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Age-verification on Discord, Chinese wellness trends, and celebrities opting out of social media remind students they can be in control of their feeds

Safe, Smart, and in Control: Discord’s Age-Verification Update for Teens

The Gist: Beginning in March, Discord will implement global age verification to protect its younger users by minimizing encounters with inappropriate content. The phased rollout will require users to verify their age to access age-restricted channels, servers, and other parts of the platform. These restrictions implemented by Discord highlight a growing movement among tech companies and lawmakers to create a safe online space for students. To not be shown the protected version, Discord requires users to be 18 or older. At the same time, students still need to understand how to protect their privacy when they choose to interact with any platform, whether there are strict age-verification tools in place or not. With these modern life skills, students can navigate social media and tech in safe ways.

What to Know: Discord is a popular social networking app among students that allows people to connect in real time through different channels, but it currently lacks safety tools for younger students. However, this new move to limit access to age-restricted spaces is working to ensure that teens are interacting in safe, developmentally appropriate environments. Under this new structure, users who choose not to verify their age won’t be removed from the platform, but they will default to a version of Discord designed specifically for teens. This phased approach allows the company to gradually adjust user experiences while maintaining access to core communication features.

Age verification has become a broader conversation in tech as lawmakers and families continue to ask how platforms can better protect minors’ privacy and safety. While verification tools can help set boundaries around certain types of content, they are just one layer of protection. Ultimately, students’ online safety depends on what content they choose to engage with, what communities they join, and how they manage their personal information online.

TSI’s Take: Discord’s new teen safety features will require users to go through an age verification process come March 2026. However, keeping students safe online goes beyond relying on restrictions that platforms may or may not implement. Real impact happens when students are equipped with the skills to Play To Their Core and Protect their Privacy like they’re Famous when navigating online spaces.

Verification tools can limit access, but they can’t decide:

• Which platforms reflect a student’s values
• Which conversations feel respectful and safe
• What personal information is appropriate to share

That’s where modern life skills come in. When students learn to follow, join, and engage only with content and communities that reflect their core values, they’re building the skill of intentional decision-making.

And when students understand how to protect personal information, from usernames and profile details to private conversations, they build healthy habits that last far beyond one platform update.

Want to help students strengthen these skills? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lessons, Personal App Privacy Settings, where students receive guidance on adjusting privacy settings and making thoughtful decisions about what to share online. 

Healthy Habits or Social Pressure? What the ‘Becoming Chinese’ Trend Teaches Us About Online Influence

The Gist: A new trend called “Becoming Chinese” is gaining popularity on social media, where users adopt simple habits from Chinese influencers. The trend, started by Sherry Zhu, 23, reveals wellness tips they learned from their culture, such as drinking hot water in the morning or boiling apples. Importantly, this trend is not about “becoming Chinese” in a cultural sense, but instead learning and adapting wellness tips commonly taught in China. The trend sparked in popularity at the start of 2026, as health and wellness content is especially popular during the New Year season. While trends like this can prove helpful to some, it highlights just how much social media can influence students’ habits, from the foods they eat to the routines they try. 

What to Know: Experts note that the trend’s popularity is tied to broader social media patterns, where lifestyle and wellness content tends to spike at the start of the year as people set goals and seek self-improvement. Videos that are part of this trend often combine humor, relatability, and practical tips, which increases their popularity and visibility among students on platforms like TikTok.

Crystal Abidin, a professor of internet cultures, points out that trends like this often go viral because they combine education, entertainment, and accessibility. This movement also highlights how influencers can shape perceptions of wellness and influence behavior. However, just because information or a trend goes viral, it doesn’t mean it is true or safe, as seen by the “Chroming Challenge” that was popular in 2024. Some trends may include medical misinformation or unsafe practices, so students need skills to recognize which content supports their health and well-being and which could be harmful.

TSI’s Take: Trends like “Becoming Chinese” can be fun and even encourage healthy routines, but students should always consider who is providing the tips and tricks in these videos. Is it an actual health professional with the appropriate education and experience, or someone who is jumping on a trend to get views? Questioning the influencer or account helps students evaluate the credibility and relevance of trends carefully. If students don’t stop to think about why they’re following a trend, they can easily be influenced by pressure, misinformation, or unrealistic expectations. By equipping students with lessons that teach modern life skills, like finding positive influencers and fact-checking, students learn to recognize trustworthy influencers.

