Teenagers Coverage

Warning for parents after teen is found more than 1,000 miles from home

An NC man was arrested and charged with kidnapping after taking a 13-year-old from her Texas home after allegedly grooming her through online gaming. What experts are saying you can do to keep your children safe online

Wake Sheriff's Office helps reunite 14-year-old boy with family

Sheriff's deputies partnered with Wake County Emergency Management to send an alert on the missing boy.

Teens save two small children from an Icy pond

Sisters Jasmine (15 years old) and Jacora (17 years old) Morris are being called heroes for saving two small children from a frozen pond in Iowa.

There's a teen mental health crisis: Here's how to help your child

If you're a parent of a child who is struggling, you might be wondering how you can help.

UNC Health Talk

How can parents help balance the impact of social media on our youth?

When my son was in third grade, I remember waiting in the carpool line for the end of the school day. During this time, I think of questions to ask about his day.

Gale McKoy Wilkins, WRAL contributor

A criminal record: Teens increasingly use social media to buy, brag about guns and crimes

Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok: How Durham police and a Durham-based defense attorney have seen teens use social media to buy guns, brag about them and brag about crimes.

Sarah Krueger, WRAL Durham reporter

Guns, ammo and bragging about committing crimes: Disturbing new social media trends among teens in central NC

More teens are using social media to buy guns, ammunition and to brag about crimes they say they've committed. WRAL Investigates spoke with law enforcement about the warning signs for parents.

The new SAT: What parents need to know

If you've got kids in high school, you may have heard that the SAT is changing - again.

Suzanne Wood, Raleigh Tutoring

What your phone might be doing to your brain

Nearly three years into the COVID-19 pandemic, screen usage has increased exponentially, especially among children.

UNC Health Talk

Asking the right questions in the new year: Storytelling for families

When my son was in third grade, I remember waiting in the carpool line for the end of the school day. During this time, I think of questions to ask about his day.

Gale McKoy Wilkins, WRAL contributor

We got our tween a phone for Christmas: Our parent-child smartphone contract

When is the right age to get your child a cellphone? Contributor Amy Davis explores this topic and shares a smartphone contract she has with her daughter.

Amy Davis, WRAL contributor

Family, school, and community engagement are vital for your student's success

As parents, my husband and I saw the importance of family, school and community involvement concerning our children.

Gale McKoy Wilkins, WRAL contributor

Raleigh Parks holds job fair Jan. 5

Those ages 14 years and older are invited to attend the fair and speak to leaders from different divisions to learn more about what positions are available.

The risks of interacting with people online

For our teens and adolescence, it's important to learn the risks of social media, especially when interacting with people online.

Gale McKoy Wilkins, WRAL contributor

Is social media a threat to your teen's wellbeing?

Teens and college students seeking employment during the holiday season may be ensnared by criminals offering fake employment, potential education opportunities, and other scams through social media.

Gale McKoy Wilkins, WRAL contributor

Ask Laura: Students are 'gassing' each other up

What parents need to know about the hottest new app, Gas.

Laura Tierney, The Social Institute

Teens seeking seasonal employment, beware human trafficking scams

Teens and college students seeking employment during the holiday season may be ensnared by criminals offering fake employment, potential education opportunities, and other scams through social media.

Gale Wilkins, WRAL contributor

Should you be worried this Halloween about Fentanyl disguised as candy?

In a press release in August, Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) Administrator Anne Milgram said it is "a deliberate effort by drug traffickers to drive addiction amongst kids and young adults."

Gale Wilkins, WRAL contributor

Exploring the links between cyberbullying and youth suicide

The internet, various social media apps, and smartphones have taken bullying to a level that is almost impossible to monitor or manage.

Gale Wilkins, WRAL contributor

Poe Center to host workshop on Healthy Relationships

Designed for those in 8th to 12th grades, Healthy Relationships 101 will be held on Oct. 6 at 2:30 p.m. at the center at 224 Sunnybrook Road in Raleigh. Registration is $25 per student.

Kryptonite for bullies

Like kryptonite is to Superman, peer support is to bullies. It minimizes their power!

Gale McKoy Wilkins, WRAL contributor

How to get your teen moving

The activity doesn't matter, as long as your teen is getting 25 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise every day.

UNC Health Talk

Understanding self-harm and how to help someone struggling

Intentional self-harm--or nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)--is defined as hurting yourself on purpose. Most commonly, it's a sign of emotional distress and self-harm is a coping mechanism.

UNC Health Talk

Data shows teen pregnancies in NC down more than 50% in a decade

In 2020, about 7800 people aged 19 and younger got pregnant, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Vital Records. That's a significant decrease from the number a decade prior, when more than 16,000 teens got pregnant.

Ali Ingersoll, WRAL Investigative Data Journalist

Tuesday Night Lights: An ode to the summer swim team

"Swimmers, take your mark!" A buzzer sounds. Another row of capped little swim team members dove in a nearby neighborhood pool, splashing my legs with pool water.

Amy Davis, WRAL contributor