(upbeat music)

(Describer) In computer animation, different news scenes in rectangles move fast around a turning globe.

(Describer) In front of a blue background with a triangle and circle, title: Teen Kids News. A girl sits at a desk with monitors behind her.

- Hi, you're watching "Teen Kids News." I'm Christin. Let's start with our top story for this week.

(upbeat music)

(Describer) The Teen Kids News logo is on curved screens that form a turning cylinder. Passing around it, title: Top Story.

In this report, Benjamin tells us why a certain kind of light has a dark side, and what we can do to avoid its harmful effects. - Way back in elementary school, most of us learned that light is comprised of a spectrum of colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. We're even taught to remember that by the acronym Roy G. Biv. We can see that spectrum in the sky when a rainbow appears. What we don't see so clearly is the blue light that comes from the screens of devices like computers, tablets, and even phones, nor do we realize how harmful that blue light can be. - Well, when I'm on a computer, or really any other digital device for a long period of time, my eyes tend to feel really tired, and my vision can even get blurry sometimes. And the thing is, that tiredness and fatigue I feel in my eyes doesn't always just stay there. I mean, sometimes it can spread to my brain and affect how I think and how I act, and, I mean, the whole thing just makes me feel really unproductive and tired. - [Benjamin] Lylah was suffering from digital eye strain. That's eye strain caused in part by the blue light from her computer. - And I'm just gonna use the light first and take a look. - [Benjamin] Dr. Rani Banik is an ophthalmologist. That's a medical doctor who specializes in treating diseases and disorders of the eye. She's also Lylah's mom. So why is blue light harmful?

(Describer) Banik:

- So blue light is short-wavelength, high-energy light. So if you think about the whole rainbow, it's on one end of the spectrum, and these high-energy wavelengths can actually get into the back of the eye, so they're not filtered out by the front of the eye. They can get into the back of the eye and, potentially, because they are high energy, cause harm to our retinas. - [Benjamin] To be clear, we're talking about blue light from digital screens. Most experts agree that the blue from sunlight is beneficial. It gives us energy, improves our memory and attention, and makes us happy. But blue light at night from devices like computers can cause eye strain. It also affects our melatonin. That's a hormone our body produces at night to make us tired and signal it's time to sleep. - So one of the best ways to avoid the harmful effects of blue light is to increase our natural blue blockers in our eyes. And a lot of people don't realize that we actually have internal blue blockers in the retina. These are three pigments that nature put there to absorb blue light and prevent it from doing any harm. These three pigments have fancy names. They're called lutein, zeaxanthin, and meso-zeaxanthin. so it's really a mouthful to say. It's hard to remember, but these are important pigments. We can get them from foods-- for example, lots of green, leafy vegetables, yellow and orange vegetables and fruits, like orange peppers or corn. Some spices even have lutein and zeaxanthin. The third pigment, the meso-zeaxanthin, is not readily available in foods. - But it's hard to eat our way to healthier eyes. To boost our blue blockers, Dr. Banik recommends taking a daily supplement. - There is an ingredient that has all three of those pigments I mentioned that's found in many, many supplements on the market. So if you look at the back of the bottle, look for Lutemax 2020, and that will automatically give you those three pigments in the right ratio we're supposed to have. And it's found in many, many different brands on the market, so just look at the label. - Hopefully you found the connection between eye strain and the blue light from digital devices "illuminating." For "Teen Kids News," I'm Benjamin.

(Describer) Christin:

- We've got lots more coming up on "Teen Kids News," so keep watching. We'll be right back. What do Taylor Swift, Venus Williams, and Dakota Fanning have in common? They were all Girl Scouts. Starting more than 100 years ago, millions of girls across America have worn the iconic sash and uniform. Katie tells us why.

(Describer) In old photos, trees stand beside a street.

(gentle guitar music) - Here in the sleepy Southern city of Savannah, Georgia, a revolutionary idea took hold back in 1912. Juliette Gordon Low-- that's her in the middle-- decided that, just like boys, girls should have the opportunity to become Scouts. From Low's original troop of just 18 girls, the organization has grown to more than 2.5 million members today.

(Describer) Promise.

- On my honor, I will try to serve God and my country. - I am a Girl Scout because I love to make a difference, and I love to provide help to people, and I love to put myself in a situation that can benefit and just help people be happy, and make a difference, and feel better about themselves. - My mother, Christine, she is a leader of three Girl Scout troops-- one for me, and two of my two sisters. And she thinks that this is really great. Her and my dad decided, when we were really little, it was something they wanted us to do. So, yeah, that's what happened.

(laughs) I kind of came into it. Here she is over here. Hi, Mom! - I was a Girl Scout only for about six months, and then we had to move. But yeah, it was nice, and it was a beginning of having, like, a sisterhood. And then as I got into the military, I started helping out with Civil Air Patrol, which I really like that. So, yes, I love the Girl Scouts.