How Educators and Families Can Support Students

• Guide students toward credible sources: Encourage checking sources to see if tips come from medical experts, trusted creators, or just anecdotal experiences.
• Encourage critical thinking about trends: Ask why certain habits or challenges are gaining popularity and if they make sense for a student’s own life.
• Normalize discussions about online influence: Avoid shaming students for following trends. Instead, talk about the trends they are seeing, like “Becoming Chinese,” and huddle together on what might be safe to do versus problematic.

Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson, Skincare Trends and Misconceptions, to help your students analyze wellness and lifestyle trends online, separate helpful tips from misinformation, and make decisions that support their health, values, and beyond.

What Students Can Learn from Daniel Radcliffe Beyond the Feed

The Gist: In a recent interview, Daniel Radcliffe, the actor known for playing Harry Potter, opened up about why he chooses not to have any social media accounts. Radcliffe said platforms like Instagram and X felt “too stressful” and that they negatively impacted his mental health, which made him decide it wasn’t worth using them. Radcliffe’s choice stands out because many public figures use social media to connect with fans and promote work, yet he prioritized his mental well‑being over that visibility. Using the Harry Potter actor as an example, schools can remind students that they don’t have to participate in every social trend or use every app, especially if it comes at the expense of their well-being.

What to Know: Radcliffe shared that even though he still uses the internet, stepping away from social platforms helped him avoid unnecessary stress that was linked to constant negative conversations online. He also described how social media felt like an extension of conflict or pressure, imagining that if he did join platforms, he might quickly get drawn into arguments or negative interactions. Radcliffe’s openness about mental health reflects a growing conversation about how digital spaces can contribute to stress, comparison, and anxiety, especially for young people who feel pressure to always stay connected and avoid the fear of missing out (FOMO). 

At the same time, social media platforms are widely used for communication and creative expression. Many individuals use these spaces to connect with friends, share interests, follow news, and participate in a variety of conversations. Experiences on social media can vary depending on how and why someone chooses to engage.

TSI’s Take: Many students today face choices about which platforms they should use, how often they log in, and how those decisions affect their mood, focus, and overall well‑being. Daniel Radcliffe’s decision to step away from social media highlights a key idea: students don’t have to be on every app, follow every trend, or stay plugged in all the time, especially when it negatively impacts their well‑being. 

Radcliffe’s choice underscores that handling the pressure of social expectations, comparison, and constant connectivity is an important modern life skill that students can use to support their learning and well-being. His example invites students to think critically about their own technology use, and to define their lives in ways that support balance, confidence, and overall well‑being. When students learn to recognize online pressures, they can:

• Notice when social media use feels stressful instead of fun
• Decide what platforms truly add value to their life versus what adds pressure
• Choose when to unplug without fearing they’re missing out
• Set boundaries that protect their mental health

Do you see your students navigating stress and anxiety related to social media and tech? Preview the #WinAtSocial Lesson, The Fear of Missing Out, to discover how your school can empower students to understand why FOMO happens, how to recognize pressure from peers or platforms, and how to make intentional decisions about when and why they engage online.

From Discord’s new age-verification tools to viral wellness trends and Daniel Radcliffe’s decision to step away from social media, one theme is clear: platforms may set boundaries, but students still need skills to set their own. When schools equip students with modern life skills, they empower them to stay safe, smart, and in control, no matter what’s trending. Explore The Social Institute’s positive and proactive approach to modern life skills today.

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in equipping students, families, and educators with modern life skills to impact learning, well-being, and students’ futures. Through #WinAtSocial, our interactive, peer-to-peer learning platform, we integrate teacher PD, family resources, student voice insights, and more to empower entire school communities to make positive choices online and offline. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach essential skills while capturing student voice and actionable insights for educators. These insights help educators maintain a healthy school culture, foster high-impact teaching, and build meaningful relationships with families. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips students authentically, enabling our solution to increase classroom participation and improve student-teacher relationships. Through our one-of-a-kind lesson development process, we create lessons for a variety of core and elective classes, incorporating timely topics such as social media, A.I., screen time, misinformation, and current events to help schools stay proactive in supporting student health, happiness, and academic success.