The world is changing fast. Artificial intelligence, social media, and technology more broadly are reshaping how young people learn, communicate, create, and understand the world around them. There is enormous opportunity in that change. Technology gives young people access to creative tools, information, and possibilities that would have been unimaginable a generation ago. But it also comes with real risks.
Nearly half of American teens say they are online almost constantly, twice the percentage who said the same a decade ago. Recent CDC research found that teens spending four or more hours a day on screens outside of schoolwork were more than twice as likely to experience symptoms of anxiety and depression as those spending less time on screens.¹ And the dangers extend beyond mental health. In 2025, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received more than 1.4 million reports involving the online enticement of children.²
At the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County, we recognize both the tremendous value of technology and the responsibility that comes with preparing young people to navigate it. Through our partnership with Apple, Club members are being introduced to an expanding array of technology programs and digital tools that allow them to explore and develop skills that will matter in the future. Programs like our student-led cooking show, “The Yummy Kitchen,” give kids the opportunity to move beyond simply consuming content and learn what it takes to create it. And through our partnership with Kids 4 Freedom, we are helping young people better understand online safety and the very real risks that exist in digital spaces.
The Club is not aiming to shelter kids from technology. Technology will be an increasingly important part of their education, careers, relationships, and everyday lives. Our job is to make sure they are prepared for it. That means teaching young people how to use technology creatively and responsibly. It means helping them develop the judgment to recognize when something online does not feel right. And perhaps most importantly it means surrounding them with trusted adults and real relationships they can turn to when they need help.
Technology will continue to change. The need for informed, confident, and connected young people will not.
America needs young people ready to shape what comes next. Club kids are gaining the skills, confidence, and judgment to do just that.
¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Associations Between Screen Time Use and Health Outcomes Among US Teenagers,” Preventing Chronic Disease, July 24, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2025/24_0537.htm.
² National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, “CyberTipline Data,” 2025. https://www.missingkids.org/cybertiplinedata.
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