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Opinion/Editorial Article(s):
Should Homework Be Abolished?
Should Homework Be Abolished?
By: Brianna Zogby
Enduring Issue
When you’re a high school student, every day can feel mundane. You wake up early, go to school, struggle to stay awake after doing mounds of homework the night before, attend your afterschool obligations, and then go home and begin your new mound of homework. You stay up late to finish your work, your hands cramped and eyes bleary, drag yourself into bed, and the cycle repeats itself all over again. It truly feels never-ending. But what if there was a way to break that cycle, to ensure that you got enough sleep every night, and didn’t feel so mentally and physically drained all the time? This raises the question of whether homework should be banned.
Situation
Oftentimes, students function as machines: completing schoolwork, studying for tests, and maintaining their grades, while simultaneously experiencing hormonal changes, relationship troubles, school club participation, and volunteering and/or working after school. Of course, students are not the only ones who have difficulty nurturing balance in their life; everyone struggles with maintaining a healthy work-life balance. However, as students, we should isolate our school and work obligations. Though we aren’t paid for the hours we sit in classrooms and the nights we give up for homework, I still believe learning and education are extremely important. But students are still people with lives. We have interests, hobbies, and relationships that matter to us, which often have to be sidelined in favor of doing well in school and completing homework. It’s important for us to do well in school and nurture our interests, spend time doing what we love, and have time to be with friends and family. Homework takes up our own time—time that could easily be spent enjoying our lives outside of school. Once we leave the building, we should reconsider the amount of work left for us to do.
Research
In a study conducted by Stanford, researchers found that students who spent on average three hours doing homework each night experienced more stress and physical health problems, a severe lack of balance, burnout, less time for friends, family, and extracurricular pursuits, and alienation from society. It was also revealed that students who spent lots of time completing homework weren’t meeting their crucial developmental needs, and were not properly cultivating other critical skills. Surveyed students described homework as pointless, unhelpful busywork.
In another study, a poll of high-achieving California high school students said that having too much homework caused them to fall into unhealthy habits, which led to sleep deprivation, headaches, extreme exhaustion, weight loss, and stomach problems. Does it seem fair to have children to stress over homework that they tend to sacrifice their sleep schedule?
Some adolescents do not receive the recommended amount of sleep due to a biological shift in our internal clocks. This shift, called the sleep phase delay, is when our internal body clock (circadian rhythm) shifts, which causes us to feel tired later in the day and makes it difficult to fall asleep. It’s truly challenging for teens to get sufficient sleep that they need every day (nine hours) when dealing with both major hormonal shifts and homework.
Recommendation
Some may argue that homework is necessary for memorization, skill retention, and high academic achievement. However, in a four-year study done by David P. Baker and Gerald K. LeTendre, it was found that countries that assigned the least amount of homework (Denmark, Czechia) had students with much higher test scores than countries that assigned the most amount of homework (Iran, Thailand). Additionally, a study in the Journal of Educational Psychology found that time spent on homework had a significant negative influence on grades and standardized test scores. So, there isn’t a clear correlation between academic achievements and homework. Overall, I think that homework is unnecessary and only negatively affects students. I hope that one day, homework will be banned once and for all.
The Rise of Personalization in Advertising
The Rise of Personalization in Advertising
By: Rashell Gutierrez Meza
By: Rashell Gutierrez Meza
The Ads That Seem to Know You
Almost everyone has experienced it: you search for a new pair of shoes, and suddenly shoe ads appear everywhere. Just a few months ago, when I was studying for the PSAT, I saw many ads for AI studying websites. I thought a lot of these apps were genuinely helpful, but then I started thinking about how these ads specifically targeted me. These moments, felt by many, often spark concern that advertisers are “listening” or invading personal space. In reality, most ad personalization is not about surveillance of private lives, but about interpreting patterns in online behavior. The system is largely reactive, not intrusive, being built to respond to what users already choose to do online.
