Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Experts Say Smartphone Use In Kids Younger Than 13 Linked To Depression, Obesity
Bloomberg: Scientists Say Age 13 Is Safest For Kids To Get A Smartphone, Study Finds
Thirteen. At the earliest. That’s when parents should consider getting their child a smartphone, according to a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics. Parents are often told to wait until their children hit the teen years to give them their first phone, as research continues to roll in showing health worries tied to young people’s social media habits. The new findings back up conventional wisdom, showing a delay of even one year can lead to measurably better mental and physical health. (Inampudi, 6/8)
Bloomberg: Apple Expands Child Safety Tools As Social Media Bans Grow
Apple Inc. is expanding tools for parents to protect children online, a move that comes as governments around the world increasingly ban social media for young people. The iPhone and iPad maker at its Worldwide Developers Conference Monday previewed new features that will let parents better control on devices when kids can use apps, what content they can access and with whom they can communicate. (Purnell, 6/9)
Bloomberg: Starmer To Unveil UK Ban On Social Media Use For Under-16s Within Days
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is preparing to announce a ban on under-16s using social media within days after his position hardened following parents’ response to a government consultation. Nine in ten parents who responded to the consultation said they wanted to see such a ban, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told Sky News on Tuesday morning. She said she’s considering two broad options: a “blanket” ban on under-16s using social media, or age restrictions on key features of social networks and apps. “A ban is on the table,” she said. (Wickham, 6/9)
AP: Sweden Plans To Ban Mobile Phones In Schools
Long championed as a leader in adopting digital technology, Sweden is set to ban mobile phones in schools beginning in the fall for the next academic year as part of a broad, international reversal on the use of screens in classrooms. (Brooks, 6/9)
More public health news —
Stat: Suppressed Federal Report Found No Net Health Benefit From Alcohol
A report on alcohol’s health effects, commissioned by the federal government but unreleased under President Trump, came out Tuesday — in a scientific journal. The study finds even low levels of drinking may increase the risk of various diseases or even death. (Cueto, 6/9)
CNN: Childhood Egg Allergies Fall As Early Introduction Becomes More Common, New Study Finds
Parents used to be advised to keep allergenic foods like eggs away from babies, especially if allergies ran in the family. But based on recent and evolving evidence, the advice is now almost the opposite – and new research suggests the shift in guidance is paying off. (Howard and Anos, 6/8)
San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Study: 1 In 3 Adults Living Alone With Dementia Is Undiagnosed
On Memorial Day, D. locked himself out of his East Bay apartment. It was the fourth or fifth time he’d done this recently. When a neighbor saw him sitting in front of his locked door sometime later, on a chair he’d dragged over from the communal patio, she invited him inside her unit, where he spent the night until he found someone who could let him back into his own home. (Allday, 6/8)
KFF Health News: Trivia Nights, Valentine’s Cards: Overlooked Social Connections Can Prevent Suicide
Nearly every Tuesday for a decade, Steve Siple attended a bar trivia night with friends in Birmingham, Alabama. After moving to North Carolina, he developed a new ritual — joining other Charlotte locals on Saturdays to pick up trash along the city’s light rail. These are more than fun outings to Siple. They help keep him alive. Siple has battled suicidal thoughts in the past. He lost his father to suicide, and one of his sons has struggled with thoughts of hurting himself. That’s made Siple vigilant about protecting himself and his family. (Pattani, 6/9)
KFF Health News: Could Your Kid Benefit From Counseling? Experts Offer 3 Questions To Help You Decide
HealthQ’s Cara Anthony and Blake Farmer share know-how for parents navigating the decision to seek out mental healthcare for a child. Divorce rocked the lives of Marcela Cabay and her daughter, who was a preschooler at the time. But counseling didn’t come until years later, when Cabay noticed her daughter was tensing up every time a storm rolled through or whenever they were preparing to be apart. “She was experiencing just a lot of anxiety, really starting to think worst-case scenarios all the time, just really struggling in her daily life,” said Cabay, who is a life insurance broker outside Austin, Texas. (Farmer and Anthony, 6/9)
