Teens

How to Not Lose Summer Break to Your Phone

Author By Ashley Laderer, Contributor
Posted:
group of girls on a boat staring at a phone

Isn’t it funny how we spend all year waiting for summer to come, but when it gets here, we all just sit around staring at our phones? Instead of enjoying the sun, we find ourselves doing what we’ve been doing all year — endlessly scrolling and tapping, tagging the person across the room in a meme instead of walking over and showing it to them.

Because we’re so attached to our devices, it’s hard to change habits. However, this comes with the risk of losing your entire summer to your phone. Continue reading How to Not Lose Summer Break to Your Phone

How the Pressures to Get Into College are Harming People’s Mental Health

Author By Elizabeth Su, Contributor
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Person with face in book

Being back in school as a grad student, I’m reminded of the ways the academic system brings out the worst in me.

My obsession with grades. My workaholism. My comparison-itis. My drive to be perfect.

It brings me back to when I was a teenager and it felt like my goodness as a person was tied to my GPA, the number of leadership roles I took on, and how many extracurriculars I participated in. On the surface, I was excelling. But on the inside, I was suffering. Continue reading How the Pressures to Get Into College are Harming People’s Mental Health

How Teens Can Deal With the Pressure to Succeed

Author By Tamara Stevens, Contributor
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A teen stands by lockers at school

Life as a teen has never been easy, but today it’s a stressed out pressure cooker of grades, tests, and college admissions. According to a study from New York University in 2015, “youth experience high levels of chronic stress,” most of it related to the pressure to succeed. What’s worse, this stress and anxiety can actually lead to other mental health concerns. Continue reading How Teens Can Deal With the Pressure to Succeed

What Every Teen Should Know About Body Image and Eating Disorders

Author By Tamara Stevens, Contributor
Posted:
Friends jumping in the air

Few times in life feel more awkward in our own bodies than during our teen years. With all the changes your body goes through from middle school through college, it’s no surprise you might have doubts about your appearance or feel weird in your own skin.

Unfortunately, research suggests that feeling not so great about the way you look or a negative body image can have a big impact on our mental health — it can even lead to eating disorders. It’s hard for all of us to figure out what’s normal and what’s not, but especially during these years when we’re changing so rapidly. Maybe even more importantly, what can you do about poor body image? Continue reading What Every Teen Should Know About Body Image and Eating Disorders

Why It’s so Hard to Put Down Your Phone as a Teen

Author By Elizabeth Su, Contributor
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Teen looking at their phone at night

Being a teen is hard enough. Being a teen in 2019 is even harder.

Not only do you face normal teen pressures like studying for the SATs and asking your crush to prom but you have the added pressure of staying connected with family and friends 24/7 through social media.

A recent Pew Research Center study found that 95% of teens now report they have a smartphone or access to one and 45% of teens say they are online on a near-constant basis. In addition to Facebook (which 51% of teens report using), the study found that YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat are the most popular online platforms among teens. Continue reading Why It’s so Hard to Put Down Your Phone as a Teen

How to Deal with School When You’re a Depressed or Anxious Teen?

Author By Tamara Stevens, Contributor
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Person standing in front of school bus

It’s a common trope that you’re supposed to be moody and stressed out as a teen, but for many of us, any “normal” angst turns into serious problems when combined with anxiety or depression. In fact, according to one study, up to 20 percent of teenagers experience depression, while other research found almost 32 percent of teens suffer anxiety.

Of course, school is a major stressor. It takes up your entire day, then requires long hours spent on homework or extracurricular activities. For most teens, school is a requirement — if not exactly required by law, then at least required by the parents or people you depend on. Anxiety or depression make school an even greater challenge. Continue reading How to Deal with School When You’re a Depressed or Anxious Teen?

6 Ways Teens Can Ask for Mental Health Help?

Author By Ashley Laderer, Contributor
Posted:
Person lying down and reaching out

When you’re a teen experiencing mental health challenges, a majority of the struggle for help is mustering the courage to actually ask for it. Unfortunately, there’s still a lot of stigma surrounding mental illnesses, despite how common they are.

In fact, 20% of teens ages 13 through 18 have some sort of mental health condition. That’s one in five teens! Still, the ever-present stigma can make it harder to ask for help or tell somebody about what you’re going through, because you might feel embarrassed or scared of what people might think of you.

However, mental health conditions — and life in general — are tricky. When we’re struggling, it can be really hard to overcome obstacles by ourselves. Sometimes, we need a little extra help to get by and live our best lives! Here are 6 tips for teens seeking mental health. Continue reading 6 Ways Teens Can Ask for Mental Health Help?

Introducing Talkspace for Teens

Author By Josh Wolff, Staff Writer at Talkspace
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Talkspace for Teens

Therapy is evolving to meet the demands of a younger, tech-savvy generation. But the objective remains the same: better mental health for all.

With the recent announcement of Talkspace for Teens, we want to adolescents feel comfortable reaching out for help using the Talkspace app. We understand you may have some questions about the process and the technology behind Talkspace. Continue reading Introducing Talkspace for Teens

A Guide to Teenage Mental Health

Author By Ashley Laderer, Contributor
Posted:
Woman laying on a table

Being a teenager’s rough. You’ve gotta juggle homework, extracurricular activities, friends, dating…and not to mention, you’re probably pretty busy maintaining your image on Instagram. It’s totally normal to feel stressed out, angsty, or sad sometimes. But it’s important to be able to check in and ask yourself — is this run of the mill teenage stress, or is it something else? Continue reading A Guide to Teenage Mental Health