Are your kids using AI?

Hey! Is it just us or has January been, like, the longest year? Headlines are crazy, weather’s still frigid, and our short list of kid-approved soup recipes is no longer doing it at dinnertime. 57 days until spring…not that we’re counting.

Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Teenagers: It’s Complicated

Take a look at your local grocery store or Instagram feed, and you’ll see that zero-alcohol drinks are on the rise. And not just because it’s Dry January (for some people). So what does the massive popularity of zero-proof mocktails mean for kids, especially those at the age to try pilfering their parents’ crème de menthe?

Teens who are encouraged to consume zero-alcohol cocktails are twice as likely to end up drinking actual alcohol, according to a recent study. Here’s why: These non-alcoholic cocktails can be a gateway for teens, curious what the real thing tastes like once they’ve tried a “phony negroni.”

So if zero-ABV options aren’t the perfect solution to the teen drinking problem, what can parents do to ensure they’re keeping their kids safe?

• Arm yourself with knowledge—we made this podcast episode breaking down one of the biggest questions for parents of teens: Is letting your kids drink under your roof smart or a slippery slope?

• Learn about tips to prevent childhood alcohol use here.

• And most importantly? Talk to your kids! Make sure they know they can trust you enough to ask questions about drinking.

Kids 🤝 Artificial Intelligence

Crazy stat for the day: Nearly a quarter of teens have used ChatGPT for their schoolwork, per the Pew Research Center. And 54% of teens think it’s acceptable to use ChatGPT when researching topics for school.

You don’t have to be a tech whiz to know AI is wild, in good and bad ways. We want our kids to use next-gen tech when it’s helpful and productive! But we also worry about the impacts on critical thinking, creativity, and general online safety.

Teens Need More Sleep 😴 

And you thought you needed to hit the snooze button. About 50% of teens report that they don’t get enough sleep. And? On average, teens who get less than six hours of sleep per night struggle more academically than their peers who get eight or more hours of sleep.

Truth is, teens have unique sleep needs. They’re at a critical stage of emotional and physical development, making rest essential for them to function in a healthy and productive way.

Want to help them get a restful eight hours? Model it yourself. No phones before bed, regular exercise and healthy meals, and a peaceful nighttime routine will put you on the right track.

Will we ever stop talking about teens and screens? Unless the entire world collectively decides to go full analog, this discussion around kids and digital literacy/safety will (and should) keep coming up. So today, the perfect recs to keep your kids safe out there.

• Meta is ending its fact-checking program, which means we need to spend more time talking with our kids about the dangers of misinformation on social media. We’ve been discussing this with our Common Parent community—you can start here!

• This startled us: “A new study shows that boys who are exposed to violent screen time during their preschool years are more likely to become antisocial and violent by adolescence.” Monitoring what they watch (as much as you can!) matters so much!

• Teens in a video game world—here’s what you need to know.

Keep in mind: Our Screen Sense Guide comes in major handy when navigating some of these tough issues. We’re giving you the ultimate playbook for working through what we think is the biggest challenge parents are facing today. And most importantly, we remind you that you are not alone!