digital – RICH TOLA

Join Rich as he dives into the Top 10 reasons to reconsider social media for tweens, reflecting on personal experiences from the disco era to today’s digital age. Discover insights on mental health, social skills, and the impact of screen time. Plus, explore the latest trends in crime rates and the rise of micro-vacations. Don’t miss this engaging episode of Tola Talks!

Watch now and discover: → Using social media 3 hrs/day doubles the risk of anxiety and depression for tweens. → Inappropriate content online can lead to self-harm, eating disorders and bad viral challenges. → Social media platforms design features (likes) that can lead to addiction and impulse control. → 2025 crime data throughout 35 U.S. cities found across-the-board decreases from 2019. → Elon Musk & Tesla’s Optimus robot is coming in 2026, with unsupervised Robotaxis already in Austin, TX.

🎧 Subscribe for more inspiring conversations: Subscribe:→ HERE

📘 Featured Book: The Sub: Tales of an Inner-City Teacher by Rich Tola

Today we’re talking about the negative impacts the pandemic continues to have on children of all ages, especially more school closures leading to our worst “academic achievement crisis in living memory”, as well as suicide rates rising sharply among girls 12-17 years old (up 51% from 2019-2021); another variant called IHU in France that is “definitely not worth worrying about at the moment”; kudos to Green Bay Packers star quarterback Aaron Rodgers pushing back on criticism for hugging NFL reporter Erin Andrews in a postgame interview on Christmas Day; decriminalization measures in NYC meant to combat their growing crime; the good and the bad news when it comes to US companies hiring employees in December (good) while thousands of flights are still being cancelled and more Broadway shows are closing their doors (bad); plus good news from Goldman Sachs about Bitcoin potentially reaching $100,000 as it takes store of value share away from Gold. And of course, more talk about drinking from the Fountain of Youth and my new Tola Yoga class at Plano Athletic Club starting this Saturday at 12:30p.