangeline Fuentes, right, are members of the Digital Well-Being Club at their school and say they support a new state law that will require social media companies to add mental health warning labels to their sites starting next year. The pair posed for photos outside their school on July 17, 2025. \u003ccite> (Dana Ferguson | Minnesota Public Radio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Minnesota, failure to add the labels could be met with investigation and civil punishment enforced by the state’s attorney general. Social media platforms also have to provide resources to address adverse mental health outcomes — like contacts for the Suicide and Crisis Hotline 988, something suicide prevention advocates fought for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While warning labels are not the full solution to protecting youth online, they “serve as a really powerful tool for educating the public, making them aware that the things that are taking place on social media pose a significant danger to the safety of their children,” says Erich Mische, CEO of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tech pushes back\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The bill faced some opposition from Republicans at the Capitol who said it could limit free speech, but others in the party supported the proposal, saying the impacts of social media on young people require a tougher response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NetChoice, an industry group that represents social media companies, says it will ask lawmakers to roll back the law over the next year. If that fails, NetChoice says it could sue the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It does, I think, force the companies to essentially denigrate themselves in ways that they would otherwise choose not to,” says Paul Taske, co-director of the group’s litigation center. “We’ve had \u003ca href=\"https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/mississippis-social-media-age-verification-law-challenged-at-us-supreme-court/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>courts\u003c/u>\u003c/a> across the country say that you can’t compel private actors to act as the mouthpiece for the state to promulgate the state’s preferred message.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NetChoice sued the state over a law that took effect earlier this month requiring social media companies to notify users about how their algorithms recommend content. Taske says rather than compelling the companies to post warning labels, the state should educate Minnesotans about potential issues for young people who choose to use the sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government has the ability to go and use its own voice, its own bully pulpit, its own pedestal to try and get its message across,” Taske says. “The problem here is that it’s trying to compel private companies to disseminate a message for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barring a successful legal challenge, the warning labels will take effect July 1, 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis hotline. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>ST. PAUL, Minn. — Olivia Kanavati might think about social media more than she uses it. The 17-year-old from a Twin Cities suburb uses an app that tracks how many times a day she opens social media on her phone. Before she can log on, it prompts her to take a deep breath and offers her an inspirational quote.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Beginning next summer, any Minnesotan using social media will get a pop-up warning before they log on. Unlike Kanavati’s app, the label they’ll encounter will ask users to acknowledge that prolonged social media use can pose a hazard to their mental health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think it’s helpful for people that just take a second and, like, pause and be like, ‘Hmm,'” Kanavati says, “‘why am I doing this? What is this purpose?'”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Kanavati didn’t have a say in the new law, but she says she is in favor of it. She’s a member of the Digital Well-Being Club at her school, along with Evangeline Fuentes, who is also starting her senior year this fall. Fuentes agrees it’s worth giving people the chance to think twice.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Obviously, you know, there’s always going to be the people who don’t,” she says. “The best that we can do is just offer the outlet for them to change.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Minnesota takes a different route\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>After courts blocked other state bans on social media for young people — laws that also require apps to verify users’ ages — \u003ca href=\"https://www.mprnews.org/story/2025/07/14/minnesota-law-to-require-mental-health-warnings-on-social-media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>Minnesota lawmakers\u003c/u>\u003c/a> approved the measure that takes a different approach.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Gov. Tim Walz signed the law this year, which requires sites to provide users with the warning label starting in July 2026. Social media companies say they’ll seek changes or try to block enforcement, but supporters say the pop-ups could encourage people, especially kids, to be more thoughtful about their time online.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I think the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171773181/social-media-teens-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>evidence is very clear\u003c/u>\u003c/a> that social media use is linked with depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, all sorts of terrible mental health conditions,” says Democratic state Rep. Zack Stephenson, the main sponsor of the law. “You’ll see a message telling you that prolonged use of social media can lead to those outcomes.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Stephenson says the labels, while not yet written, will be like warnings for tobacco products or alcohol, and it’s up to the Minnesota Department of Health to decide what they say.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If you had expected big tobacco to make cigarettes less addictive in the ’50s and ’60s, you would have been sorely mistaken,” Stephenson says. “Addiction was their business model. And the same thing is true for big tech.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>A Biden-era national charge\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Under President Biden, former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for \u003ca href=\"https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/17/opinion/social-media-health-warning.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>warning labels\u003c/u>\u003c/a> to be placed on sites last year. He pointed to \u003ca href=\"https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2749480#google_vignette\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>research indicating that prolonged social media\u003c/u>\u003c/a> use can lead to worse mental health outcomes, higher rates of eating disorders and body image issues among children and adolescents. Minnesota is the first state to pass legislation requiring these kinds of labels. New York could soon follow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg decoding=\"async\" src=\"https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1483x1112+2057+900/resize/1200/quality/75/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F30%2F29%2Fc4cc41d04d3b9e06b9d0de57b996%2Fdsc03459.JPG\" alt=\"Olivia Kanavati, left, and Evangeline Fuentes, right, are members of the Digital Well-Being Club at their school and say they support a new state law that will require social media companies to add mental health warning labels to their sites starting next year. The pair posed for photos outside their school on July 17, 2025.\">\u003cfigcaption>Olivia Kanavati, left, and Evangeline Fuentes, right, are members of the Digital Well-Being Club at their school and say they support a new state law that will require social media companies to add mental health warning labels to their sites starting next year. The pair posed for photos outside their school on July 17, 2025. \u003ccite> (Dana Ferguson | Minnesota Public Radio)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>In Minnesota, failure to add the labels could be met with investigation and civil punishment enforced by the state’s attorney general. Social media platforms also have to provide resources to address adverse mental health outcomes — like contacts for the Suicide and Crisis Hotline 988, something suicide prevention advocates fought for.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>While warning labels are not the full solution to protecting youth online, they “serve as a really powerful tool for educating the public, making them aware that the things that are taking place on social media pose a significant danger to the safety of their children,” says Erich Mische, CEO of Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Tech pushes back\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The bill faced some opposition from Republicans at the Capitol who said it could limit free speech, but others in the party supported the proposal, saying the impacts of social media on young people require a tougher response.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NetChoice, an industry group that represents social media companies, says it will ask lawmakers to roll back the law over the next year. If that fails, NetChoice says it could sue the state.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It does, I think, force the companies to essentially denigrate themselves in ways that they would otherwise choose not to,” says Paul Taske, co-director of the group’s litigation center. “We’ve had \u003ca href=\"https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/mississippis-social-media-age-verification-law-challenged-at-us-supreme-court/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u003cu>courts\u003c/u>\u003c/a> across the country say that you can’t compel private actors to act as the mouthpiece for the state to promulgate the state’s preferred message.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>NetChoice sued the state over a law that took effect earlier this month requiring social media companies to notify users about how their algorithms recommend content. Taske says rather than compelling the companies to post warning labels, the state should educate Minnesotans about potential issues for young people who choose to use the sites.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The government has the ability to go and use its own voice, its own bully pulpit, its own pedestal to try and get its message across,” Taske says. “The problem here is that it’s trying to compel private companies to disseminate a message for it.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Barring a successful legal challenge, the warning labels will take effect July 1, 2026.\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call or text 988 to reach the suicide and crisis hotline. