Our teens evaluated 33 websites in the summer of 2010 for the Teen Intern Program. Here are the top 10 sites, in order of ranking and with the teens’ comments in italics.

MyPyramid.gov: Steps to a Healthier You
Different people require different diets to stay healthy, and this site shows that by having broad guidelines for nutrition and personalized eating plans; most helpful part of this site is that it can calculate things like your daily calorie intake and how many portions of each food group you should consume each day, then gives the tips specific to you.

TeensHealth
This site has information on nearly every imaginable health topic and it is laid out in an organized and appealing manner; there are many interactive quizzes and activities in addition to the many informative articles; the information on this site is thorough and applies to many different types of people.

Teen Talk (Planned Parenthood)
It tells you everything you need to know in great detail and all the information seems accurate and up-to-date; it has valuable information that answers many questions teens are uncomfortable asking adults about but want to learn more about in privacy; it also has a gay/lesbian section that gives detailed help and information to the teen LGBT community.

Reach Out
It is very good for helping teens with mental and emotional issues; there are articles written by teens and videos made by teens that show ways to deal with issues; this site uses a lot of real life stories to create a stronger connection between the reader and the information …. there is also a facts section.

AVERT: AVERTing HIV and AIDS
This site gives a broad view on HIV and AIDS as a global issue and has an extensive history of the diseases, statistics by continent and information on how to prevent, treat, and cope with the disease; uses a wide variety of different media including diagrams, pictures, videos, quizzes and games; there is also a lot of information on other STDs, sexual behavior, gay & lesbian issues, and teen health in general.

sex,etc.
This site is very up-to-date; it covers a lot of questions teens might have about their sexuality and their lives in general; it teaches teens about safe sex and gives good information on how to prevent pregnancy; provides a full list of nearly any slang or medical term and a definition; has many teens speaking about sex which allows other teens to relate.

Above the Influence (from National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign)
It has many interactive and information activities about drug use and its consequences; there is a section with simple facts about the major drugs prevalent for teens today; it includes contact hotlines so people know they aren’t alone.it has all of the aspects I look for in a successful site: well made and thought out, has informative facts,and has interesting methods of drawing the target audience in.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
This site goes into detail about pretty much every disease and medical condition imaginable; it talks about ways to prevent various conditions, symptoms, treatment, etc; in addition to diseases, it has information about many other health issues, such as obesity, healthy eating and abortion;. everything is well-researched and well-written.

Love Is Respect
This issue ALWAYS seems to be overlooked in health classes and then victims in abusive relationships do not know what to do; it gives you advice on what to do if you don’t think it is healthy and suggests people to talk to; this is a problem in my school; young adults need to know when a relationship is healthy or not. this site could definitely provide help for teens who are in an abusive relationship or know someone who is.

CareerZone
There is plentiful information provided for each career such as descriptions of the job, skills you need, average pay, degrees you may need, and colleges that have programs for that career; when you first get to the site, you click on one of six topics of interest and based on that choice, the site provides a list of careers that may suit you; this site would be very helpful for teens that are unsure about their future and their career choices.