“But what were you thinking? How could you not have considered the consequences this would bring?” These are phrases that have probably been uttered more than once in any home where teenagers live. Beyond the ability of the adults (parents, relatives, teachers) who surround us at this stage of life to educate us, when we […] … learn more→
Author Archives: Kevin
Why do teenagers get into trouble?
No gym or regular routine? Here’s how to stay fit over the holiday break
The festive season can throw our exercise routines out the window. You might be staying somewhere different, with no access to a gym. Maybe your yoga studio is closed or social sport is on a break. Or you might just be too flat out with social events to find the time. For some people, a […] … learn more→
What the hyperproduction of AI slop is doing to science
Over the past three years, generative artificial intelligence (AI) has had a profound impact on society. AI’s impact on human writing, in particular, has been enormous. The large language models that power AI tools such as ChatGPT are trained on a wide variety of textual data, and they can now produce complex and high-quality texts of […] … learn more→
Is playing chess an asset for academic success?
Chess, which has long suffered from a dusty image in society, is now enjoying a surge in popularity among young people thanks to series like The Queen’s Gambit (2020), the growth of esports , and initiatives by French NBA star Victor Wembanyama. Last July, Wembanyama proposed combining basketball and chess in a single competition, emphasizing: “We need a variety of things to […] … learn more→
6-7 , parasocial and ‘rage bait’: 2025 in three words
In 2024, “ brainrot ” was chosen as the Oxford Dictionary’s word of the year. The term highlights the mental deterioration caused by excessive consumption of trivial and low-quality digital content. This year, 2025 , three prestigious linguistic authorities—Dictionary.com , the Cambridge Dictionary , and the Oxford English Dictionary —suggest a shift to a more active and complex phase. Digital “slang” points to […] … learn more→
Not sure you picked the right uni or TAFE course? 6 ways to help you think it through
For the class of 2025, exams are done and results are coming in. Attention is turning to plans for next year. With the benefit of a bit more free time and brain space, some students might be wondering if they have made the right decisions about courses. Perhaps your results have made you reconsider your […] … learn more→
‘Sadfishing’: displaying suffering on social media to seek sympathy (and reactions)
A young woman posts a video of herself crying on TikTok, without giving many details. Someone on Instagram shares a long post about a breakup or a personal crisis. An influencer reveals their mental health diagnosis in a live stream. These are recurring scenes, with different faces and nuances, but the same underlying dynamic: publicly displaying personal […] … learn more→
Teenagers are preparing for the jobs of 25 years ago – and schools are missing the AI revolution
The government has recently released its national youth strategy, which promises better career advice for young people in England. It’s sorely needed: for teenagers today, the future of work probably feels more like a moving target than a destination. Barely three years after ChatGPT went mainstream, the labour market has already shifted under young people’s […] … learn more→
“Small” things we owe to Albert Einstein
If we were to ask people on the street for the name of a scientist, the answers would mostly be divided between Albert Einstein , Marie Curie , Isaac Newton , Stephen Hawking and local scientists, such as Santiago Ramón y Cajal , or those who appeared in films, such as Robert Oppenheimer . According to some polls , the first four would get approximately between 60% and […] … learn more→
Artificial empathy: from technological miracle to relational mirage
American psychologist Mark Davis defines empathy as the ability to perceive the mental and emotional states of others, to adjust to them, and to take them into account in one’s behavior. Researchers distinguish between two aspects: cognitive empathy, based on understanding intentions, and affective empathy, linked to sharing feelings. This distinction, central to social psychology, shows that […] … learn more→