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>The Trump administration says it will stop paying out $1 billion in federal grants that school districts across the country have been using to hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Education is telling impacted districts that the Biden administration, in awarding the grants, violated “the letter or purpose of Federal civil rights law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The grants were part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2938/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act\u003c/a> — a bill passed in the aftermath of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177729989/a-year-after-uvaldes-school-massacre-healing-remains-elusive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">school shooting in Uvalde\u003c/a>, Texas, in which a teen gunman killed 19 elementary school students and two adults and injured 17 people. The bill, among other things, poured federal dollars into schools to address rising concerns about a \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">student mental health crisis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those dollars helped Superintendent Derek Fialkiewicz in Corbett, Ore., more than triple the number of school mental health professionals in his largely rural district of 1,100 students east of Portland. Before the grants, Fialkiewicz says his district had just two counselors, “and we realized, that’s just not sustainable for our students and especially coming out of COVID\u003cem>.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early 2023, thanks to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the district received a federal grant that fully covered the salaries and benefits of five new trained social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been amazing,\u003cem>” \u003c/em>says Fialkiewicz of the difference that federal money — and the social workers it paid for — have made in his school community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says he was shocked when he heard the Trump administration was putting an end to this federal support. Just Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Education employee who oversees their grant had given his district the go-ahead to add a telehealth texting service for students. An hour later, Fialkiewicz says, he got an email that the grant would be discontinued.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Republicans supported these mental health grants\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and the mental health funding that accompanied it, enjoyed considerable Republican support even in the years after it passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Too often, adolescents with untreated mental health conditions become the very same perpetrators who commit acts of violence,” wrote three of the law’s Republican supporters — Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — in \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/bipartisan-safer-communities-act-cause-optimism-opinion-1990754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2024 opinion piece\u003c/a>. “For this reason, we crafted our law to ensure teachers and administrators are equipped with the tools to recognize when a student is experiencing a mental health crisis and, more importantly, connect them with the care they need before it’s too late.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The endgame was “to prepare and place 14,000 mental health professionals in schools,” says Mary Wall, who oversaw K-12 policy and budget for the U.S. Department of Education during the Biden administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wall says about 260 school districts in nearly every state received a portion of the $1 billion — in the form of five-year grants, which were paid out in installments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, it appears those districts will have to find a way to do without the money they had planned for but will not receive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The preparation of new mental health professionals, as well as those who are already in service, is at risk,” Wall says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Corbett, Fialkiewicz says he’s been told his grant money, which was supposed to last until December of 2027, will instead stop this December, two years early. Once it does, he says, “We’re gonna end up going back to having two counselors in our district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The superintendent says he feels “disgusted” by the idea of having to lay off those federally funded social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be able to provide those [mental health] services and then have it ripped away for something that is completely out of our control, it’s horrible,” Fialkiewicz says. “I feel for our students more than anything because they’re not gonna get the services that they need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-poll-while-support-for-school-mental-health-tr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 2024 poll\u003c/a> from the American Psychiatric Association found that “84% of Americans believe school staff play a crucial role in identifying signs of mental health issues in students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why the department says it cut the grants\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In a statement to NPR, Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Education, explained the decision to discontinue the grants:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help. We owe it to American families to ensure that tax-payer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students’ mental health.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/04/2022-21632/applications-for-new-awards-mental-health-service-professional-demonstration-grant-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 federal grant notice\u003c/a> told schools explicitly: The services to be provided must be “evidence-based.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wall also disputes the department’s characterization, telling NPR that “the focus of these grants was absolutely on providing evidence-based mental health support to students. Any suggestion that this is a DEI program is a distraction from the real issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration and the Education Department have been applying a new interpretation of federal civil rights law to a wide range of federal programs. Last month, the department \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/26/nx-s1-5375904/trump-dei-schools-education-courts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">threatened to revoke K-12 schools’ federal funding\u003c/a> if they don’t stop all DEI programming and teaching that the department might consider discriminatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to a request from NPR to further explain why the department believes these mental health grants had somehow run afoul of Trump’s anti-DEI policy, it offered a few brief excerpts from districts’ grant applications, in which one grantee wrote that school counselors must be trained “to recognize and challenge systemic injustices, antiracism, and the pervasiveness of white supremacy to ethically support diverse communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initial federal request for grant applications suggested districts prioritize “increasing the number of school-based mental health services providers in high-need [districts], increasing the number of services providers from diverse backgrounds or from the communities they serve, and ensuring that all services providers are trained in inclusive practices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the email Fialkiewicz received, notifying him of the grant’s end, the department wrote that the efforts funded by the grant violate federal civil rights law, “conflict with the Department’s policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education; undermine the well-being of the students these programs are intended to help; or constitute an inappropriate use of federal funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked if diversity played any role in his district’s grant application, Fialkiewicz replied:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes, in our application, we did state, because it was part of the requirements, that we would use equitable hiring practices. And that’s exactly what we did. And to me, equitable hiring practices means you hire the best person for the job. That’s equitable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>And now, those social workers he hired might lose their jobs.\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>The Trump administration says it will stop paying out $1 billion in federal grants that school districts across the country have been using to hire mental health professionals, including counselors and social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The U.S. Department of Education is telling impacted districts that the Biden administration, in awarding the grants, violated “the letter or purpose of Federal civil rights law.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The grants were part of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/senate-bill/2938/text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act\u003c/a> — a bill passed in the aftermath of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2023/05/24/1177729989/a-year-after-uvaldes-school-massacre-healing-remains-elusive\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">school shooting in Uvalde\u003c/a>, Texas, in which a teen gunman killed 19 elementary school students and two adults and injured 17 people. The bill, among other things, poured federal dollars into schools to address rising concerns about a \u003ca href=\"https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">student mental health crisis\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Those dollars helped Superintendent Derek Fialkiewicz in Corbett, Ore., more than triple the number of school mental health professionals in his largely rural district of 1,100 students east of Portland. Before the grants, Fialkiewicz says his district had just two counselors, “and we realized, that’s just not sustainable for our students and especially coming out of COVID\u003cem>.”\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In early 2023, thanks to the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the district received a federal grant that fully covered the salaries and benefits of five new trained social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s been amazing,\u003cem>” \u003c/em>says Fialkiewicz of the difference that federal money — and the social workers it paid for — have made in his school community.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>He says he was shocked when he heard the Trump administration was putting an end to this federal support. Just Tuesday, a U.S. Department of Education employee who oversees their grant had given his district the go-ahead to add a telehealth texting service for students. An hour later, Fialkiewicz says, he got an email that the grant would be discontinued.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Republicans supported these mental health grants\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, and the mental health funding that accompanied it, enjoyed considerable Republican support even in the years after it passed.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Too often, adolescents with untreated mental health conditions become the very same perpetrators who commit acts of violence,” wrote three of the law’s Republican supporters — Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Susan Collins of Maine and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — in \u003ca href=\"https://www.newsweek.com/bipartisan-safer-communities-act-cause-optimism-opinion-1990754\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a 2024 opinion piece\u003c/a>. “For this reason, we crafted our law to ensure teachers and administrators are equipped with the tools to recognize when a student is experiencing a mental health crisis and, more importantly, connect them with the care they need before it’s too late.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The endgame was “to prepare and place 14,000 mental health professionals in schools,” says Mary Wall, who oversaw K-12 policy and budget for the U.S. Department of Education during the Biden administration.