Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Meta Says It Will Use PG-13 Standard To Limit Teen Content On Instagram
The New York Times: Instagram Will Limit Content For Teenagers Based On PG-13 Ratings
A year ago, Instagram made sweeping changes to the account settings of its teenage users after growing scrutiny from parents and lawmakers over child safety issues. On Tuesday, it took them a step further. Instagram, which is owned by Meta, said it would begin limiting the content its teenage users can see, based on the PG-13 ratings system used by the film industry. The policy, which will roll out by the end of the year, will also apply to conversations with the company’s artificial intelligence chatbots, which lawmakers are investigating for having inappropriate sexual chats with children. (Tan, 10/14)
NPR: Social Media Use Linked To Lower Reading, Memory Scores In Preteens
Preteens using increasing amounts of social media perform poorer in reading, vocabulary and memory tests in early adolescence compared with those who use no or little social media. That's according to a new study that suggests a link between social media use and poorer cognition in teens. The findings are published in JAMA. (Chatterjee, 10/13)
More health and wellness news —
MedPage Today: Many Young Adults Use Cannabis Or Booze As A Sleep Aid
More than one in five young adults said they used cannabis or alcohol to help them sleep, with cannabis use being more common, according to data from the 2022-2023 Monitoring the Future Panel Study. (Firth, 10/13)
The Washington Post: Genetic Study Of Marijuana Use Finds Clues In Why Some Become Addicted
The tendency to use cannabis is associated with genes linked to impulsive behavior, obesity, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, among other traits, according to a study released Monday by researchers at the University of California at San Diego. The research, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, explored the genetic traits of casual and frequent cannabis users in hopes of eventually identifying medications and other therapies to treat or prevent problematic marijuana use. (Ovalle, 10/13)
The Hill: Peanut Allergies In Children Could Be Prevented Thanks To New Research
New research out of Northwestern University suggests there may be a way to prevent peanut allergies in children. According to the National Institutes of Health, nearly 0.5 percent of kids around the world had a peanut allergy in 1997. Numbers have skyrocketed since then, with 2 percent of children being allergic to peanuts. (Kooiman, 10/11)
KFF Health News: Why Brittle Bones Aren’t Just A Woman’s Problem
Ronald Klein was biking around his neighborhood in North Wales, Pennsylvania, in 2006 and tried to jump a curb. “But I was going too slow — I didn’t have enough momentum,” he recalled. As the bike toppled, he thrust out his left arm to break the fall. It didn’t seem like a serious accident, yet “I couldn’t get up,” he said. (Span, 10/14)
KFF Health News: Listen: Green Goodbyes: Choosing An Eco-Friendly Burial
Green burials are gaining popularity as an affordable, eco-friendly alternative to traditional funerals. They avoid toxic embalming chemicals, steel caskets, and concrete vaults, letting a body naturally decompose. Methods range from the elaborate — like “human composting” and water cremation — to a simple pine box. (Span, 10/14)
In cancer news —
States Newsroom: Cervical Cancer Could Be Eradicated. But Not With Medicaid Cuts And Anti-Vax Politics.
It had been a decade since Jess Deis’ last women’s wellness exam when Kentucky expanded Medicaid and she finally qualified for the state insurance program. Physicians recommend a cervical cancer screening — also referred to as a Pap smear, which is a swab of the cervix — as part of a wellness exam once every three to five years for women between the ages of 21 and 65. Deis, 43, was in her last semester of nursing school in 2014 when the test came back with abnormal results. Her doctor ordered additional testing. (Moseley-Morris, 10/10)
Newsweek: Scientists Discover Prostate Cancer’s Achilles Heel
A newly uncovered mechanism thought to be a weakness of prostate cancer cells could inspire a new and improved targeted treatment for the disease. International research led by Flinders University in Australia and South China University of Technology revealed that two enzymes called PDIA1 and PDIA5 play a crucial role in helping prostate cancer cells grow, survive and resist treatment. (Millington, 10/13)
Axios: States Expand Fertility Coverage For Cancer Survivors
A wave of new state laws is making fertility preservation procedures — from egg freezing to the emerging ovarian tissue freezing technology — a covered benefit for cancer patients. (Mallenbaum, 10/13)
