Shared Links (weekly) Jan. 11, 2026
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Sharing – National Poll: Parents Say Mental Health and Belonging Are as Vital to School Safety as Building Security
It seems many parents want schools to do more in this space, which makes sense, because mental health issues only get worse when kids grow up without support.
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Sharing – How would a new bill requiring parental consent for mental health emergencies impact child sex abuse victims?
One problem with blanket rules for everything is that there will always be a situation where the rule harms someone. Parental consent rules are one example. Sure, it’s great when parents are involved in their kids’ care. It’s ideal, even.
That assumes they have good parents, though. When the thing a kid needs protection against is the parent, you can’t demand the parent’s consent for that.
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Sharing – What suicidal teens say matters most to them
I don’t claim to have all of the answers to the challenge of suicide prevention, but the basics are relatively straightforward. This research into teenagers shows us precisely what keeps people alive:
Despite high suicide risk, most teens can identify reasons to live, from family bonds to small future dreams – offering hope for prevention.
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Sharing – New federal data show a decline in teen suicide
It turns out that teens with safe places to talk about mental health and better access to resources are helped. There is still a lot of work to be done to close the gap between teens who need help and those who can get it, but this is the work that makes a difference in the lives of everyone when it comes to mental health. It’s also hard work. None of the possible reasons for the lower rate discussed in the article are overnight solutions. They take time, money, work, and dedication. Putting a warning label on the internet is easy, but it’s not clear that it has any effect.
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Sharing – The Identity Crisis Is Coming from Inside the Group Chat
It was worth it, though. Stephanie is correct; if you don’t define yourself, other people will. It happened as a child to many of us when an abuser defined us as someone whom they could abuse; we took that lesson to heart and allowed others to keep defining us repeatedly. Some of those people may have wanted to help, some likely didn’t. It doesn’t matter. The only person who has the right to define you is you.