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wall says about 260 school districts in nearly every state received a portion of the $1 billion — in the form of five-year grants, which were paid out in installments.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, it appears those districts will have to find a way to do without the money they had planned for but will not receive.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The preparation of new mental health professionals, as well as those who are already in service, is at risk,” Wall says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In Corbett, Fialkiewicz says he’s been told his grant money, which was supposed to last until December of 2027, will instead stop this December, two years early. Once it does, he says, “We’re gonna end up going back to having two counselors in our district.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The superintendent says he feels “disgusted” by the idea of having to lay off those federally funded social workers.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“To be able to provide those [mental health] services and then have it ripped away for something that is completely out of our control, it’s horrible,” Fialkiewicz says. “I feel for our students more than anything because they’re not gonna get the services that they need.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>An \u003ca href=\"https://www.psychiatry.org/news-room/news-releases/new-poll-while-support-for-school-mental-health-tr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">August 2024 poll\u003c/a> from the American Psychiatric Association found that “84% of Americans believe school staff play a crucial role in identifying signs of mental health issues in students.”\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Why the department says it cut the grants\u003cstrong> \u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>In a statement to NPR, Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at the Department of Education, explained the decision to discontinue the grants:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help. We owe it to American families to ensure that tax-payer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students’ mental health.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>But the \u003ca href=\"https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/10/04/2022-21632/applications-for-new-awards-mental-health-service-professional-demonstration-grant-program\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2022 federal grant notice\u003c/a> told schools explicitly: The services to be provided must be “evidence-based.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Wall also disputes the department’s characterization, telling NPR that “the focus of these grants was absolutely on providing evidence-based mental health support to students. Any suggestion that this is a DEI program is a distraction from the real issue.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The Trump administration and the Education Department have been applying a new interpretation of federal civil rights law to a wide range of federal programs. Last month, the department \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2025/04/26/nx-s1-5375904/trump-dei-schools-education-courts\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">threatened to revoke K-12 schools’ federal funding\u003c/a> if they don’t stop all DEI programming and teaching that the department might consider discriminatory.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In response to a request from NPR to further explain why the department believes these mental health grants had somehow run afoul of Trump’s anti-DEI policy, it offered a few brief excerpts from districts’ grant applications, in which one grantee wrote that school counselors must be trained “to recognize and challenge systemic injustices, antiracism, and the pervasiveness of white supremacy to ethically support diverse communities.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The initial federal request for grant applications suggested districts prioritize “increasing the number of school-based mental health services providers in high-need [districts], increasing the number of services providers from diverse backgrounds or from the communities they serve, and ensuring that all services providers are trained in inclusive practices.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>In the email Fialkiewicz received, notifying him of the grant’s end, the department wrote that the efforts funded by the grant violate federal civil rights law, “conflict with the Department’s policy of prioritizing merit, fairness, and excellence in education; undermine the well-being of the students these programs are intended to help; or constitute an inappropriate use of federal funds.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>When asked if diversity played any role in his district’s grant application, Fialkiewicz replied:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Yes, in our application, we did state, because it was part of the requirements, that we would use equitable hiring practices. And that’s exactly what we did. And to me, equitable hiring practices means you hire the best person for the job. That’s equitable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cp>If you order up coffee on a mobile app while scrolling your social feeds, or can’t stop watching videos and reading news articles on your phone at bedtime, listen up!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers studied what happened when people agreed to block the internet from their smartphones for just two weeks. And turns out, 91% felt better after the break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we found was that people had better mental health, better subjective well-being and better sustained attention,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-directory/profile/?username=aw33587\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adrian Ward\u003c/a>, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers included 467 participants, ages 18 to 74, who agreed to the \u003ca href=\"https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/2/pgaf017/8016017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">month-long study\u003c/a> aimed at testing the theory that constant connection to everything, all the time, has unintended consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a time when \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more then 90% of Americans have a smartphone\u003c/a>, we forget that having an internet-enabled supercomputer at our fingertips 24/7 is a new phenomenon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Ward, who is 38, remembers a dial-up connection in his home as a kid. In those days, the internet lived in a room in your home. “You used it at specific times because you had limited minutes and had to make sure nobody else was using the phone line,” Ward recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what would it be like to go back to those days? No social media scrolling, no mobile-app shopping, no streaming shows or media on your phone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers measured three different outcomes of well-being, mood and attention at the beginning, middle and end of the four-week study. While 91% of participants improved their scores in at least one category, 71% reported better mental health after the break, compared to before, and 73% reported better subjective well-being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The participants completed a survey often used by doctors to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety. It includes questions such as: \u003cem>How often in the past week have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things you typically enjoy\u003c/em>? The participants’ responses pointed to a significant lift in mood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the surprising findings is that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par — or even greater than — reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The size of these effects are larger than we anticipated,” says the study’s first author, \u003ca href=\"https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/ncastelo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Noah Castelo\u003c/a>, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta in Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course for some people, medications and/or talk therapy are key to managing mental health, and the researchers are not suggesting less internet time is a replacement for that kind of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A break from the internet on their phones also improved participants’ attention spans, which was measured by a computer task. They tracked images that alternated between mountain scenes and cities. Prior research has shown that performance tends to drop off as people age, but to the researchers’ surprise, after the internet break, there was a significant boost in scores. “The effects on attention were about as large as if participants had become 10 years younger,” Castelo says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not clear how long-lasting the effect of less time online would be, but this study validates what has been \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29673047/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">found in observational studies.\u003c/a> “It’s one of the first experiments that does provide causal evidence that reducing time spent on your phone has all these significant benefits,” Castelo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When the participants agreed to block the internet on their phones, they were permitted to continue to use laptops or iPads at work or home, and they could also continue to use their phones to talk or text. So, researchers weren’t sure if participants would swap phones for another form of screen time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, as it turns out, breaking the habit of scrolling on their phones led to significant changes in how they spent their time. And, interestingly, each day the break went on, the benefits increased, almost like a positive feedback loop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not that you stop using the internet and magically you just feel better,” Ward says. What happened is that people spent more time engaged in healthy behaviors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People reported that they spent more time in nature, more time socializing, more time doing hobbies,” he explains. They also got more sleep and felt more socially connected to other people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not surprised by the findings,” says \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Judith Joseph\u003c/a>, a psychiatrist at New York University Langone Medical Center and the author of \u003cem>High Functioning: Overcome Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy\u003c/em>. She says surveys show that most people don’t want to be tethered to their devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They know their phones are a problem, but they just can’t stop,” she says. And she says when they start to engage in behaviors such as those seen in study — more exercise, time outdoors, good sleep, more social interactions — it’s not surprising that they start to feel better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Helping people to retrain their brain to derive joy from healthy activities has an antidepressant effect,” she says, so she says the findings pointing to a decrease in symptoms of depression and anxiety makes sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If [people] see this improvement in joy in such a short period of time, then that gives us hope,” she says, adding that simple changes can be beneficial.