iPads, MakerEd and More in Education

Vape pens are easy to conceal, they're easy to confuse with other electronic gadgets like USB flash drives, and they generally don't leave lingering smells on clothes. All these things make them appealing to underage users, and confounding to parents. Gone are the days when sniffing a teenager's jacket or gym bag counted as passive drug screening. Now if parents want to know if their teens are vaping nicotine or cannabis, their best bet is a good old fashioned conversation.

And with news of an outbreak of life-threatening vaping illness sweeping the country, and vape use at an all-time high among teens, the issue feels more urgent than ever. Here's what to say — and not to say — to help your child deal with peer pressure and misinformation, and stay safe.

"The patterns of daily life in the U.S. and around the world have been forever altered by the ubiquity of mobile technology. To truly understand the impact of technology on family relationships, we need to dig deeper into the media habits and attitudes of parents and teens worldwide.

The New Normal: Parents, Teens, Screens, and Sleep in the United States

The latest addition to the New Normal research series explores how smartphones and other mobile devices have changed families' morning and evening routines and in-person relationships. For the first time, parents and teens reveal their habits around screens and sleep, from where they keep phones at night to how often digital notifications wake them up (and why). Take a look at the infographic for a summary of how devices affect daily life for parents and teens today."

Playtime. Downtime. Family time.

According to Denise Pope, a senior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, these three factors — or PDF as she calls them — protect kids against a host of negative outcomes, strengthen resilience, and bolster students’ mental wellness and academic engagement.