(laughs) - It started as a family thing. So all my sisters and a bunch of my friends started at a really young age, and I guess we just stuck with it, because it's a time for us all to spend time together outside of school. And some of our friends don't go to the same school as us, so it just keeps us together as a group of friends.

(Describer) Promise.

- To help people at all times... - As a Girl Scout, I made the world a better place by planting trees, planting flowers, and picking up garbage in my local parks. - Well, I'm a Girl Scout because I really enjoy helping people, and I get to spend time with the people I enjoy spending time with, my friends and their parents, who are amazing people. And I love the feel of helping the community, and it looks great for college. It's great for scholarships, and I think it guides me a lot, 'cause what would a Girl Scout do in a situation? - First of all, we fundraise and we sell lots and lots of cookies. - As a Girl Scout, we learn leadership skills and how to cook, and do a lot of good stuff, and we volunteer a lot. - I think being a Girl Scout really prepares you for later experiences. You're already working with a bunch of other people and doing events like this to help serve your community. I just think it's really good, and it helps you give back.

(Describer) Promise.

- To live by the Girl Scout law... - The Girl Scout Law is an impressive list of policies expected of all members.

(Describer) Law.

- I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, responsible for what I say and do, respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. - And I know that I have sisters behind me, and if one of us is sad about something, the rest of us are sad about it, and it's really nice because you get the feel of you're never alone and you have that community with you, and you always have your sisters with you.

♪ I love being a Girl Scout ♪

♪ Sisters everyone ♪

♪ Working, having fun ♪

♪ Oh, I... ♪

- It's been said that, "At Girl Scouts we create leaders."

♪ That's what I'm about ♪♪

- And they've been doing that successfully for more than a century. If you'd like to learn more, check out girlscouts.org. No matter where you live, there's probably a troop nearby that would love to have you join. I did 13 years ago, and I'm still a Girl Scout today.

(Describer) She wears her badges.

For "Teen Kids News," I'm Katie.

(Describer) Christin:

- This important message is brought to you by the National Road Safety Foundation. They want you to keep your hands on the wheel, your eyes on the road, and your mind on driving.

(Describer) A woman pulls a girl in a wheelchair onto a lift for an accessible van. She hands the woman flowers so she can buckle her seat belt. The van pulls away and passes some kids outside a school. The girl watches them.

(somber music)

(people chatting) - I really miss having fun with my friends.

(Describer) Earlier in a car...

Hey, Gabby, do you want to go to the movies? - Definitely. Now let's see if your sister can come. - Okay, I'll text her.

(Describer) Driving, she looks at her phone. Title: It only takes a split second.

(car horn beeps)

(tires screeching)

(somber music)

(Describer) The van passes a softball field. The girl looks out.

Now I can't even walk, let alone run the bases.

(Describer) She remembers running. Title: 21 percent of teen drivers in fatal crashes were distracted by their phones. Outside the van...

Gabby, I am so sorry.

(Describer) She lays the flowers at a grave, and the woman rubs her shoulder. Titles: A split second can ruin lives forever. A message from NRSF.

(Describer) Christin:

- If you want to see the latest NRSF videos and get more info on driving safely, be sure to like, follow, and subscribe to the National Road Safety Foundation.

(dramatic drum music)

(Describer) A button says, "I Vote". November 3rd is circled on a calendar. A clock says, "Time to Vote". Titles: Your Vote Matters. Vote 2020. Benjamin:

- Ever get the feeling sometimes that your opinions just don't matter? Yeah, me too. But this November 3rd, your opinions will matter very much. That's the day when people all across our nation go to the polls to vote for who they want to be president, as well as for many other elected offices. Of course, you have to be at least 18 years old to vote. If you are, make sure you participate in the greatest democracy the world has ever known. - The emotions we feel when something bad happens can be difficult to deal with. We get advice from an expert next on "Teen Kids News." - Sadly, one of the places where we expect

(Describer) Christin:

