Well-Informed Girlfriends

Some Gen Z college freshmen are moving back home just weeks into their first semester, reopening a bigger debate about mental health, discomfort and whether the traditional “college experience” is still worth it.

This week on Well-Informed Girlfriends, we’re also talking about Gen X drinking more while younger generations cut back on alcohol, Match Group’s dating app for “next-gen traditionalists” and a bleak new report on hybrid work, where employees are working Sundays, “job hugging” and showing up to the office just to be seen.

Plus, the internet is fighting over whether it’s unprofessional to bring an iced coffee to a job interview, millennials are being told that ending texts with “lol” makes us look old, Gen Z has complicated feelings about PDA and New York City is rolling out public “robotoilets” with a strict 10-minute limit.

Are parents so focused on raising successful kids that we're forgetting to teach them how to actually take care of themselves? Why are young adults spending more time completely alone? And has Costco somehow become America's new social club?We’re digging into the debate over kids and basic life skills; cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, doing laundry and all the boring things you eventually need to know to live on your own. Then, we look at new data on young adult loneliness and why some people in their 20s are spending entire days without seeing another person.Plus: welcome to Analog Summer. People are putting down their phones, picking up film cameras, books and knitting needles, and even carrying “analog bags” filled with things to do instead of scrolling.Basically: parenting, loneliness, money anxiety, marriage, friendship, screen fatigue, Costco romance and extremely rich people taking gap years. Just a normal week.Credits:Hosted by Tiege Dooley-Panko and Samantha Kubota. Produced by Lauren Lewis. Filmed and edited by Alex Alvarez.

Are teens actually getting dumber? Is “Woke 2.0” upon us? And are millennial moms collectively having a midlife crisis?

This week, Sam and Tiege are breaking down falling teen test scores, the left’s new focus on class and why women might actually be too good at persevering.

Plus: South Korea’s “rotation dating,” Kalshi becoming the US Open’s first prediction market partner, Gen Z’s wellness daytime parties, why it’s suddenly a great time to be a homebuyer (if you can afford it), the death of the weeknight hang and “French Sundays” — the new anti-Sunday-reset trend giving us permission to do absolutely nothing.

What do Instagram’s new teen restrictions mean for TikTok and YouTube? Why does Google Maps suddenly say “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario? And how did a man allegedly scam women out of $1.3 million by pretending to be a San Francisco 49ers player?

This week on Well Informed Girlfriends, Sam and Lauren break down the Meta social media settlement and the new rules for teens on Instagram and Facebook — including why TikTok and YouTube could be next. Plus, President Trump’s Lake Ontario “Lake America” rename hits Google Maps, the wild fake NFL player dating scam involving at least 26 women and the boyfriend algorithm-to-ick pipeline fueled by manosphere content.

We’re also getting into “The Great Settling” and why workers are accepting lower-paying jobs, TikTok’s gross new “pheromone maxxing” trend, Gen Z’s surprisingly wholesome “community-maxxing” movement and “cushioning,” the toxic dating trend where people keep romantic backup plans while they’re still in a relationship.

AI is making work weird. This week on "Well-Informed Girlfriends," we’re talking about the rise of AI-generated “workslop,” why coworkers are starting to judge each other for using AI, and the surprisingly insulting new workplace habit of telling someone to “ask AI” instead of asking you.Plus: why college students aren’t hanging out IRL anymore, how AI may be helping students finish homework while hurting actual learning, and the controversy over a $60,000 humanoid AI robot that was supposed to enter a New York classroom.We’re also getting into why women are leaving the workforce, the government’s attempt to finally define “ultra-processed food,” whether panic over falling birth rates is overblown, and a major change at Bumble: men can now make the first move.

Is Gen Z giving up on dating or has dating simply gotten too expensive and exhausting?This week on Well-Informed Girlfriends, Tiege & Gabi (@tiegedp & @itsgabiconti) talking about the growing “romance gap,” why some young people are approaching relationships in terms of return on emotional investment, and whether money is becoming one of the biggest barriers to finding love.Plus: the Lindsay Clancy trial and the internet theories surrounding the case, the rise of “skillcations,” why more Americans are embracing life as forever renters, and the increase in divorce among couples over 50.We’re also getting into dopamine decor and asking the question Millennials everywhere have been avoiding: why did we dress like middle managers to go to the club?The stories making us smarter at brunch this week:• The Lindsay Clancy trial, postpartum mental health and the internet’s theories• Is Gen Z giving up on dating?• Why travelers are trading relaxing vacations for “skillcations”• America’s growing generation of forever renters• Why more couples over 50 are getting divorced• The rise of dopamine decor• Why Millennials dressed business casual to go partyingSubscribe for a new episode of Well-Informed Girlfriends every week, and tell us in the comments: which story do you have the strongest opinion about?

This week, Sam and Tiege break down the biggest stories shaping culture, technology and work: the growing attention-span divide, California's new data delete law, America's "fun shortage," more seniors returning to work, ghosting long-term partners, the rise of "naked dressing," whether Gen Z is really drinking more and the viral "hobosexual" dating trend.

This week, we’re talking about America’s explosive diarrhea summer, how the measles season is breaking a bunch of records no one wanted to break, and how the biggest winner of Trump's second term might be Donald Trump's business portfolio.We’ll also be chatting about keeping a brag folder, what complaining does to your brain and the invisible string theory.

This week, we’re talking about "Slop Face" in Hollywood, the end of reading and signs your man has been "red pilled." We’re also breaking down a new dating app where AI is your matchmaker, grocery stores being a new hot spot for singles and millennials gentle parenting their dogs.

This week, Tiege and guest host Gabi Conti unpack Instagram's controversial new paid features, the rise of "friction-maxxing," why more Gen Z adults are living with their parents and replacing full meals with snacks.

Plus, they interview a very well-informed guest, Dr. Ryan Stancil in a new segment, "Ask The Doctor." He shares practical medical advice on Ozempic, processed foods, full-body MRI scans, self-diagnosing with AI, warning signs you should never ignore and simple habits that can dramatically improve your health.