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March 14, 2025

Trending This Week: Microtrends, Memes, and Mind-Blowing Tech

From viral sleep hacks to groundbreaking A.I. innovations, today’s students are constantly navigating a fast-moving digital landscape. Trends like “sleepmaxxing” promise better rest but often mix science with questionable advice, making it crucial for students to think critically before adopting new self-care routines. At the same time, students are developing groundbreaking tech, like an A.I. app that translates American Sign Language in real-time, improving accessibility for the deaf community. With social media fueling both innovation and overwhelming trend cycles, students need support in balancing the pressure to keep up with making informed choices.

At The Social Institute, we help students, educators, and families develop strategies to engage with technology in a healthy way. Whether it’s filtering through viral wellness trends, using A.I. for good, or resisting the stress of fleeting microtrends, by empowering them to navigate social media with confidence, we ensure they use technology to support their well-being—rather than letting it control them.

Is this viral bedtime routine making sleep stressful rather than relaxing?

The Gist: TikTok users are trying to improve their sleep quality, and “sleepmaxxing” is their solution. Sleepmaxxing, a current trend on social media, is when you have an extravagant nightly routine that supposedly helps you sleep better or gain certain benefits while you sleep. While some of the tips and tricks are backed up by science, others are questionable and could be more harmful than helpful. How can we equip students to handle the pressure of trend cycles and verify information before trying new self-care habits?

What to Know: “Sleepmaxxing” encompasses a variety of tricks rumored to maximize nightly rest. Some of the hacks, like keeping the room cool, are doctor-approved, as Dr. Afolabi-Brown says, “Having a cool room environment further promotes this temperature drop and improves our sleep quality.” Limiting screen time before bed and avoiding caffeine in the evening are also proven by science to improve sleep quality. However, sleep experts say that some other suggested hacks don’t really have an impact on your sleep at all and could even be dangerous.

Let’s talk about mouth tape, nostril expanders, and supplements. Some sleepmaxxers use mouth tape as a solution to mouth breathing (open-mouth sleeping) which can lead to snoring, dry mouth, and bad breath. However, there is little evidence to support any health benefits from mouth taping, and doctors and dentists discourage it. People who snore or experience chronic nasal congestion often turn to nostril expanders but at the direction of a medical professional. As these practices can be harmful to individuals with sleep apnea, people should always talk with their doctor before adding these types of devices to their sleep routine.

Supplements such as magnesium and melatonin are also commonly used to alleviate issues with falling asleep. However, these could mask sleep disorders, and some medical conditions can worsen with magnesium use. Ultimately, it’s important for students to double-check with a trusted adult to make sure that any new self-care hacks they try are safe. 

TSI’s Take: A complex night routine can be okay, but sleep should never feel like a stressful chore. It’s easy for all of us to get caught up in social media trends or to trust everything we see online. Here are a few strategies to help students handle the pressure of social media trends as they navigate creating a self-care routine that’s right for them:

  • Develop a support system: Promote open conversations about social media stress among family, friends, and school counselors.
  • Prioritize sleep and mental well-being: Inspire students to avoid social media before bed and replace it with relaxation techniques, such as journaling or meditation.
  • Encourage critical thinking: Teach students to recognize that social media often portrays curated highlights, not reality and that not everything online is reliable.

Want to learn more about how to help students handle the pressure of self-care trends? Check out these #WinAtSocial Lessons by The Social Institute: 

A.I. for Good: Teens win award for A.I.-powered real-time ASL translation app

The Gist: Signify, the new app created by high school students, translates ASL (American Sign Language) into English in real time. The app uses an A.I. machine-learning model, which was trained to recognize ASL patterns and can now immediately translate the gestures into English. This is a huge development for the deaf community as inclusivity and accessibility are taken to the next level.

What to Know: Michael Do and Hieu Tran developed the app Signify, which uses artificial intelligence to recognize ASL patterns and instantly show English on the screen. The duo share a passion for computer science, so they harnessed their skills and experiences as children of immigrants to create a tool to improve communication ability among different groups of individuals. 

Do notes that he understands how hard it can be when you struggle to communicate with someone. He says, “Especially for people who suffer from hearing loss, not being able to speak English and having American Sign Language is already a huge deterrent from being able to live a normal life.” Do and Tran won first place in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for their work. 

