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What worksReporting — not paying — is what ends a sextortion threat
Families who cut contact, kept the evidence, and reported to the FBI shut the threat down. Paying only fed it.
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Proven toolHow the free Take It Down tool gets a teen's images off the internet
NCMEC's tool fingerprints an explicit image so major platforms block it — anonymously, without involving anyone the teen doesn't want to.
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Policy winWhat happened when a district took phones out of class for good
A bell-to-bell ban lifted test scores and attendance within two years — a national study confirmed the hunch.
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What worksHow one call to 988 talks teens back from the edge
Since the three-digit line launched, most callers leave less suicidal — and teen-and-young-adult suicide deaths came in measurably below projections.
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Research-backedA one-week social media break measurably lifted teens' mood
In a controlled trial, a single week off cut anxiety and depression scores — a low-stakes experiment any family can try.
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What worksCharging the phone outside the bedroom won back teen sleep
A small rule with measured results: less time falling asleep, more sleep overall, and better mood and memory.
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RecoveryHow family-based treatment brings teens back from anorexia
Putting parents in charge of refeeding — not blaming them — has the strongest recovery record for adolescent anorexia.
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RecoveryWhy experts reach for CBT first with an anxious teen
Structured, skills-based therapy — ideally with a parent involved — has the deepest evidence for teen anxiety and depression.
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Family winHow 'Wait Until 8th' makes delaying a smartphone actually doable
The pledge solves the 'my kid's the only one' problem by getting whole grades to wait together.
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Family winTwo parents started a pact that 140,000 families joined
A WhatsApp group between friends grew into a charity that helped towns, schools and even governments rethink smartphones.
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What worksHow texting a crisis line moves teens from a 'hot moment' to a 'cool moment'
For teens who'd never call, a free text to 741741 reaches a trained counselor — and frequently prevents self-harm.
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Education winHow Finland teaches kids to outsmart fake news — starting in preschool
Media literacy woven through the curriculum since the 1990s made Finland Europe's most disinformation-resistant country.
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What worksTurning the phone grey and quiet won back attention
Two free settings — grayscale and notifications-off — cut screen time and distraction in controlled studies.
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Expert guidanceThe Surgeon General's playbook every family can copy
The 2023 advisory's top recommendation is a free, customizable family media plan — turning vague rules into shared expectations.
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Expert guidanceThe case for waiting until 16 for social media — and the families doing it
Jonathan Haidt's most-adopted norm is gaining real traction worldwide — and it's easier when peers' families do it too.
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Policy winWhen schools went phone-free, the bullying that started in class dropped
Principals overwhelmingly report calmer hallways and more face-to-face connection after bell-to-bell bans.
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Policy winAustralia drew a national line at 16 — and put the burden on platforms
A first-of-its-kind law makes companies, not kids or families, responsible for keeping under-16s off social media.
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Policy winHow one UK rule quietly changed kids' settings across the internet
The Children's Code forced platforms to default young users to high privacy — and dozens of real changes followed.
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What worksHow a monitoring alert caught a crisis a parent would have missed
Context-aware tools surface self-harm and predator signals early — a powerful safety net, balanced against a teen's privacy.
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Education winHow a free curriculum taught kids to be safer online — in 50,000 schools
Common Sense's digital-citizenship lessons reach classrooms in all 50 states, giving kids shared frameworks for tough online moments.
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Research-backedHow a one-second pause cut compulsive app-opening by a third
A tiny built-in delay before opening an app changed behavior in a peer-reviewed field study — friction beats willpower.
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Policy winHow Iceland went from Europe's heaviest teen drinking to its lightest
Instead of lecturing about drugs, Iceland rebuilt teens' free time around sport, music and parents — and the numbers collapsed.
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Research-backedFive screen-free days made preteens better at reading emotions
A UCLA study sent sixth-graders to camp without screens — and their ability to read faces and feelings measurably improved.
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What worksHow the 'truth' campaign kept millions of teens from starting
Honest, teen-led anti-tobacco messaging drove youth smoking to record lows — and is now bending the vaping curve too.
- How the Trevor Project reaches LGBTQ+ teens in crisis, 24/7What works
How the Trevor Project reaches LGBTQ+ teens in crisis, 24/7
Specialized crisis support saves lives in the moment — and the same research shows an affirming home is one of the strongest protective factors.
- How training peer leaders changed the conversation about suicidePrevention
How training peer leaders changed the conversation about suicide
Equipping respected students to model help-seeking shifts a whole school's norms upstream — the culture that makes crises less likely.
- The anti-bullying program that cut victimization by changing bystandersWhat works
The anti-bullying program that cut victimization by changing bystanders
Bullying drops when the silent majority becomes defenders — KiVa proved it in a 234-school trial.