How Searches and Browsing Shapes Our Ads
The foundation of ad personalization starts with searches and browsing habits. Forty percent of websites and apps use cookies, small data files stored in a browser, to remember visits, clicks, and interactions. Over time, this information helps create an interest profile, such as an interest in fitness, cooking, or technology.
This process fuels what the industry calls Interest-Based Advertising (IBA) across websites, Cross-App Advertising (CAA) across apps, and Viewed Content Advertising (VCA) on smart TVs and streaming platforms. If someone frequently browses fishing gear, advertisers infer that fishing-related ads may be relevant. Importantly, this data reflects interests, not identities. Advertisers typically see categories and patterns, not names or personal conversations.
Image Courtesy: https://lemonlearning.com/blog/glossary-crm-software
The Technology Behind the Targeting
Behind the scenes, several systems make personalization efficient rather than invasive. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems store information like purchase history or past interactions with a brand. This allows advertisers to segment audiences—for example, identifying customers who often buy sports equipment and showing them related promotions.
Programmatic advertising automates the buying and placing of ads in real time. Algorithms analyze available data and decide which ad best matches a user in milliseconds. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence and machine learning refine this process by identifying patterns and adjusting campaigns continuously. These tools optimize relevance, ensuring users are more likely to see ads aligned with their interests.
Social Signals and Purchase Patterns
Advertisers also rely on broader behavioral signals. Browsing history, search queries, and engagement, such as likes or clicks, help indicate what users care about. Someone frequently searching for travel destinations may see ads for flights or hotels. Similarly, past purchases help predict future needs, making recommendations more useful than nosey.
This approach mirrors everyday experiences. A bookstore clerk remembering what genres a customer likes is considered helpful, not invasive. Digital advertising applies the same logic at a larger scale.
Why Targeted Ads Have Real Benefits
Personalized advertising offers tangible advantages. Relevant ads save time by reducing exposure to irrelevant content. They help users discover products and services aligned with their needs and interests, improving the overall online experience. For advertisers, analytics enable precise measurement of performance like click-through rates, conversions, and engagement, allowing campaigns to be adjusted quickly and efficiently. Targeted ads also support the free internet. Many websites and apps rely on advertising to sell their products.
Addressing the Real Concerns
Despite these benefits, concerns are valid. Ads can feel intrusive, especially when data is collected across multiple platforms. Data security, misuse, and lack of transparency can erode trust. Over-personalization may cause discomfort or “personalization fatigue,” while inaccurate assumptions can frustrate users.
Laws like the GDPR in Europe and CCPA in California aim to address these issues by giving consumers rights over their data. GDPR requires explicit opt-in consent and applies broadly, while CCPA emphasizes opt-out rights and limits data “selling” or “sharing.” Both hold companies accountable and impose serious penalties for misuse.
Location and Context: Relevance, Not Surveillance
Location and Context: Relevance, Not Surveillance
Location-based advertising often raises red flags, but it typically operates at a general level. Location data can come from GPS, Wi-Fi, or IP addresses, usually to determine a city or neighborhood rather than an exact address. Techniques like geofencing, geotargeting, and beacon technology allow businesses to deliver context-aware ads, such as a coffee discount near a café or yoga apparel ads to people who frequent studios. When used responsibly, location targeting improves relevance without requiring constant tracking. It connects ads to context, not personal identity.
A Tool, Not a Threat
Personalized advertising is not inherently invasive. At its core, it is a system designed to respond to user choices, not monitor private lives. When governed transparently and responsibly, personalization can be convenient, efficient, and mutually beneficial. The challenge is not personalization itself, but ensuring it remains respectful, secure, and clearly communicated. When that balance is struck, tailored ads become less about being watched and more about being understood.