to be safe isn't always safe. I'm talking about school. I'm sure we've all heard about attacks that have taken place in school buildings. That's why many schools hold lockdown drills. Of course, the odds of an attack at your school is extremely low. However, it's always best to be prepared. As Ava reports, that means not just prepared physically, but mentally as well. - Whether you know someone who was caught in a terrible attack, or even just hearing about an attack, can cause a very strong emotion. It's called grief. - It's a great sadness. - Terrible loss or pain. - Grief is when maybe something terrible happens, and you're going through a lot of pain. - To talk about this is Megan Devine. She's the author of the book, "It's OK That You're Not OK." She's also a psychotherapist. Welcome. - Thanks for having me. - Just what is a psychotherapist? - So a psychotherapist is a person who has gone to graduate school, so after college, to study how best to show up for people who are having some kind of trouble in their lives, whether that's grief, or they're not really sure what they want to do with their lives. There are lots of different ways to be a psychotherapist. - When we lose a loved one or a friend, the emotion we feel is called grief. How do you, as an expert, describe that feeling? - So grief is sort of an umbrella term for a whole bunch of different feelings. So we all feel grief in some way or another when we lose somebody close to us, whether that's a relative or a friend or a pet, any of those things. So grief means you could be sad. You could be confused. You could be angry. You might feel really sleepy all the time, or you might not be sleeping very well. There are all sorts of things, all sorts of different emotions and experiences that make up grief. - Is grief something real, or just something in our heads? - Oh, it's definitely real, right? Grief isn't something that's just in your head. It's in your heart. It's in your mind. It's in the way that you look at the world sometimes. Grief is a really real thing. We just don't talk about it very much in this culture. - Something we have been talking about more and more are the shootings that are happening at schools across the country. If something like that didn't happen at your school, is it possible to still grieve for those that went through it? - Absolutely. I think one of the things that's so special about teens is that you do have such intense feelings, right? You can feel such intense grief for somebody you've never even met, because you can put yourself in that position, right? When you have to live through lockdowns in your school, it's very easy to start feeling into what that might be like for somebody else who has lived that experience, and you can feel grief for somebody you've never met before, whether that's another student, or somebody that you see in the movies, or any of those things. We have these feelings because we care about other people, and it makes sense that you would feel grief for somebody you've never even met. - But is it okay to feel grief in those situations, or should we try to tough things out? - I think that toughing things out is part of the problem. We've got a culture in a lot of ways that says that you're supposed to be happy all the time, and if you're not happy, you're not doing it right. Well, that's just not true. That's not what it means to be human. We have feelings, and it's okay to be sad. It's okay to be distressed about what you're experiencing, or what you're seeing in the news, or what your friends are talking about. - If we're feeling grief, what's the best way to handle it? - So the first thing is to remind yourself that you're normal, and that it's okay to feel how you feel. The second thing would be to find people with whom you can tell the truth about your experience. Certainly grownups and others can be really quick to give you advice or try to cheer you up, and that's not usually what a grieving person needs. They don't usually need to be cheered up. They really need somebody to listen to how hard this is sometimes. - How about if we have friends who are grieving? How can we help them as teens? - That's such a great question. Knowing how to support your friends is a really important thing to know how to do. So if you have a friend who's grieving, maybe you come into school and you ask them how they're doing, and they say, "Not that great, today is a hard day," it can be tempting to try to cheer them up, tell them you'll take them to the movies later. But that's not usually what your friend needs. More often than not, they just need things to be not so good right now, right? So if your friend says they're having a hard time, you can say, "I'm sorry you feel that way. Do you want to tell me about it?" That's actually much more helpful than trying to cheer them up. - Thanks for the great advice, Megan. - You're welcome. - To be clear, feeling grief is natural, but grief is something we eventually get over. As they say, life goes on. But if you or a friend don't seem to be getting over grief, you may want to reach out to a trusted adult. For "Teen Kids News," I'm Ava. - Hi, I'm DJ Lil X, this week's Rising Star next on "Teen Kids News."

♪ We X it out, out, out, out ♪

(Describer) In a music video, he and some girls make an X with their arms.

♪ And if it's negative or whatever it is ♪

♪ We X it out ♪

(Describer) Christin:

It's time to meet another Rising Star.

(upbeat disco music)

(Describer) In a pattern of different color squares and rectangles, young people sing in various settings. title: Teen Kids News Rising Stars.

(Describer) Emily:

- This week's Rising Star calls himself a recording artist, a DJ, an actor, and a gamer, but you'll call him talented. Take a look.

(Describer) He raps in the music video.

♪ This is history back to the makings ♪

♪ Hip to the hop, look, here's a baby ♪

♪ Shout out to the fans I wouldn't have made it without ♪

♪ And if it's negative or whatever it is ♪

♪ We X it out, out ♪

(Describer) The girls dance and make the X.

♪ And if it's negative or whatever it is ♪

♪ We X it out, out ♪

♪ And if it's negative or whatever it is ♪

♪ We X it out, out, out, out, out, out, out, out ♪

♪ We X it out, out, out, out ♪

♪ And if it's negative or whatever it is ♪

♪ We X it out ♪

♪ Listen up, you don't wanna miss ♪

♪ The hottest thing coming from the billboard kid ♪

♪ Being positive is the way to live ♪

♪ Thank God for my parents and the shows I give ♪

♪ Don't wanna be sad, I just wanna be happy ♪

♪ Bust a few throws, go and throw with my daddy ♪

♪ Now that you know what it's all about ♪

♪ And if it's negative or whatever it is ♪

♪ We X it out ♪♪

- DJ Lil X, welcome to "Teen Kids News." - Hi.