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Try it: Tips for scaling back your own smartphone use\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During the study, many participants had to break the rules, just to accomplish things that their jobs or families required them to do, such as turning on a map app to navigate in the car or logging onto a Zoom meeting from their phone. It’s a reminder of how dependent we’ve become on our mobile devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s nearly impossible to go cold turkey, given the demands of our society. So what to do if you want to try this? “If we’re expected to be accessible at all moments, then how can we just decide that we’re going to disconnect?” Ward asks. It’s a societal struggle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are a few ways to ease up on your screen time.\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Take short breaks.\u003c/strong> Since most of us can’t turn off the internet and still function, Joseph recommends taking little breaks, beginning with baby steps. “If you can start with 30 minutes here, or 20 minutes there, try to see if you can increase these increments on a weekly basis,” she says\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consider a digital detox.\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/02/12/584389201/smartphone-detox-how-to-power-down-in-a-wired-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Choose one day a week\u003c/a> where you and your family power down, except what’s needed for communication. Or set a time, either at mealtime, or in the evenings when work is over, to connect face to face with family or friends, making a commitment to be “present” and in the moment.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Manage notification and add “friction.”\u003c/strong> Experts also advise \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/02/26/1159099629/teens-social-media-body-image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turning off notifications\u003c/a> and using apps to limit your time on certain social media. Some tools can help you reduce screen time by \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/17/1176452284/teens-social-media-phone-habit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">adding friction\u003c/a>, i.e., making it just a little harder to start using whatever app you’re hooked to.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Try a dumb phone.\u003c/strong> If you’re really fed up and want to try something new, consider \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/08/g-s1-15391/how-to-switch-from-a-smartphone-to-a-basic-phone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">switching to a “boring” phone\u003c/a>, like the old flip phones many of us used to rely on. That way you still have calling and texting (and some other tools, depending on the phone) but scrolling is a lot less compelling.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Pick up a new phone-free activity.\u003c/strong> It’s worth setting new habits in your offline life. Pick up a new hobby or make a regular date with a friend for a phone call. Like to take an evening stroll? Try leaving your phone at home and see how you feel. The more we give ourselves permission to disconnect, the more likely those around us will follow.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you ordered coffee on a mobile app while scrolling your feeds this morning, this next story is for you. Researchers decided to find out what would happen to people’s moods and attention spans if they turned off their smartphones. NPR’s Allison Aubrey tells us how long it took to make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: At a time when more than 90% of Americans have a smartphone, we tend to forget that having a supercomputer at our fingertips all the time is a new phenomenon. Adrian Ward is a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s in his late 30s, and he remembers having a dial-up connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ADRIAN WARD: When I was a boy, the internet – you know, we didn’t have it at first, but then it lived in a room in our house. And you used it at specific times because you had limited minutes, and you had to make sure nobody else was on the phone line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: So what would it feel like to go back to those days when we didn’t have constant connection to everything? He and his collaborators decided to find out. They recruited 467 participants who agreed to block the internet from their smartphones for two weeks. That means no social media scrolling, no streaming, no online shopping on their phones. And it turns out most people – 91% of the participants – seemed to feel better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WARD: What we found was that people had better mental health, better subjective well-being and better sustained attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: For example, when participants were asked to perform a task to measure how long they could pay attention, they did better. And when it came to questions such as, how often in the past week have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things, their responses pointed to a significant lift in mood. Ward says the study results suggest a reduction in symptoms of depression on par with what other studies have found with antidepressant medications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WARD: Not saying it’s the same as an antidepressant. Who knows how long-lasting this effect is? But that suggests that it’s something worth looking into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: His hypothesis on what actually improves moods isn’t about what was taken away from people. After all, they could still use computers at work or home, and they could talk on their phones. It has more to do with what they added back into their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WARD: So it’s not that you stop using the internet, and magically, you just feel better. It’s that you do other things. And so people reported that they spent more time in nature, more time socializing, more time doing hobbies. They got more sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: They felt more socially connected. Dr. Judith Joseph is a psychiatrist and leads a women in medicine initiative at Columbia University. She says she’s not surprised by the findings. Many people don’t want to be tethered to their devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JUDITH JOSEPH: They know their phones are a problem. They just can’t stop. So helping people to retrain their brain to derive joy from healthy places has an antidepressant effect, and that’s why I’m not surprised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: A lot of the participants in the study found that they had to break the rules – for example, when they were in their cars and needed to use a map app for directions or log on to a Zoom meeting for work. It’s a reminder of how dependent we’ve become. So even if you can’t turn off the internet, Dr. Joseph recommends taking little breaks, beginning with baby steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JOSEPH: Slowly, over time, if you can do this even for 30 minutes here, 20 minutes there, build up. Try to see if you can increase these increments on a weekly basis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: Or here’s one idea to get started – if you go out for a walk after dinner, leave your smartphone behind and see how you feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allison Aubrey, NPR News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>If you order up coffee on a mobile app while scrolling your social feeds, or can’t stop watching videos and reading news articles on your phone at bedtime, listen up!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Researchers studied what happened when people agreed to block the internet from their smartphones for just two weeks. And turns out, 91% felt better after the break.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“What we found was that people had better mental health, better subjective well-being and better sustained attention,” says \u003ca href=\"https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/faculty-and-research/faculty-directory/profile/?username=aw33587\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Adrian Ward\u003c/a>, a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers included 467 participants, ages 18 to 74, who agreed to the \u003ca href=\"https://academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/article/4/2/pgaf017/8016017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">month-long study\u003c/a> aimed at testing the theory that constant connection to everything, all the time, has unintended consequences.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>At a time when \u003ca href=\"https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/mobile/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">more then 90% of Americans have a smartphone\u003c/a>, we forget that having an internet-enabled supercomputer at our fingertips 24/7 is a new phenomenon.\u003c/p>\n\u003cblockquote>\n\u003cdiv>\u003c/div>\n\u003c/blockquote>\n\u003cp>Ward, who is 38, remembers a dial-up connection in his home as a kid. In those days, the internet lived in a room in your home. “You used it at specific times because you had limited minutes and had to make sure nobody else was using the phone line,” Ward recalls.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>So, what would it be like to go back to those days? No social media scrolling, no mobile-app shopping, no streaming shows or media on your phone?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>The researchers measured three different outcomes of well-being, mood and attention at the beginning, middle and end of the four-week study. While 91% of participants improved their scores in at least one category, 71% reported better mental health after the break, compared to before, and 73% reported better subjective well-being.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>The participants completed a survey often used by doctors to assess symptoms of depression and anxiety. It includes questions such as: \u003cem>How often in the past week have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things you typically enjoy\u003c/em>? The participants’ responses pointed to a significant lift in mood.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One of the surprising findings is that the decrease in depressive symptoms was on par — or even greater than — reductions documented in studies of people taking antidepressant medications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“The size of these effects are larger than we anticipated,” says the study’s first author, \u003ca href=\"https://apps.ualberta.ca/directory/person/ncastelo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Noah Castelo\u003c/a>, an assistant professor at the University of Alberta in Canada.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course for some people, medications and/or talk therapy are key to managing mental health, and the researchers are not suggesting less internet time is a replacement for that kind of care.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A break from the internet on their phones also improved participants’ attention spans, which was measured by a computer task. They tracked images that alternated between mountain scenes and cities. Prior research has shown that performance tends to drop off as people age, but to the researchers’ surprise, after the internet break, there was a significant boost in scores. “The effects on attention were about as large as if participants had become 10 years younger,” Castelo says.