Does adolescence really last until age 32?

Why older people are happier and what we can learn from them | Psyche Ideas

Around the world, happiness tends to peak later in life. It has more to do with balancing priorities than elderly wisdom

The Right Wing Origins Of Age Verification Laws Don’t Disappear Just Because They’re Going Bipartisan.

I think it’s important to understand that, despite claims to the contrary, age verification is, inherently, a right-wing effort. While it’s currently true that age verification laws are…

Adults Lose Skills to AI. Children Never Build Them.

Discussions of cognitive offloading often miss a critical distinction: What AI does to a 45-year-old's brain is categorically different from what it does to a 14-year-old's.

Learning From Older Adults: An Intergoal Compatibility Account for Successful Happiness Pursuit

Academic Abstract People want to pursue happiness but often fail, a phenomenon known as the paradox of pursuing happiness. The mechanisms underlying this paradox remain elusive. Age differences in happiness—specifically that older adults appear more successful in pursuing happiness (the emotion paradox of aging)—provide valuable insights into effective happiness pursuit. Drawing on this literature, we propose an intergoal compatibility account to interpret both paradoxes through the lens of intergoal interactions, an intuitively critical yet underexplored factor in existing interpretations. This account asserts that greater compatibility (fewer conflicts and greater facilitation) between happiness pursuit and other important personal goals enhances the effectiveness of happiness pursuit, and such compatibility can be enhanced through contextual influences (e.g., age-graded developmental tasks) and strategic self-regulation (e.g., goal adjustments). This account generates testable predictions and practical implications for enhancing happiness pursuit across the lifespan. Public Abstract Why do people often struggle to achieve happiness? And why are older adults happier than younger adults, even though they face more losses in life? While these questions have drawn extensive attention, they remain puzzling. A crucial yet insufficiently explored factor in successful happiness pursuit is intergoal compatibility —the extent to which the pursuit of happiness aligns or conflicts with other important personal goals. For younger adults, the demands of age-related developmental tasks (e.g., educational and career aspirations) often create conflicts with the pursuit of happiness, diminishing its effectiveness. Conversely, in older adults, happiness becomes more prioritized and compatible with other important personal goals, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of pursuing happiness. A lesson we can learn from older adults is to pursue happiness in ways compatible with other important personal goals.

Age Assurance Methods Explained

This blog also appears in our Age Verification Resource Hub: our one-stop shop for users seeking to understand what age-gating laws actually do, what’s at stake, how to protect yourself, and why EFF

438 Experts Said Age Verification Is Dangerous. Legislators Are Moving Forward With It Anyway. - Above the Law

From the seems-like-someone-should-pay-attention? dept

Rep. Finke Was Right: Age-Gating Isn’t About Kids, It’s About Control

When Rep. Leigh Finke spoke last month before the Minnesota House Commerce Finance and Policy Committee to testify against HF1434, a broad-sweeping proposal to age-gate the internet,…

So, You’ve Hit An Age Gate. What Now?

EFF is against age gating and age verification mandates, and we hope we’ll win in getting existing ones overturned and new ones prevented. But mandates are already in effect, an…

Taming the endless scroll? Short-form videos, digital routines and neurocognitive outcomes in youth

Short-form videos (SFVs) deliver digital content in a way that sets them apart from other media. Concerns have arisen that such user interfaces may diminish attention, memory and emotional wellbeing in young people, yet evidence has not previously been synthesised for this demographic and in isolation from other media types. To assess the association between exposure to SFV-interfaces and neurocognitive outcomes in individuals aged $$\varvec{\le 25}$$years, and to appraise the certainty of this evidence. Following PRISMA and Cochrane guidelines, four databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, WoS, Cochrane Reviews) were searched (2015–2025). Of 1,498 records, 42 studies (N = 46,912; mean age = 16.8) met the PICOS criteria. Most were cross-sectional (88%), with two longitudinal, one EEG, and one MRI study. Risk of bias and quality were evaluated using GRADE. Heavy, unstructured SFV use (typically $$\varvec{\ge 4}$$h/day) was consistently associated with: small-to-moderate increases in inattention ($$\varvec{\beta \approx 0.30}$$) and impulsivity ($$\varvec{\beta \approx 0.25}$$); moderate reductions in working-memory span ($$\varvec{\beta \approx -0.75}$$) and self-regulation ($$\varvec{\beta \approx -0.45}$$); moderate elevations in anxiety ($$\varvec{\beta \approx 0.35}$$), depression ($$\varvec{\beta \approx 0.48}$$) and stress ($$\varvec{\beta \approx 0.32}$$); and a moderate-to-large surge in addiction symptoms ($$\varvec{\beta \approx 0.60}$$). Two cross-sectional imaging studies also reported associations between heavier short-video use and neurobiological measures. These included grey-matter volume differences in the orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum, altered resting-state signal synchrony, and reduced P300 amplitudes. Protective factors included supportive environments, digital routines, and digital literacy. Consistent, albeit preliminary, evidence links excessive SFV watching to cognitive and emotional challenges in youth. Longitudinal and experimental studies are urgently needed, alongside trials of modifiable levers to reduce addiction-like use and related harms.

The People Who Will Thrive in the AI Age

What will differentiate people is not how smart they are but their relationship to mental effort.

Olduvai domains: humanity’s lucky brake

Neoteny—a developmental slowdown that results in the retention of juvenile traits into adulthood—has long been viewed as central to human brain expansion. Olduvai domains are proposed here to function as a dosage-dependent metabolic ‘brake’ that slows development via mitochondrial downregulation. Their human-specific hyperamplification, paired with NOTCH2NL accelerators and new metabolic insights, may solve a century-old evolutionary puzzle.

Who’s Harmed by Age Verification Mandates?

Age-verification laws may sound straightforward to some: protect young people online by making everyone prove their age. But in reality, these mandates force users into one of two flawed

10 (Not So) Hidden Dangers of Age Verification

It’s nearly the end of 2025, and half of the US and the UK now require you to upload your ID or scan your face to watch “sexual content.” A handful of states and Australia now have various