Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'So Stressed They Cannot Function': Surgeon General Warns On Parenting Hazards
USA Today: Parenting May Be Hazardous To Your Health, Surgeon General Warns
The surgeon general has a new public health warning. And this time, the hazard isn’t tobacco or alcohol: it’s parenting. Two-fifths of parents say that on most days, “they are so stressed they cannot function,” the Office of the Surgeon General reports in an advisory titled Parents Under Pressure. Roughly half of parents term that stress “completely overwhelming.” Those dire findings anchor a 35-page report, released in late August, that posits parental stress as “an urgent public health issue.” (De Visé, 9/13)
The Hill: Why Are So Many Parents ‘So Stressed They Cannot Function’?
Psychologists and parenting experts who spoke with The Hill said many other societal factors are also contributing to parents’ emotional exhaustion — including decreasing access to child care and changing expectations of what it means to be a good parent. Experts who spoke with The Hill said the surgeon general was right in naming social media as one of the biggest parental stressors of the modern era. (O'Connell-Domenech, 9/11)
In related news about transgender youth —
USA Today: Youth Sports: Anti-LGBTQ Language Erases Benefits Of Participation
A culture of masculinity marked by anti-LGBTQ and other harmful language pervades youth sports environments, according to a study led by Fordham University researchers – signaling a public health concern whose implications, experts say, are both wide-ranging and long-lasting. While sports generally offer great benefits for youth, the study found those benefits are increasingly eroded the more that youth are exposed to such language ― even if they aren't the targets of it. (Ramirez, 9/13)
In other news about social media —
CNBC: Congressman Slams Meta Over Response About Illicit Drug Ads On Apps
A Republican congressman slammed Meta on Thursday over what the lawmaker called an inadequate response to concerns about illicit drug advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. (Vanian, 9/12)
The New York Times: This Chatbot Pulls People Away From Conspiracy Theories
DebunkBot, an A.I. chatbot designed by researchers to “very effectively persuade” users to stop believing unfounded conspiracy theories, made significant and long-lasting progress at changing people’s convictions, according to a study published on Thursday in the journal Science. Indeed, false theories are believed by up to half of the American public and can have damaging consequences, like discouraging vaccinations or fueling discrimination. The new findings challenge the widely held belief that facts and logic cannot combat conspiracy theories. (Rosenbluth, 9/12)
