Oprah Winfrey Show: Digital Wellness
Larissa May and Oprah Winfrey talk about digital wellness.
What we see online is only #HalfTheStory
The average teen will spend 30 years of their life behind a screen. But one young girl, our founder Larissa May, in a dorm room saw something different. She saw impact. She saw the possibility. And with just $250, she began a movement.
We believe knowledge is power and a world that thrives with technology is possible.
A world where teens are empowered by algorithms, not consumed by them. Where we control our digital lives, not big data. Where digital wellbeing is a fundamental human right.
So we put teens at the table to write a new story.
Our mission? Empower the next generation's relationship with technology. We're empowering 1 million students in the next 5 years.
We're a decade in and we're just getting started.
1B+ media impressions
driving awareness and cultural change
51,000+ students reached
through school and nonprofit partnerships
Research-backed gains
in teen digital wellbeing and civic engagement
110+ youth leaders trained
across 56 U.S. cities and 9 countries
85% of teens
retained program benefits six months later
87% took advocacy action
helping shape real policy change
100% of teens
would recommend the Digital Civics Academy to a friend
Founder memo
Dear Believers,
When there is darkness, you find the light—and you hold it.
Ten years ago, as a teen myself, I believed stories could change the world. It all began with one story and a $250 grant. I saw social media not just as a threat—but as a tool, a sword, a spark.
I founded #HalfTheStory out of curiosity and a deep desire to bridge humanity and technology through storytelling. I was tired of adults talking about teens instead of with them. Tired of solutions built in boardrooms instead of bedrooms. Tired of hearing that technology was ruining my generation—when I knew we were capable of so much more.
My mission today is to pass the torch—to raise up a new generation of leaders at a time when humanity and technology are converging, where artificial intelligence collides with infinite awareness and the imagination muscle.
What started with one vulnerable moment became a movement. Because we did something revolutionary: We listened. We centered teen voices. We believed in their power—not just to consume content, but to create change.
We’re changing the narrative, one teen at a time. Teenwork makes the dream work—and you make this work possible. Let’s write the next chapter together.
The future is bright and less blue light.
Larz
Larissa May
Founder & Executive Director
I’ve facilitated program plans for years, but this was the best. The wording was simple and not too over the top with massive details. Some programs I have to condense down to get to the core of the lesson, but these were put together very well.
Bay County May Group 2025
Our founder
Larissa May (Larz) is a digital wellness entrepreneur and the founder of #HalfTheStory, a non-profit dedicated to improving the next generation’s relationship with technology. Larissa founded #HalfTheStory after facing her own struggles with social media, and has spent the past 10 years driving the rapidly growing global movement towards digital wellness. As the first youth-led non-profit of its kind, #HalfTheStory is focused on progressing education and advocacy work surrounding social media and tech use. Through #HalfTheStory's evidence-based education program, Social Media U, young people across schools in the US and UK are taught the skills needed to have a healthy relationship with their screens and are empowered to understand and advocate for their digital health. Prior to #HalfTheStory, Larissa helped build some of today’s buzziest D2C brands, including Kin Euphorics and Otherland, winning the Business Insider Brand Marketing Rising Stars Award for her work. Larissa has been featured in the WSJ, TIME, Forbes, Vanity Fair, Refinery29, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and CBS This Morning.
Teens reading shared stories at an exhibit.
We are #HalfTheStory
We started with a story and a big dream in a dorm room.
The difference is, we made it happen.
We leave our egos at the door and bring our souls to the table.
We prioritize people over profit; and purpose over pleasure.
We don't sleep on our daydreams; we make them happen.
Teenwork makes the dream work.
Young people are the drumbeat of our organization—the heart of everything we do.
Working hard means nothing; working smart means everything.
Don't partner with meanies, period.
We show, don't tell.
We move hearts first, minds second.
We take big swings and fall with grace.
We listen more than we speak.
We share stories through data and let it speak louder than words.
We move mountains that others fly over.
We don't shape the world; we mold it.
We believe digital wellness is possible and we convinced the world to do so.
We're ten years in and we're just getting started.
Buckle up.
Let's fly.
Wall Street Journal: The Woman Rallying Teens to Change Social Media
Larissa May goes to schools to teach how to safely use TikTok, Instagram–and to mobilize students to influence policy. ‘We can’t wait for big tech.’
CBS: Kid’s Relationship with Social Media
Larissa May, the founder and CEO of "Half the Story," talks about how the nonprofit teaches kids about digital wellness and fostering a healthier relationship with social media.
