Something has gone wrong.
The youth of today — our future entrepreneurs, doctors, artists, builders, thinkers — are statistically sicker, more nutritionally deficient, and more vulnerable to preventable diseases than any generation before them. Diabetes is rising in teenagers. Obesity is climbing in primary school children. Mental health, often worsened by poor diet, is now a crisis of its own.
And yet, in most classrooms, we’re still teaching nutrition the same way we did in 1998: a dusty chart, a plastic food pyramid, and maybe a vague suggestion to “eat your five a day.”
That’s not education. That’s a missed opportunity.
At Nort Labs, we believe it’s time to reimagine how young people learn about health — and more importantly, how they engage with it. That’s why we’re laying the groundwork for a bold new direction: bringing a version of MEDi into schools.
In a world of instant gratification, data overload, and declining attention spans, it’s a tragic paradox that many of the youngest members of our society know more about TikTok trends than the nutrition their bodies run on.
While innovation floods every corner of modern life, health education — particularly in schools — remains frozen in time.
The consequence?
A quiet crisis that is growing louder by the year.
A Generation in Trouble: The Stats We Cannot Ignore
Across the UK and beyond, the statistics are painting a grim picture:
One in three children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school.
Teenagers are now developing type 2 diabetes — a condition once reserved for middle-aged adults.
75% of UK children don’t eat enough fruit or veg, and ultra-processed foods dominate their diets.
Mental health diagnoses have skyrocketed, with diet now recognised as a contributing factor to anxiety, depression and even behavioural disorders.
But what’s most sobering isn’t just the data — it’s the disconnect. Young people aren’t choosing poor health. They simply don’t have the tools to understand it.
At Nort Labs, we’re not content with waiting. That’s why we’re planning the next frontier for our flagship product, MEDi:
To bring a version of MEDi into schools — not as a subject, but as a source of empowerment.
What Is MEDi — And Why Does It Matter?
If you’re new to MEDi, here’s what you need to know:
MEDi stands for Metabolic Exploration in Dietetics Innovation — an AI-powered health and nutrition platform developed by Nort Labs. But it’s not just another app. It’s a personal, science-backed health companion powered by natural language intelligence.
Designed to simulate a conversation with a deeply knowledgeable, friendly expert, MEDi allows users to explore:
How food affects their body — down to the cellular level
What supplements or medications are appropriate and safe
Why certain symptoms might be emerging — and what nutritional habits could address them
How to make daily, micro-decisions that lead to long-term health gains
It’s accurate. It’s intuitive. And for many adults already using it, it’s life-changing.
But what if we didn’t wait until adulthood?
What if we gave the next generation access to this power while habits are still forming?
MEDi for Education: Not a Lesson Plan — A Lifeline
Let’s be clear: we’re not proposing MEDi as a new subject in the school timetable. We’re not replacing teachers, tests or textbooks.
This is something entirely different.
We’re proposing MEDi as a tool for early intervention, awareness and autonomy — delivered in a format students already trust: digital, interactive, and conversational.
Imagine a school where:
Every student can speak to an AI about what they ate for breakfast and receive meaningful, tailored insights
A 14-year-old with frequent migraines learns about hydration and magnesium, not just painkillers
Teenagers curious about fitness get instant answers about protein, recovery, and safe supplement use
A pupil who’s skipping meals out of stress can receive non-judgemental, fact-based support — and be guided to help
This isn’t science fiction. It’s accessible technology backed by peer-reviewed research and medical consensus. It’s MEDi — simplified for schools, refined for safety, and designed to speak to young people on their terms.
Why Language Matters More Than Curriculum
One of the most overlooked aspects of youth health education is tone.
Traditional health messaging often feels cold, prescriptive or out of touch. Teens are told what to eat — but rarely why. They’re warned about obesity — but never taught how to navigate a supermarket, a takeaway menu, or a vending machine.
What makes MEDi different is how it speaks.
MEDi doesn’t judge. It explains. It doesn’t overwhelm. It simplifies. It doesn’t deliver lectures. It listens first.
And in a school setting, this is the secret weapon: empowerment through understanding, not enforcement through rules.
By speaking in the digital-native language of Gen Z and Gen Alpha — through their phones, with contextual awareness and emotional intelligence — MEDi becomes not an educator, but a guide.
One that doesn’t leave when the bell rings.
A Scalable, Sustainable Public Health Model
There’s a deeper strategy here too.
We don’t just see this as a public service — we see it as a route to scalable, long-term public health transformation.
By partnering with education authorities, local councils, national governments and NGOs, we aim to deliver a version of MEDi that:
Meets regulatory safety standards for youth usage
Can be locally adapted for curriculum alignment and cultural relevance
Lives within an opt-in ecosystem for pupils aged 11–18
Works on mobile and desktop, with or without full internet access
Respects data privacy laws such as GDPR and UK Child Protection
It’s not about turning students into customers. It’s about giving them their first encounter with proactive health intelligence — and building lifelong behaviour from that moment forward.
And yes, we believe every student who meets MEDi at 14 is more likely to live differently at 40.
The Call: Let’s Not Wait Until It’s Too Late
We’ve reached a tipping point.
The NHS is under pressure. Mental health services are overwhelmed. Lifestyle diseases are becoming economic threats, not just medical ones. And children are carrying the weight — literally and figuratively — of a broken model.
If we continue to treat health as an adult problem, we’ll keep solving it with adult consequences: surgeries, prescriptions, hospital beds.
But if we reach children where they are — at school, on their phones, in their formative years — we don’t just slow the crisis.
We stop it before it starts.
Where We Are — And What Comes Next
This is an early-stage vision. We’re not deploying next week. But we are building the infrastructure, refining the AI, and exploring the partnerships that will make this future a reality.
Our ambition is to work hand-in-hand with:
Government departments interested in youth wellbeing
Education institutions seeking cutting-edge digital tools
Investors and foundations who want scalable, ethical healthtech impact
NGOs and charities fighting for food equity and nutritional literacy
We are planting the flag now — because the momentum must start before the next crisis headline.
Let’s Build This Together
If you’re an innovator in public policy, a headteacher in a forward-thinking academy, a tech-for-good investor, or simply a parent who believes in a better future for our kids — we want to talk.
MEDi has the power to change the way an entire generation sees health.
Let’s give them the tools. Let’s give them the knowledge. Let’s give them the conversation.
Because the best way to heal a generation… is to educate them.
