Meta, Snap, and TikTok have come together to start a new program to stop content featuring suicide or self-harm from spreading across social media platforms. The program, called Thrive, was created along with the Mental Health Coalition, a group of organizations that work to destigmatize those issues. Through Thrive, Meta, Snap, and TikTok will be…

A coalition of 42 state and territory attorneys general called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms. The attorneys general argued that requiring these warning labels would be “one consequential step toward mitigating the risk of harm to youth.” The initiative builds on U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s June proposal to ask…

New data shows teen use of e-cigarettes is at its lowest level in a decade. The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey found over 1.6 million middle and high school students are still using e-cigarettes, with 500,000 fewer teens reporting they vape compared to last year. It’s a notable decrease, and health officials are pointing to…

Smoking has seen a huge drop in the past few decades, now registering in at an 80-year low. Numbers back in 1944 said that 41% of American adults smoked. Decades later, that number has fallen to just 11%. Regardless of the steep drop, more adults still smoke traditional cigarettes as compared to vaping and e-cigs.…

It started out as a simple question, but it quickly shed light on something much more complicated. In January 2024, Sesame Street’s Elmo made an innocent post on X. “Elmo is just checking in,” the character said. “How is everybody doing?” That opened the floodgates. Thousands of people responded, voicing their issues with “existential dread,”…

Drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound are reshaping treatment for obesity and diabetes, and their benefits might extend further. Emerging research suggests that GLP-1 drugs could also help manage addiction, sleep apnea and even cancer. These medications, which regulate hormones, slow digestion and reduce hunger, are showing promise in preventing cancers linked to obesity, such…

High school students are petitioning against schools in several states across the U.S. as cellphone bans come into effect. Thousands in Florida, Louisiana and Nevada have signed such petitions, stating that they want access to their cellphones during school hours.  Broward County Schools in Miami, Florida, recently implemented new restrictions for student cellphone use. The…

The mental health of high school students has improved slightly in recent years, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). However, a share of students still reported feeling sad and hopeless — especially female students. The CDC conducts its youth risk behavior survey every two years. Between 2021 and…

On June 28, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 40 years of “Chevron deference” in a landmark ruling that experts say will cause a “legal earthquake.” The 6-3 conservative opinion upends a long tradition of relying on neutral expertise to interpret and execute laws and regulations. Broadly speaking, the ruling empowers judges and corporations at the…

Virginia’s governor is the latest lawmaker to take on cellphone use in schools. On Tuesday, July 9, Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R, issued an executive order to keep them out of schools across the state. The order directs Virginia’s Department of Education to help public schools create policies establishing what he calls “cell phone-free education.”  The…