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s not clear how long-lasting the effect of less time online would be, but this study validates what has been \u003ca href=\"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29673047/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">found in observational studies.\u003c/a> “It’s one of the first experiments that does provide causal evidence that reducing time spent on your phone has all these significant benefits,” Castelo said.\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>When the participants agreed to block the internet on their phones, they were permitted to continue to use laptops or iPads at work or home, and they could also continue to use their phones to talk or text. So, researchers weren’t sure if participants would swap phones for another form of screen time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>But, as it turns out, breaking the habit of scrolling on their phones led to significant changes in how they spent their time. And, interestingly, each day the break went on, the benefits increased, almost like a positive feedback loop.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“It’s not that you stop using the internet and magically you just feel better,” Ward says. What happened is that people spent more time engaged in healthy behaviors.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“People reported that they spent more time in nature, more time socializing, more time doing hobbies,” he explains. They also got more sleep and felt more socially connected to other people.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“I’m not surprised by the findings,” says \u003ca href=\"https://drjudithjoseph.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dr. Judith Joseph\u003c/a>, a psychiatrist at New York University Langone Medical Center and the author of \u003cem>High Functioning: Overcome Hidden Depression and Reclaim Your Joy\u003c/em>. She says surveys show that most people don’t want to be tethered to their devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“They know their phones are a problem, but they just can’t stop,” she says. And she says when they start to engage in behaviors such as those seen in study — more exercise, time outdoors, good sleep, more social interactions — it’s not surprising that they start to feel better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“Helping people to retrain their brain to derive joy from healthy activities has an antidepressant effect,” she says, so she says the findings pointing to a decrease in symptoms of depression and anxiety makes sense.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If [people] see this improvement in joy in such a short period of time, then that gives us hope,” she says, adding that simple changes can be beneficial.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Try it: Tips for scaling back your own smartphone use\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>During the study, many participants had to break the rules, just to accomplish things that their jobs or families required them to do, such as turning on a map app to navigate in the car or logging onto a Zoom meeting from their phone. It’s a reminder of how dependent we’ve become on our mobile devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It’s nearly impossible to go cold turkey, given the demands of our society. So what to do if you want to try this? “If we’re expected to be accessible at all moments, then how can we just decide that we’re going to disconnect?” Ward asks. It’s a societal struggle.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Here are a few ways to ease up on your screen time.\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Take short breaks.\u003c/strong> Since most of us can’t turn off the internet and still function, Joseph recommends taking little breaks, beginning with baby steps. “If you can start with 30 minutes here, or 20 minutes there, try to see if you can increase these increments on a weekly basis,” she says\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Consider a digital detox.\u003c/strong> \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/02/12/584389201/smartphone-detox-how-to-power-down-in-a-wired-world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Choose one day a week\u003c/a> where you and your family power down, except what’s needed for communication. Or set a time, either at mealtime, or in the evenings when work is over, to connect face to face with family or friends, making a commitment to be “present” and in the moment.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Manage notification and add “friction.”\u003c/strong> Experts also advise \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/02/26/1159099629/teens-social-media-body-image\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turning off notifications\u003c/a> and using apps to limit your time on certain social media. Some tools can help you reduce screen time by \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/05/17/1176452284/teens-social-media-phone-habit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">adding friction\u003c/a>, i.e., making it just a little harder to start using whatever app you’re hooked to.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Try a dumb phone.\u003c/strong> If you’re really fed up and want to try something new, consider \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/2024/08/08/g-s1-15391/how-to-switch-from-a-smartphone-to-a-basic-phone\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">switching to a “boring” phone\u003c/a>, like the old flip phones many of us used to rely on. That way you still have calling and texting (and some other tools, depending on the phone) but scrolling is a lot less compelling.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Pick up a new phone-free activity.\u003c/strong> It’s worth setting new habits in your offline life. Pick up a new hobby or make a regular date with a friend for a phone call. Like to take an evening stroll? Try leaving your phone at home and see how you feel. The more we give ourselves permission to disconnect, the more likely those around us will follow.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cdiv class=\"npr-transcript\">\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you ordered coffee on a mobile app while scrolling your feeds this morning, this next story is for you. Researchers decided to find out what would happen to people’s moods and attention spans if they turned off their smartphones. NPR’s Allison Aubrey tells us how long it took to make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: At a time when more than 90% of Americans have a smartphone, we tend to forget that having a supercomputer at our fingertips all the time is a new phenomenon. Adrian Ward is a psychologist at the University of Texas at Austin. He’s in his late 30s, and he remembers having a dial-up connection.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>ADRIAN WARD: When I was a boy, the internet – you know, we didn’t have it at first, but then it lived in a room in our house. And you used it at specific times because you had limited minutes, and you had to make sure nobody else was on the phone line.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: So what would it feel like to go back to those days when we didn’t have constant connection to everything? He and his collaborators decided to find out. They recruited 467 participants who agreed to block the internet from their smartphones for two weeks. That means no social media scrolling, no streaming, no online shopping on their phones. And it turns out most people – 91% of the participants – seemed to feel better.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WARD: What we found was that people had better mental health, better subjective well-being and better sustained attention.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: For example, when participants were asked to perform a task to measure how long they could pay attention, they did better. And when it came to questions such as, how often in the past week have you felt little interest or pleasure in doing things, their responses pointed to a significant lift in mood. Ward says the study results suggest a reduction in symptoms of depression on par with what other studies have found with antidepressant medications.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WARD: Not saying it’s the same as an antidepressant. Who knows how long-lasting this effect is? But that suggests that it’s something worth looking into.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: His hypothesis on what actually improves moods isn’t about what was taken away from people. After all, they could still use computers at work or home, and they could talk on their phones. It has more to do with what they added back into their lives.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>WARD: So it’s not that you stop using the internet, and magically, you just feel better. It’s that you do other things. And so people reported that they spent more time in nature, more time socializing, more time doing hobbies. They got more sleep.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: They felt more socially connected. Dr. Judith Joseph is a psychiatrist and leads a women in medicine initiative at Columbia University. She says she’s not surprised by the findings. Many people don’t want to be tethered to their devices.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JUDITH JOSEPH: They know their phones are a problem. They just can’t stop. So helping people to retrain their brain to derive joy from healthy places has an antidepressant effect, and that’s why I’m not surprised.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: A lot of the participants in the study found that they had to break the rules – for example, when they were in their cars and needed to use a map app for directions or log on to a Zoom meeting for work. It’s a reminder of how dependent we’ve become. So even if you can’t turn off the internet, Dr. Joseph recommends taking little breaks, beginning with baby steps.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>JOSEPH: Slowly, over time, if you can do this even for 30 minutes here, 20 minutes there, build up. Try to see if you can increase these increments on a weekly basis.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>AUBREY: Or here’s one idea to get started – if you go out for a walk after dinner, leave your smartphone behind and see how you feel.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Allison Aubrey, NPR News.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\u003cp>We all hear about the importance of practicing gratitude, particularly around this time of year. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, you are likely to go around the table and say what you are grateful for before digging in to your mashed potatoes. Beyond Thanksgiving, you may have heard the advice that you should write gratitude lists, keep a gratitude journal or write heartfelt letters of thanks to the important people in your life. All of these activities sound like a great idea in theory but, as a busy parent, you have probably wondered whether these practices are really worth the effort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42761-022-00160-3.pdf\">recent study\u003c/a> addressed this very question.