TSI’s Take: Artificial intelligence goes far beyond chatbots! Students can explore how A.I. can be used to positively support themselves and others. Having strong A.I. knowledge allows students to use this technology for good, and students must receive that education in the modern world. March is Disability Awareness Month, so be on the lookout for a new Trending Lesson, which will explore how accessibility is something that impacts everyone positively. In the meantime, check out these #WinAtSocial Lessons that empower students to use technology for good: 

Is the fast-paced world of microtrends stressing out students? 

The Gist: From Stanley cups and pastel water bottles to styles like the “mob wife aesthetic” and “coastal grandmother”, Gen Z is navigating a fast-paced world of microtrends fueled by social media. New “it” items and aesthetics — like VSCO girl accessories, cheetah print, or indie sleaze fashion — pop up constantly, giving students a way to explore identity, style, and connection. But, as Callie Holtermann writes, social media was “sold as a playground, but ended up feeling more like a mall,” leaving many students feeling overwhelmed by how quickly trends rise and fall.

While some students enjoy experimenting with these trends, others feel the pressure to keep up and search for ways to stay true to themselves in the midst of it all.

What to Know: Although these trends are often labeled as “Gen Z trends,” many Gen Z students feel the most overwhelmed by how fast trends rise and fall. Students are constantly navigating pressure from peers, influencers, and social media to keep up with “what’s in” and “what’s out.”

For many students, trying to stay on top of every new trend can feel exhausting, especially when a trend that was popular one month is suddenly “out” the next. As one student shared, “The prevalence and pure amount of microtrends has made it impossible to understand or participate.”

And it’s not just fashion or products, students are also navigating constantly shifting “core” identities, like “coastal grandmother,” “indie sleaze,“ or “vanilla girl,“ often wondering what’s expected of them. One 18-year-old reflected on how overwhelming this can feel: “When you have 18,000 different ‘core‘ identities being thrown at you — like eclectic grandpa, or coastal grandmother, or office siren — you’re like, ‘What am I supposed to be?'”

As educators, understanding this unique type of social pressure can help us better support students as they navigate identity, belonging, and self-expression in a trend-driven world.

TSI’s Take: Helping students navigate the nonstop cycle of trends is important to support their well-being, confidence, and sense of identity. As role models, educators can empower students to Handle the Pressure — one of The Social Institute’s Seven Social Standards — by encouraging them to think critically about trends and make high-character choices that reflect who they are, not just what’s trending. Here are three ways to guide students in building those essential skills:

  • Encourage media literacy: Lead conversations that break down how social media algorithms fuel microtrends and why students see the same items repeatedly. Help students recognize when they’re being marketed to and how trends are often designed to create a sense of urgency to fit in.
  • Promote intentional spending habits: Guide students through activities that help them differentiate between wants and needs, encouraging mindful choices rather than impulse buys. Talk openly about how influencers and brands may be financially motivated to push trends and how students can pause before following the crowd.
  • Foster individual identity: Create opportunities for students to explore their own interests, style, and values. When students feel confident in who they are, they’re more likely to resist the pressure to follow every fleeting trend and more likely to make choices that align with their authentic selves.

Want to learn more about how to help students handle the pressure of microtrends? Check out this #WinAtSocial Lesson by The Social Institute: Recognizing how much we’re influenced by online influencers.

Helping Students Handle the Pressure of the Trend Cycle and Use A.I. for Good

As educators, we get to help students make high-character decisions online and offline. When we empower them to do so, they’re more likely to use technology (like A.I.!) for good, like an ASL translator, and less likely to feel like they need to fit in by participating in every single trend. Want to help students sharpen their digital instincts and take control of their online world? Stay ahead of the latest trends impacting students by subscribing to The Huddle — our expert breakdown of social media, tech, and current events shaping students — online and offline.

The Social Institute (TSI) is the leader in empowering students by understanding students. Through #WinAtSocial, our gamified, peer-to-peer learning platform, we equip students, educators, and families to navigate their social world – in the classroom and beyond, online and offline – in healthy, high-character ways. Our unique, student-respected approach empowers and equips, rather than scares and restricts. We incorporate timely topics about social media, tech use, and current events that are impacting student well-being and learning. #WinAtSocial Lessons teach life skills for the modern day, capture student voice, and provide school leaders with actionable insights. Through these insights, students play an essential role in school efforts to support their own health, happiness, and future success as we enable high-impact teaching, meaningful family conversations, and a healthy school culture.