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Former President Jimmy Carter is wearing a hard hat, safety glasses, and a bright blue Habitat for Humanity shirt that says "Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project." He has a red bandana around his neck and is smiling while visiting a construction site.
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Top Photo: Former President Jimmy Carter Photo credit: Habitat for Humanity photo

PLAINS, GA—Jimmy Carter, the 39th president of the United States, turned 100 on Oct. 1, 2024, and passed away at his home on Dec. 29.

Carter was the longest-lived president in U.S. history, and the only one to have reached the century mark. Although his four years leading the country were difficult ones, his life story is remarkable. Thousands, if not millions of people are grateful for the work the former president took on after he left office.

Born James Earl Carter Jr. in a Plains hospital where his mother worked as a nurse, he was the first president born in a hospital! But his surroundings in the Deep South were very humble—the family home had no running water and just an outhouse.

Carter loved to read and was a very good student. He graduated near the top of his class from Plains High School. He studied engineering in college before going to the Naval Academy. Shortly after graduating as an ensign in 1947, he married Rosalynn Smith, and the two remained very close until her death in 2023. Carter served in the submarine programs, but had to leave the Navy early to take over the family peanut farm after his father died.

With Rosalynn as his closest adviser, Carter launched his political career in 1963. After serving his beloved Georgia, he defeated incumbent President Gerald Ford in 1976, taking office in 1977. Problems of rising prices (INFLATION), a gasoline shortage and dozens of American embassy workers being taken hostage in Iran during a revolution were big issues that sank his hopes for a second term.

But away from politics, Carter pursued his personal and religious ideals of helping others, much of the funding and work coming from the Carter Center that he and Rosalynn created with Emory University in Atlanta, GA. The center focuses on ending conflicts, reducing human suffering, and promoting freedom, democracy and better health.

For decades, the Carters rolled up their sleeves and helped build affordable homes for Habitat for Humanity. In fact, the Carter Center worked on 4,447 homes in 14 countries!

But the Carters may have made their biggest impact by nearly eliminating a widespread parasite called a Guinea worm. A person is infected by the worm by drinking unclean water. The center puts together kits that filter water and combat infection. Back in 1986 there were 3.5 million people infected. Today, those numbers are down to around 11 cases per year.

For his efforts in keeping the peace and helping people, Carter earned the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002.

Australia Passes Media Ban for Kids Under 16

Australia recently approved a social media ban for kids younger than 16. The ban will apply to Instagram, X, Snapchat, Facebook, TikTok, and Reddit. YouTube, which is owned by Google, is exempt from the ban because it is widely used in schools.

The new law forces tech companies to stop minors from logging into their platform, or they will face fines up to $32 million. There will be a trial period on how to enforce the restriction starting this month, and the ban will take effect in one year.

“It’s clear that social media companies have to be held accountable, which is what Australia is trying to do,” said Jim Steyer, president and CEO of the nonprofit Common Sense Media. Australia is not the first country to raise concerns about kids using social media, though they are the first to ban it outright. France and some U.S. states have passed laws restricting access for minors without parental consent. Florida passed a law last year banning social media for those younger than 14, but it currently is being challenged in court.

It may sound unfair to think you wouldn’t be able to access social media if you lived in Australia, but 77 percent of the country’s population supported the Social Media Minimum Age Bill. Parent groups supported the law, largely out of concern for kids being exposed to content that isn’t age appropriate and for kids’ mental health. In 2023, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said social media was contributing to a youth mental health crisis and suggested the sites should carry a health warning.

On the opposite side of things, some child rights groups and those concerned about privacy rights opposed the ban. Without social media, it may be harder for young people without a good support network to connect with their peers. There is also a concern that the ban will RESTRICT kids’ ability to express themselves. Those concerned about privacy have argued that the social media sites may collect more personal data than before to verify a user’s age.

Edition: 
Phoenix
Tucson
Issue: 
2025 January