- Pushing the first bell back gave Seattle teens 34 more minutes of sleepPolicy win
Pushing the first bell back gave Seattle teens 34 more minutes of sleep
Teen bodies are wired to sleep later — moving start times gave real sleep and better grades, without kids staying up later.
- Why a coach can be part of the treatment for teen depressionResearch-backed
Why a coach can be part of the treatment for teen depression
Across hundreds of trials, regular exercise produced a meaningful drop in adolescent depression — a powerful, accessible add-on to care.
- A 15-minute game 'vaccinated' players against fake newsEducation win
A 15-minute game 'vaccinated' players against fake news
Stepping into a fake-news creator's shoes taught players the tricks of manipulation — and made them measurably harder to fool.
- Short videos on YouTube made millions better at spotting manipulationEducation win
Short videos on YouTube made millions better at spotting manipulation
Google's Jigsaw delivered 'prebunking' ads where teens already are — and recognition of manipulation rose across the board.
- A consistent mentor cut arrests and substance use for at-risk teensWhat works
A consistent mentor cut arrests and substance use for at-risk teens
One reliable, caring adult outside the home produced measurable drops in delinquency — and benefits that showed up years later.
- Instagram made every teen account private by defaultPolicy win
Instagram made every teen account private by default
Safer-by-default beats hoping teens find the settings — under-18s now start in private, restricted accounts.
- How StopNCII has blocked over a million intimate images from spreadingProven tool
How StopNCII has blocked over a million intimate images from spreading
Hashing an image — without ever uploading it — lets major platforms detect and block it before it spreads.
- The charity that has scrubbed a million abuse pages off the webWhat works
The charity that has scrubbed a million abuse pages off the web
Dedicated takedown work scales — the Internet Watch Foundation removes child abuse imagery from hundreds of thousands of pages a year.
- The simplest protective ritual: eating dinner togetherFamily win
The simplest protective ritual: eating dinner together
More frequent family dinners track with less depression, less substance use and higher life satisfaction — through everyday communication.
- Teaching emotional skills in class lifted achievement 11 percentile pointsEducation win
Teaching emotional skills in class lifted achievement 11 percentile points
A landmark meta-analysis found social-emotional learning improved behavior and academics — they aren't a trade-off.
- Two hours a week in nature measurably helped teens' mindsResearch-backed
Two hours a week in nature measurably helped teens' minds
Green time is brain time — reviews consistently link time outdoors to better adolescent mental health and resilience.
- The single biggest protective factor a parent can beWhat works
The single biggest protective factor a parent can be
A teen with one caring, trusted adult is significantly less likely to attempt suicide — and you can be that adult.
- Phasing in driving privileges cut teen crash deathsPolicy win
Phasing in driving privileges cut teen crash deaths
Limiting night driving and teen passengers at first measurably reduced fatal crashes among new teen drivers.
- TikTok set a 60-minute default limit for every teenPolicy win
TikTok set a 60-minute default limit for every teen
A built-in default limit is a useful nudge — under-18s now start at 60 minutes with a prompt to pause.
- Training the adults around teens to spot a crisis earlyWhat works
Training the adults around teens to spot a crisis early
Teaching parents, teachers and coaches to recognize warning signs builds a wider, earlier safety net.
- Talking with teens about their online life beats just policing itExpert guidance
Talking with teens about their online life beats just policing it
Ongoing, two-way conversation — 'active mediation' — is linked to lower online risk and less problematic use.
- Teens who volunteer were healthier, happier and less anxiousResearch-backed
Teens who volunteer were healthier, happier and less anxious
Helping others helps teens too — volunteers were far more likely to be 'flourishing' and less likely to be anxious.
- Australia's online-safety regulator gets harmful content taken downPolicy win
Australia's online-safety regulator gets harmful content taken down
A dedicated regulator with takedown power gives families real recourse — report harmful content and have it removed.
- A school program that actually cut suicide attemptsWhat works
A school program that actually cut suicide attempts
Teaching teens to recognize warning signs and screen themselves measurably reduced attempts — rare, hard evidence.
- The free technology that finds abuse images across the internetProven tool
The free technology that finds abuse images across the internet
Privacy-preserving image-matching lets platforms automatically catch known abuse material — quietly powering most rescue tips.
- Snapchat's Family Center: insight without secret surveillanceWhat works
Snapchat's Family Center: insight without secret surveillance
Parental tools that require the teen's buy-in build trust while still improving safety.
- An anonymous tip line that stopped 19 planned school attacksWhat works
An anonymous tip line that stopped 19 planned school attacks
Giving students a trusted, anonymous way to flag warning signs has stopped attacks and countless suicides — peers often know first.
- How the UK's Childline gives kids someone to talk to, anytimeWhat works
How the UK's Childline gives kids someone to talk to, anytime
A free, confidential line where a young person is simply heard — over 160,000 counselling sessions a year, no problem too small.