(Describer) On Skype, he waves.

- The song we just saw was "X it Out." Tell us about the song's message. - The song's message is about X'ing out all the negativity, and putting the negativity past us, and staying positive. - I'm seeing a theme here, "X it Out," and DJ Lil X. You obviously like the letter X. - Yep. - So why X? - DJ Lil X, because I'm a DJ, and I'm kind of little. I'm pretty small, and my name is Xzavier, and X is the first letter of my name, so I put the X, so DJ Lil X. - Thanks for explaining. In addition to music videos, you've also performed live. Tell us about your opening for Post Malone. - Alright, so it was on spring break, spring break on South Padre Island. I hit the stage. It was like 8,000-plus people opening up for Post Malone. It was a great experience, and I was kind of nervous at first, but my dad told me to just go out there and get it over with. - And you got the chance to perform with Snoop Dogg. What was that like? - Oh, that was really exciting. Alright, so my dad had a meeting with RMM Percy, Snoop Dogg's manager, and then I was facing towards the wall where my dad was, and Snoop Dogg came behind me and he was like, "What's up?" And then I looked back, and then he was standing right there, and I was shocked. I couldn't breathe. - That's pretty cool. You also call yourself a gamer. What's your favorite? - My favorite game is Fortnite, and I like it because you can--it's cool because you can build, and it's a third-person game. It's a third-person shooting game, which there's not really many of those, and you can build in it, which is pretty cool. - Well, it was cool talking with you. Thanks for joining us. - No problem. - If you're up to exploring some truly exciting music, you may want to check out DJ Lil X. Matter of fact, you can do that right now. For "Teen Kids News," I'm Emily.

♪ 50 times two ♪

(Describer) In another music video, he raps with giant robots fighting behind him, then raps on stairs.

♪ That's 100 times 10 ♪

♪ That's 1,000 through the roof ♪

♪ I got my swag on 50 ♪♪

(upbeat music)

(Describer) A viewer email says, "I would like to say that this educational show is amazing. Signed, Christina."

- We have to take a quick break, but don't go away because "Teen Kids News" will be right back.

(upbeat music)

(Describer) Titles: Coming Up, Art Smart.

(upbeat music)

(Describer) Spinning with the triangle and circle, title: Teen Kids News.

(playful music)

(Describer) In an art gallery, animated paint splats on the screen, and different famous figures from paintings appear, like the Girl With the Pearl Earring, The Scream, a couple from Sunday in the Park, and a portrait of a man with a big red turban on his head. Title: Art Smart.

(screams)

(Describer) Katie:

- You should find this week's Art Smart riveting. That's because our subject is the painting Rosie the Riveter. It was created by American artist Norman Rockwell. During World War II, so many men were in the U.S. Military, women were needed to handle much of the factory work. They built ships, planes, and tanks. A song was even written about them. It was called Rosie The Riveter.

♪ All the day long whether rain or shine ♪

♪ She's a part of the assembly line ♪

♪ She's making history, working for victory ♪

♪ Rosie, brr, the Riveter ♪♪

- Rivets are used to hold metal together. Heated so they're white hot, they're driven into place with a heavy rivet gun.

(rivet gun whirring)

(Describer) Someone in a hard hat demonstrates.

While working at the Saturday Evening Post, Rockwell decided to paint a cover for the magazine featuring a woman representing Rosie. He used a 19-year-old telephone operator named Mary Doyle to pose. For artistic inspiration, Rockwell reached back more than 500 years to fellow artist Michelangelo. Among other things he was famous for, Michelangelo painted the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. One of the biblical scenes he depicted was of the prophet Isaiah. Rockwell used Michelangelo's Isaiah as a template for Rosie. You can see she's taking a break for lunch, holding a sandwich. Her rivet gun lies across her lap. Her lunchbox is by her side. What many might not have noticed is that Rockwell added his own anti-Nazi message. Under Rosie's foot is a copy of the book written by Adolf Hitler, "Mein Kampf." You might say Rosie is stamping out Nazism. The painting was so popular, the government used it to raise money to support the war effort. By the way, when Mary Doyle, the woman who modeled for Rosie, saw the finished painting, she was a bit taken aback. Rockwell painted her as far beefier than she really was. Apparently Rockwell felt badly. He eventually called her and apologized for making her look so hefty. With Art Smart, I'm Katie.

(Describer) Christin:

- Well, that wraps up our show, but we'll be back next week with more "Teen Kids News." See you then.

(upbeat music)

(Describer) Titles: Producer: Marilou Yacoub Director/Writer: Alan J. Weiss Camera and Editing: Rick Lavon, David Lauterbach Copyright Eyewitness Kids News LLC, 2020. Accessibility provided by the US Department of Education.