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Study Details\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The researchers examined the impacts of different ways of expressing gratitude, including whether expressing gratitude is more beneficial when it involves other people (such as writing a thank you letter versus a gratitude list) and when it is expressed in a short versus long format (such as a list versus a letter or essay). This study included 958 adults in Australia who were randomly assigned to one of six conditions (also see figure below):\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Gratitude letters (social, longer format): writing gratitude letters to tell someone why you are grateful for them\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gratitude essays (non-social, longer format): writing essays about things you are grateful for (excluding people)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Social gratitude lists (social, shorter format): writing gratitude lists of people you are grateful for\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Nonsocial gratitude lists (non-social, longer format): writing lists of things you are grateful for (excluding people)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>General gratitude list: writing a list of things and people you are grateful for\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Control condition: simply writing about your daily activities\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>The participants were asked to do one of these exercises every day for one week. The researchers then looked at the extent to which each of these exercises increased gratitude, improved mood, made participants feel more indebted or connected to someone else, and increased life satisfaction and feelings of elevation (translation: feeling uplifted). Important note: because participants were randomly assigned, we can know that the gratitude exercises actually caused these psychological benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Main Findings\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Here are the main takeaways from the study:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Doing some type of gratitude exercise is better than nothing. \u003c/strong>Completing any of these gratitude exercises resulted in greater feelings of gratitude, indebtedness, connectedness and elevation (translation: feeling uplifted) when compared with simply writing down daily activities.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Writing about gratitude in longer format may make you feel better\u003c/strong>. The longer writing condition (letter or essay) resulted in more gratitude, elevation, indebtedness, positive mood and life satisfaction than the shorter format of gratitude exercises (that is, gratitude lists).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Writing thank you letters may have the most benefits\u003c/strong>. Participants who wrote thank you letters showed more positive impacts than any other condition. Participants who wrote thank you letters reported greater feelings of elevation, positive mood, gratitude and life satisfaction than those who wrote gratitude lists of people they were grateful for. They showed greater elevation, gratitude and better mood when compared to those who wrote gratitude lists of things they were grateful for, and higher levels of elevation when compared to those who wrote gratitude lists of both things and people and those who wrote a gratitude essay about things they are grateful for. However, writing thank you letters also increased feelings of indebtedness to a greater extent than any of the other conditions.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Gratitude lists alone may not be enough. \u003c/strong>The researchers actually found no differences between writing gratitude lists versus writing about daily activities. \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8582291/\">Previous research \u003c/a>\u003cem>has\u003c/em> found evidence for benefits of gratitude lists though so further research is needed in order to determine whether gratitude lists are worth the effort. It could be that a week is not long enough to see the results of this intervention.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Gratitude exercises involving other people make you feel more indebted to them (like you owe them).\u003c/strong> People who engaged in social gratitude exercises showed more indebtedness than those who engaged in nonsocial exercises in this study.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>You have to be consistent to see the positive impacts\u003c/strong>. The researchers had participants do these exercises every day for a week and then didn’t ask them to do anything for the following week. The researchers found very few impacts of the gratitude exercises after a week of not doing them, suggesting that you need to keep regularly practicing gratitude in order to experience the benefits.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Overall Translation\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>We all know that gratitude is important but how exactly do we increase real feelings of gratitude and benefit from a gratitude practice? Having some kind of gratitude practice sounds lovely but we all have limited time and it would be nice to know what provides us the biggest bang for our buck. This study found that writing thank you letters seems to be the most effective way to practice gratitude. A gratitude letter is more than simply a letter thanking another person for a gift but is a more open-ended opportunity to say why you are grateful for them as a person. You don’t even have to send the letter to the person (in most research studies, they do not ask participants to send it) and you could even write it to a loved one who has died or to God or your Higher Power. If you don’t have time for a letter, try sending a text or expressing your gratitude verbally to someone. You are likely to make both yourself and the other person feel better!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Cara Goodwin, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, a mother of four and the founder of \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parenting Translator\u003c/a>, a nonprofit newsletter that turns scientific research into information that is accurate, relevant and useful for parents.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>We all hear about the importance of practicing gratitude, particularly around this time of year. If you celebrate Thanksgiving, you are likely to go around the table and say what you are grateful for before digging in to your mashed potatoes. Beyond Thanksgiving, you may have heard the advice that you should write gratitude lists, keep a gratitude journal or write heartfelt letters of thanks to the important people in your life. All of these activities sound like a great idea in theory but, as a busy parent, you have probably wondered whether these practices are really worth the effort.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>A \u003ca href=\"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s42761-022-00160-3.pdf\">recent study\u003c/a> addressed this very question.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Study Details\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The researchers examined the impacts of different ways of expressing gratitude, including whether expressing gratitude is more beneficial when it involves other people (such as writing a thank you letter versus a gratitude list) and when it is expressed in a short versus long format (such as a list versus a letter or essay). This study included 958 adults in Australia who were randomly assigned to one of six conditions (also see figure below):\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>Gratitude letters (social, longer format): writing gratitude letters to tell someone why you are grateful for them\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Gratitude essays (non-social, longer format): writing essays about things you are grateful for (excluding people)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Social gratitude lists (social, shorter format): writing gratitude lists of people you are grateful for\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Nonsocial gratitude lists (non-social, longer format): writing lists of things you are grateful for (excluding people)\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>General gratitude list: writing a list of things and people you are grateful for\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>Control condition: simply writing about your daily activities\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003cp>The participants were asked to do one of these exercises every day for one week. The researchers then looked at the extent to which each of these exercises increased gratitude, improved mood, made participants feel more indebted or connected to someone else, and increased life satisfaction and feelings of elevation (translation: feeling uplifted). Important note: because participants were randomly assigned, we can know that the gratitude exercises actually caused these psychological benefits.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Main Findings\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Here are the main takeaways from the study:\u003c/p>\n\u003col>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Doing some type of gratitude exercise is better than nothing. \u003c/strong>Completing any of these gratitude exercises resulted in greater feelings of gratitude, indebtedness, connectedness and elevation (translation: feeling uplifted) when compared with simply writing down daily activities.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Writing about gratitude in longer format may make you feel better\u003c/strong>. The longer writing condition (letter or essay) resulted in more gratitude, elevation, indebtedness, positive mood and life satisfaction than the shorter format of gratitude exercises (that is, gratitude lists).\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Writing thank you letters may have the most benefits\u003c/strong>. Participants who wrote thank you letters showed more positive impacts than any other condition. Participants who wrote thank you letters reported greater feelings of elevation, positive mood, gratitude and life satisfaction than those who wrote gratitude lists of people they were grateful for. They showed greater elevation, gratitude and better mood when compared to those who wrote gratitude lists of things they were grateful for, and higher levels of elevation when compared to those who wrote gratitude lists of both things and people and those who wrote a gratitude essay about things they are grateful for. However, writing thank you letters also increased feelings of indebtedness to a greater extent than any of the other conditions.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Gratitude lists alone may not be enough. \u003c/strong>The researchers actually found no differences between writing gratitude lists versus writing about daily activities. \u003ca href=\"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8582291/\">Previous research \u003c/a>\u003cem>has\u003c/em> found evidence for benefits of gratitude lists though so further research is needed in order to determine whether gratitude lists are worth the effort. It could be that a week is not long enough to see the results of this intervention.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>Gratitude exercises involving other people make you feel more indebted to them (like you owe them).\u003c/strong> People who engaged in social gratitude exercises showed more indebtedness than those who engaged in nonsocial exercises in this study.\u003c/li>\n\u003cli>\u003cstrong>You have to be consistent to see the positive impacts\u003c/strong>. The researchers had participants do these exercises every day for a week and then didn’t ask them to do anything for the following week. The researchers found very few impacts of the gratitude exercises after a week of not doing them, suggesting that you need to keep regularly practicing gratitude in order to experience the benefits.\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ol>\n\u003ch2>\u003cstrong>Overall Translation\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>We all know that gratitude is important but how exactly do we increase real feelings of gratitude and benefit from a gratitude practice? Having some kind of gratitude practice sounds lovely but we all have limited time and it would be nice to know what provides us the biggest bang for our buck. This study found that writing thank you letters seems to be the most effective way to practice gratitude. A gratitude letter is more than simply a letter thanking another person for a gift but is a more open-ended opportunity to say why you are grateful for them as a person. You don’t even have to send the letter to the person (in most research studies, they do not ask participants to send it) and you could even write it to a loved one who has died or to God or your Higher Power. If you don’t have time for a letter, try sending a text or expressing your gratitude verbally to someone. You are likely to make both yourself and the other person feel better!\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ci>Cara Goodwin, PhD, is a licensed psychologist, a mother of four and the founder of \u003ca href=\"https://parentingtranslator.substack.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Parenting Translator\u003c/a>, a nonprofit newsletter that turns scientific research into information that is accurate, relevant and useful for parents.\u003c/i>\u003c/p>\n\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "so-your-kid-wants-to-quit-soccer-or-piano-or-swim-class-should-you-let-them",
