Author: Reporter

Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls the “gradual apathy pandemic” in eighth grade. Only a handful of classmates registered for service projects she helped organize at her Massachusetts school. Even fewer actually showed up. When she got to high school last fall, Isabella found the problem was even worse: a lackluster Spirit Week and classes where students seldom spoke. In some ways, it is as if students “just care less and less about what people think, but also somehow care more,” said Isabella, 14. Some teens, she said, no longer care about appearing disengaged, while others are so...

A Virginia museum has nearly finished restoring the nation’s oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children, where hundreds of mostly enslaved students learned to read through a curriculum that justified slavery. The museum, Colonial Williamsburg, also has identified more than 80 children who lined its pinewood benches in the 1760s. They include Aberdeen, 5, who was enslaved by a saddle and harness maker. Bristol and George, 7 and 8, were owned by a doctor. Phoebe, 3, was the property of local tavern keepers. Another student, Isaac Bee, later emancipated himself. In newspaper ads seeking his capture, his enslaver warned Bee...

When curators at the National Toy Hall of Fame learned last fall that the Fisher-Price Corn Popper had been voted in as part of the class of 2023, they knew they had some serious work to do. With a formal induction ceremony approaching, they would have to figure out how to showcase the beloved toddler push toy with colorful balls that ricochet around a clear dome. It isn’t as simple as going to Walmart and pulling one off the shelves: The hall, part of the The Strong National Museum of Play in upstate New York, aims to show how...

When she was in fifth grade, Scarlett Goddard Strahan started to worry about getting wrinkles. By the time she turned 10, Scarlett and her friends were spending hours on TikTok and YouTube watching influencers tout products for achieving today’s beauty aesthetic: a dewy, “glowy,” flawless complexion. Scarlett developed an elaborate skincare routine with facial cleansers, mists, hydrating masks, and moisturizers. One night, Scarlett’s skin began to burn intensely and erupted in blisters. Heavy use of adult-strength products had wreaked havoc on her skin. Months later, patches of tiny bumps remain on Scarlett’s face, and her cheeks turn red in...

Girls are bombarded on social media with advice from influencers touting elaborate skincare routines with high-priced serums, mists, and creams. But what is the right skin care routine for preteens? Simple is best, dermatologists say. Before puberty hits, most kids only need three things: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen. “That’s it. Full stop. You don’t need anything else,” said Dr. Sheilagh Maguiness, a Minneapolis-based dermatologist. She and other dermatologists around the U.S. have seen growing numbers of teen and preteen girls using anti-aging skincare products. In some cases, the adult-strength products have damaged young girls’ skin. And...