The Impact of Advertising on Teens
The Impact of Advertising on Teens
By: Rashell Gutierrez Meza
By: Rashell Gutierrez Meza
Teenagers often say they hate ads, yet the numbers tell a different story. According to YouGov data, 39 percent of American teens admit that advertising on platforms like TikTok and Instagram still grabs their attention. This matters because teens spend a lot of time online, often without realizing when content shifts from entertainment to marketing. Advertising today doesn’t always look like a traditional commercial.
It blends in, scrolls by fast, and speaks the same language teens do. That makes it powerful, but also risky.
Influencers: Trusted Voices With Hidden Motives
Influencer marketing has become one of the most effective ways to reach teens, largely because it feels less intrusive. Instead of a loud ad break, a product is slipped into a “day in my life” video or a skincare routine. Research shows that 70 percent of teens trust influencers more than celebrities, and six out of ten teens say they follow influencer advice. Influencers feel relatable, like peers rather than advertisers, because when a favorite creator promotes a product, it can feel like a personal recommendation instead of a paid partnership. Teens may not always recognize the persuasive intent behind these posts, which blurs the lines between genuine advice and marketing.
Teens as a Profitable Market
Even though teens can’t vote, they absolutely have buying power. Around 85 percent of Gen Z uses social media to learn about new products, and according to eMarketer, nearly 63 percent of 14 to 17-year-olds have made at least one digital purchase. Advertisers know this. Teens aren’t just future consumers; they’re active ones. This makes them a prime target. Brands shape messages to appeal to teen’s interests, trends, and insecurities. The issue isn’t that teens shop, but that they are often targeted before they fully develop the skills needed to critically evaluate what they’re being sold.
Unrealistic Ideals and Emotional Pressure
Advertising often promotes idealized lifestyles, bodies, and appearances. For teens, who are already navigating identity and self-worth, this can be damaging. Constant exposure to “perfect” images can lead to feelings of inadequacy, causing teens to feel like they can’t measure up. This is especially true for body image. Nearly 80 percent of teens report feeling pressure to look their best because of social media, and now they spend an average of 3.5 hours a day on these platforms. Almost half of adolescents aged 13 to 17 say social media makes them feel worse about their body image. In 2025, an estimated 24 percent of high school students who use social media daily show symptoms consistent with eating disorders. These aren’t just random statistics; they are connected to the content teens consume daily, including ads.
How Advertising Shapes Behavior Early
Advertising doesn’t just sell products; it shapes thinking. From a young age, repeated exposure to ads can influence decision-making and preferences. Techniques like repetition, emotional appeal, and peer endorsement causes brand loyalty that can last into adulthood.
Advertisers often tap into emotions to create memorable campaigns, but too much exposure can desensitize teens to consequences. Buying becomes impulsive. Image becomes more important than health or values.
Teens seeking independence and acceptance may turn to consumer culture as a means to belong.
Health Risks Beyond the Screen
The harm isn’t only psychological. Ads for sugary snacks, fast food, and soft drinks contribute to unhealthy eating habits. About 20 percent of children are affected by obesity, and advertisements contribute to the normalization of poor nutrition. At the same time, ads promoting unrealistic beauty standards can contribute to disordered eating behaviors.
I’ve personally seen female influencers promote Korean beauty products or “beauty hacks” that seem harmless at first. The problem begins when these influencers suggest that weighing a certain amount or having “imperfect” facial features means something is wrong with you. These messages quietly teach teens to view themselves as problems that need fixing.
Taking Better Precautions
Teens are a vulnerable audience, not because they’re weak, but because they’re still developing. Understanding the psychological and emotional effects of advertising allows parents, educators, and policymakers to step in. Media literacy education should be a priority. Teaching teens to recognize persuasive tactics and to question what they see online is important. Stronger rules around influencer transparency, limits on harmful targeting, and better platform accountability could reduce damage. Advertising isn’t bad per se, but it can be safer. If we acknowledge that certain types of ads are harmful to teens, we can start building systems that protect them while still letting them grow, explore, and decide who they want to be—without an algorithm telling them they’re not enough.
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