"title": "So Your Kid Wants to Quit Soccer (or Piano, or Swim Class). Should You Let Them?",
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"headTitle": "So Your Kid Wants to Quit Soccer (or Piano, or Swim Class). Should You Let Them? | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cp>My 4-year-old dreads swimming lessons. Some nights, long past his bedtime, he calls me into his room and asks me, in a whisper, if he has to go to swim class tomorrow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It breaks my heart. Swimming is an important safety skill, but the lessons are causing him anxiety. It made me wonder: If he wants to quit, should I let him?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can be hard for parents to know when a kid is ready to stop taking part in an extracurricular activity. Classes and sports can encourage grit and foster belonging. But for some kids, they can also be a stress-inducing obligation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://drvanessalapointe.com/about-vanessa-lapointe/\">\u003cu>Vanessa Lapointe\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, a child psychologist and parenting coach, understands this dilemma. In these situations, the best thing to do is to avoid rushing to fix the problem. Instead, “get curious, listen and provide the child the experience of being heard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here’s how to have hard conversations with your kids about quitting. Apply the advice to anything from piano lessons to summer camp.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Examine why you care so much. The problem might be you.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When your child says they’re ready to put their clarinet back in its case — and leave it there — the first thing you should do is examine yourself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad fullwidth]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your kid wanting to quit elicits a strong reaction in you, unpack that. “A lot of times our intentions get muddied by our own desires,” says Lapointe\u003cem>.\u003c/em> Are you trying to push your unrealized dream of starring in the school play onto your child? Or maybe your family couldn’t swing team sports when you were growing up, so you’re determined your child will have a different experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If your intention is anything other than ‘I want to give my kid a cool experience and see how they like it,’ you’re probably in it for the wrong reasons,” says Lapointe.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ask your kid what’s going on. You might be surprised by what you learn.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“See what they will verbalize,” says \u003ca href=\"https://drkrystallewis.com/\">\u003cu>Krystal Lewis\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, a child psychologist and clinical researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe they just had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. “The rule of thumb is that we never quit on a bad day,” says Lapointe. So if you learn your kid got a smaller role than they wanted in the big school play, let their big emotions settle a bit before making any decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If it’s not just defeat from a bad day, do a little more digging, says Lewis. Ask them: What do you like about the activity? What don’t you like?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the issue turns out to be simple. They don’t like soccer because it’s at the end of a long school day and they’re hungry at practice, says Lewis. So maybe packing a few protein-rich snacks could make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if the issue turns out to be more complex — say, they don’t feel excited or passionate about art class — you now have valuable information to inform your troubleshooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pay attention to what your child is complaining about. And observe their behavior.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The younger the child is, the less likely they are able to express their emotions or experiences verbally, says Lewis. So you may need other cues to figure out how your child feels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pay attention to your child when they’re complaining, says Lewis. Maybe they’re sensitive to a coach’s raised voice. Or they’re too shy to talk to the other kids. Those are issues you can help fix. Have a conversation with the coach. Encourage a friend to join the team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re present at your child’s practices or lessons, you might be able to pick up on some of the pain points, says Lewis. If they’re zoning out, maybe they’re burnt out and need more unstructured playtime. If they seem bored, it’s possible this activity just isn’t for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Consider your child’s temperament. Are they a dandelion or an orchid?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every child has a different tolerance for discomfort, and that should be taken into consideration when making a decision about quitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assess their willingness to thrive in a challenging environment. Are they a dandelion or an orchid? \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/03/04/699979387/is-your-child-an-orchid-or-a-dandelion-unlocking-the-science-of-sensitive-kids\">\u003cu>This framework\u003c/u>\u003c/a> was developed by Thomas Boyce, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco, to help identify a child’s temperament.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dandelions are hardy and resilient. “You can plant it in a crack in the cement and forget to water it. And not only will the dandelion survive, it will probably thrive,” says Lapointe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Orchids are sensitive. “They require just the right amount of water, humidity and temperature. If you don’t get it just right, they don’t adapt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One isn’t better than the other, they’re just different. See which flower your child leans toward. If your kid is more of a dandelion, they may be OK in a less-than-perfect setting even if they’re not jazzed about it. If they’re more of an orchid, and you see they’re really struggling, maybe they need a different environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Come up with a creative compromise. “Quit” or “tough it out” aren’t the only two options.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“What’s the gray area? What can we modify?” says Lewis. If your kid is bored, could you take a break or cut back on the amount they’re engaging in the activity? If your kid is embarrassed when they strike out, could you practice batting at home?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then have a conversation with your child about what it means to have made a commitment. Perhaps you say, “Well, since we signed up, we are going to go, but you can sit on the sidelines and watch,” says Lewis. “That way you’re teaching the child about honoring a commitment without forcing them to do something that’s really uncomfortable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for my son and his fear of swim class, my husband and I did some investigating. We asked him what was up. It turns out he was terrified of putting his head under water! So we talked to the coach and they agreed he didn’t have to go under during class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, you need to get your head wet to swim. My son eventually overcame his fear months later, when we were playing in the pool with his cousins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, he routinely dunks himself during swim class. He literally takes his hand, puts it on the back of his head, and pushes himself underwater. And he loves being in the water. Turns out all he needed was a little time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if we ended up needing to take a break from swimming for a while\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>I think I would have been OK with that, too. Lapointe says that we as parents shouldn’t put too much pressure on ourselves in situations like these. “In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t actually a big thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Becky Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"tel:2022169823\">\u003cem>202-216-9823\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, or email us at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:LifeKit@npr.org\">\u003cem>LifeKit@npr.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>[ad floatright]\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Listen to Life Kit on\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3LdRb0X\">\u003cem> Apple Podcasts\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem> and\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3K3xVln\">\u003cem> Spotify\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, or sign up for our\u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"http://n.pr/3xN1tB9\">\u003cem> newsletter\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n",
