Sleep
Electric Time technician Dan LaMoore puts a clock hand onto a 1000-lb., 12-foot diameter clock constructed for a resort in Vietnam, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, in Medfield, Mass.
AP Photo/Elise Amendola

Sleeplessness epidemic among teens

From school and work pressures to the distractions and anxiety that come with having access to social media and everything else on their phones, it can be hard to get sleep as a teenager. In a survey a few years back, 58% more teenagers were “severely sleep deprived” than in 1991.The 21st was joined by two psychotherapists who wrote a book on this sleepless generation and what can be done to help.

The 21st—Thursday, April 7, 2020

Today on The 21st, a conversation with Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, how to get healthy sleep during a pandemic, and how Illinois booksellers are adapting to the crisis — plus recommendations based on what they're reading.

The 21st—Monday, March 16, 2020

On Today's 21st: Beginning Tuesday, all students at both public and private schools across the state will be staying home in an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus.

Elaine Thompson/AP

Should School Start Later?; How Illinois Handles ‘Revenge Porn’; The Case For Majoring In The Humanities

Researchers who study sleep say teens aren’t getting enough of it and say schools can do more to help by having class start later. We hear from a sleep scientist and an Illinois school district that has moved to later start times. Plus, advocates say they’re seeing an increase in so-called ‘revenge porn’ cases: when intimate images are shared without a person’s consent. But they also say Illinois leads the way when it comes to addressing this issue. And, the number of college students majoring in the humanities has hit its lowest level in decades. But what are we at risk of losing when students flock from English to STEM related courses? 

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