Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Screen Time For Children Soars; Parents, Experts Alarmed
Axios: Kids’ Screen Time Up 50% During Pandemic
When the coronavirus lockdowns started in March, kidstech firm SuperAwesome found that screen time was up 50%. Nearly a year later, that percentage hasn't budged, according to new figures from the firm. Why it matters: For most parents, pre-pandemic expectations around screen time are no longer realistic. The concern now has shifted from the number of hours in front of screens to the quality of screen time. (Fischer and McGill, 1/17)
The New York Times: Children’s Screen Time Has Soared In The Pandemic, Alarming Parents And Researchers
The day after New Year’s, John Reichert of Boulder, Colo., had a heated argument with his 14-year-old son, James. “I’ve failed you as a father,” he told the boy despairingly. During the long months of lockdowns and shuttered schools, Mr. Reichert, like many parents, overlooked the vastly increasing time that his son was spending on video games and social media. Now, James, who used to focus his free time on mountain biking and playing basketball, devotes nearly all of his leisure hours — about 40 a week — to Xbox and his phone. During their argument, he pleaded with his father not to restrict access, calling his phone his “whole life.” (Richtel, 1/16)
WTKR: Local Ophthalmologist Explains Potential Effects Of Excessive Screen Time On Kids
A local ophthalmologist is talking about potential effects of excessive time that children are spending on electronic devices. Dr. Shannon McCole, an ophthalmologist with Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, says she’s not just concerned about eye health. She warns of sleep problems related to exposure to blue light. (Bohon, 1/18)
In other pediatric news —
KOLD: New Study Shows Children Hospitalized With COVID Has Increased 4,000% In Six Months
With alarming COVID numbers in Arizona comes a rise in child hospitalizations. A new medical study shows Arizona has one of the most significant spikes in COVID pediatric hospitalizations over the past six months in the entire country. Now parents and doctors are speaking out. “It’s heart-wrenching because there’s absolutely nothing you can do as a parent, but just sit there and pray and hope and have faith,” said Marissa King. It was one of the hardest things her and her family have been through. King’s now 13-year-old daughter, Joelle, was hospitalized with COVID-19 and multi-system inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) for two weeks in July. (1/16)
News9.com: Oklahoma Doctors Seeing More Cases Of Dangerous COVID-19 Side Effect In Kids
Doctors at OU Health said they are seeing more and more cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children. The condition is considered a side effect of COVID-19 and causes different body parts to become inflamed including the heart, lungs and kidneys. The doctors with OU Children's told News 9 the condition is still rare to the general public, but their hospital has now seen about two dozen children with MIS-C. As the COVID-19 cases increase, the doctors think they are seeing an increase in the condition as well. (Holden, 1/18)
Also —
CIDRAP: COVID-19 Occasionally Associated With Serious Childbirth Complications
Pregnant women with COVID-19 are more likely to experience complications such as heart attacks or blood clots, though the absolute increased risk is small, according to a JAMA Internal Medicine research letter [Friday]. These findings highlight the need for risk mitigations, the authors write, adding that pregnant women should also be included in COVID-19 vaccine and treatment trials. (1/15)
Stat: Covid-19 Vaccine Guidance For Lactating Individuals Is Flawed, Experts Say
Maggie Anthony didn’t have much time to deliberate before getting her Covid-19 vaccine. A labor and delivery nurse at Cambridge Hospital in Massachusetts, she suddenly heard from her manager that shots would be available the next day. But with an 8-month-old breastfeeding baby at home, she wasn’t sure whether to accept. Those who are pregnant and lactating haven’t been included in clinical trials for the Covid vaccines, so there’s no data on the vaccines’ safety for these groups. (Preston, 1/19)
WCPO: Breast Milk Could Help In Fight Against COVID-19 In Young Children
New research is looking at if antibodies found in breast milk could help fight off and treat severe cases of COVID-19. "There's a lot of chatter about that, and I think that's exciting," Dr. Laura Ward M.D., a neonatologist at the University of Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said. The research is still in its infancy, but Ward said there is evidence that breast milk contains antibodies which help protect against lower respiratory issues. (Kraemer, 1/19)
Bloomberg: Covid Trials For Kids Get Underway With First Results By Summer
In the U.S., more than 14 million Covid-19 shots have been given since mid-December, mainly to health workers, the elderly and those at high risk. To defeat the pandemic and fully revive the economy, children will also have to be immunized, experts say. To that end, trials to make sure vaccines are safe for the young are beginning in earnest. Pfizer and Moderna Inc. started recruiting participants at the end of last year, and could have data from studies by summer. The University of Oxford, which developed a vaccine with AstraZeneca Plc, is planning initial tests in 12- to 18-year-olds next month. “If you want to get this under control, you need to vaccinate kids,” said Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer at Johnson & Johnson. He estimates J&J will start trials for children four to six weeks after receiving results from its adult studies, which are expected by early February. (Ring and Griffin, 1/19)