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"excerpt": "Piano lessons and soccer practice can encourage grit. But if your kid isn't into it, it can become a stress-inducing obligation. Here's how to have hard conversations with your child about quitting.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003cp>My 4-year-old dreads swimming lessons. Some nights, long past his bedtime, he calls me into his room and asks me, in a whisper, if he has to go to swim class tomorrow.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It breaks my heart. Swimming is an important safety skill, but the lessons are causing him anxiety. It made me wonder: If he wants to quit, should I let him?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>It can be hard for parents to know when a kid is ready to stop taking part in an extracurricular activity. Classes and sports can encourage grit and foster belonging. But for some kids, they can also be a stress-inducing obligation.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://drvanessalapointe.com/about-vanessa-lapointe/\">\u003cu>Vanessa Lapointe\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, a child psychologist and parenting coach, understands this dilemma. In these situations, the best thing to do is to avoid rushing to fix the problem. Instead, “get curious, listen and provide the child the experience of being heard.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-embed npr-promo-card insettwocolumn\">\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\u003c/div>\n\u003c/figure>\n\u003cp>Here’s how to have hard conversations with your kids about quitting. Apply the advice to anything from piano lessons to summer camp.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Examine why you care so much. The problem might be you.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>When your child says they’re ready to put their clarinet back in its case — and leave it there — the first thing you should do is examine yourself.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If your kid wanting to quit elicits a strong reaction in you, unpack that. “A lot of times our intentions get muddied by our own desires,” says Lapointe\u003cem>.\u003c/em> Are you trying to push your unrealized dream of starring in the school play onto your child? Or maybe your family couldn’t swing team sports when you were growing up, so you’re determined your child will have a different experience.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>“If your intention is anything other than ‘I want to give my kid a cool experience and see how they like it,’ you’re probably in it for the wrong reasons,” says Lapointe.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Ask your kid what’s going on. You might be surprised by what you learn.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“See what they will verbalize,” says \u003ca href=\"https://drkrystallewis.com/\">\u003cu>Krystal Lewis\u003c/u>\u003c/a>, a child psychologist and clinical researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Maybe they just had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. “The rule of thumb is that we never quit on a bad day,” says Lapointe. So if you learn your kid got a smaller role than they wanted in the big school play, let their big emotions settle a bit before making any decisions.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If it’s not just defeat from a bad day, do a little more digging, says Lewis. Ask them: What do you like about the activity? What don’t you like?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Sometimes the issue turns out to be simple. They don’t like soccer because it’s at the end of a long school day and they’re hungry at practice, says Lewis. So maybe packing a few protein-rich snacks could make a difference.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if the issue turns out to be more complex — say, they don’t feel excited or passionate about art class — you now have valuable information to inform your troubleshooting.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Pay attention to what your child is complaining about. And observe their behavior.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>The younger the child is, the less likely they are able to express their emotions or experiences verbally, says Lewis. So you may need other cues to figure out how your child feels.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Pay attention to your child when they’re complaining, says Lewis. Maybe they’re sensitive to a coach’s raised voice. Or they’re too shy to talk to the other kids. Those are issues you can help fix. Have a conversation with the coach. Encourage a friend to join the team.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>If you’re present at your child’s practices or lessons, you might be able to pick up on some of the pain points, says Lewis. If they’re zoning out, maybe they’re burnt out and need more unstructured playtime. If they seem bored, it’s possible this activity just isn’t for them.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Consider your child’s temperament. Are they a dandelion or an orchid?\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>Every child has a different tolerance for discomfort, and that should be taken into consideration when making a decision about quitting.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Assess their willingness to thrive in a challenging environment. Are they a dandelion or an orchid? \u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/03/04/699979387/is-your-child-an-orchid-or-a-dandelion-unlocking-the-science-of-sensitive-kids\">\u003cu>This framework\u003c/u>\u003c/a> was developed by Thomas Boyce, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at University of California, San Francisco, to help identify a child’s temperament.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Dandelions are hardy and resilient. “You can plant it in a crack in the cement and forget to water it. And not only will the dandelion survive, it will probably thrive,” says Lapointe.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Orchids are sensitive. “They require just the right amount of water, humidity and temperature. If you don’t get it just right, they don’t adapt.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>One isn’t better than the other, they’re just different. See which flower your child leans toward. If your kid is more of a dandelion, they may be OK in a less-than-perfect setting even if they’re not jazzed about it. If they’re more of an orchid, and you see they’re really struggling, maybe they need a different environment.\u003c/p>\n\u003ch2>Come up with a creative compromise. “Quit” or “tough it out” aren’t the only two options.\u003c/h2>\n\u003cp>“What’s the gray area? What can we modify?” says Lewis. If your kid is bored, could you take a break or cut back on the amount they’re engaging in the activity? If your kid is embarrassed when they strike out, could you practice batting at home?\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Then have a conversation with your child about what it means to have made a commitment. Perhaps you say, “Well, since we signed up, we are going to go, but you can sit on the sidelines and watch,” says Lewis. “That way you’re teaching the child about honoring a commitment without forcing them to do something that’s really uncomfortable.”\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>As for my son and his fear of swim class, my husband and I did some investigating. We asked him what was up. It turns out he was terrified of putting his head under water! So we talked to the coach and they agreed he didn’t have to go under during class.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Of course, you need to get your head wet to swim. My son eventually overcame his fear months later, when we were playing in the pool with his cousins.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Now, he routinely dunks himself during swim class. He literally takes his hand, puts it on the back of his head, and pushes himself underwater. And he loves being in the water. Turns out all he needed was a little time.\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>Even if we ended up needing to take a break from swimming for a while\u003cstrong>, \u003c/strong>I think I would have been OK with that, too. Lapointe says that we as parents shouldn’t put too much pressure on ourselves in situations like these. “In the grand scheme of things, this isn’t actually a big thing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003chr>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>The digital story was edited by Malaka Gharib. The visual editor is Becky Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"tel:2022169823\">\u003cem>202-216-9823\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>, or email us at \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"mailto:LifeKit@npr.org\">\u003cem>LifeKit@npr.org\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\u003c/div>",
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"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
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"meta": {
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"id": "fresh-air",
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"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
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"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
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"hyphenacion": {
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"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
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"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
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"order": 18
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},
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"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
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"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
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"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
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},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
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"source": "American Public Media"
},
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"meta": {
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"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
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},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/on-the-media/id73330715?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/On-the-Media-p69/",
"rss": "http://feeds.wnyc.org/onthemedia"
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},
"pbs-newshour": {
"id": "pbs-newshour",
"title": "PBS NewsHour",
"info": "Analysis, background reports and updates from the PBS NewsHour putting today's news in context.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/PBS-News-Hour-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/",
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},
"link": "/radio/program/pbs-newshour",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pbs-newshour-full-show/id394432287?mt=2",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/radio/PBS-NewsHour---Full-Show-p425698/",
"rss": "https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/podcasts/show"
}
},
"perspectives": {
"id": "perspectives",
"title": "Perspectives",
"tagline": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991",
"info": "KQED's series of daily listener commentaries since 1991.",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Perspectives_Tile_Final.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/perspectives/",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 14
},
"link": "/perspectives",
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"planet-money": {
"id": "planet-money",
"title": "Planet Money",
"info": "The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy. Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.",
"airtime": "SUN 3pm-4pm",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/planetmoney.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/sections/money/",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/planet-money",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/planet-money/id290783428?mt=2",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510289/podcast.xml"
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},
"politicalbreakdown": {
"id": "politicalbreakdown",
"title": "Political Breakdown",
"tagline": "Politics from a personal perspective",
"info": "Political Breakdown is a new series that explores the political intersection of California and the nation. Each week hosts Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos are joined with a new special guest to unpack politics -- with personality — and offer an insider’s glimpse at how politics happens.",
"airtime": "THU 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Political-Breakdown-2024-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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