Vivek Murthy wants kids off social media

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Feb 24, 2023 View in browser   By Ruth Reader, Ben Leonard and Erin Schumaker TECH MAZE Murthy's podcasting about wellness and meditation to combat mental illness. | AP Photo/Charles Dharapak Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is an evangelist for wellness, hosting town halls and expounding on meditation and mindfulness on his House Calls podcast. He’s particularly concerned about kids’ mental health and has issued guidance for young people, suggesting they ask for help, volunteer in their communities and learn stress management techniques. And he’s testified before Congress about the topic. In conversation with Ruth, he calls out social media as a unique threat to the rising generation, a view shared by many in Congress who are considering legislation to make it harder for kids to use the technology. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. How did mental health become such a focus for you? I think for many of us who work on mental health, that it comes from a place of personal experience. And I’m no different, you know, as a young person, I struggled a lot with my mental health. But it was when I first became surgeon general in 2014 that I really came to see it was a national problem. When you look at the statistics around us, it’s hard not to escape the idea that we are not only in a mental health crisis, but one that is worsening. And if we do not do something about it, it will continue to have profound consequences for us. What are you hearing from parents?  The most common question I get from parents when it comes to mental health is about social media. They ask me: “Is social media hurting my children and how do I manage it?” What do you tell them? Too many kids get exposed to harmful content on social media. They also can get bullied. So safety standards need to ensure that we both understand the harms and potential harm to our kids and that steps are being taken by the platforms to mitigate and minimize those harms. Social media is being used by billions of people without effective social safety standards. I believe we should raise the age at which kids can use social media. My belief is that 13 is too young, and I say that based on the data that I've seen. We also need to require data transparency from companies so that we understand the full impact on the mental health and well-being of our kids that these platforms have. What’s the most surprising thing that you’ve learned from talking to kids and parents? One of the most surprising, and heartening, things that I’ve heard is just how powerful young people can be as forces in addressing the mental health crisis. The Becoming a Man program, which started in high schools in Chicago, is now spread to Boston and other cities. These programs are having a real impact, resulting in a 50 percent decline in violent arrests among the young people who participated.   JOIN POLITICO ON 3/1 TO DISCUSS AMERICAN PRIVACY LAWS: Americans have fewer privacy rights than Europeans, and companies continue to face a minefield of competing state and foreign legislation. There is strong bipartisan support for a federal privacy bill, but it has yet to materialize. Join POLITICO on 3/1 to discuss what it will take to get a federal privacy law on the books, potential designs for how this type of legislation could protect consumers and innovators, and more. REGISTER HERE.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Woodstock, Vt. | Shawn Zeller This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. This week's whiplash weather isn't just a harbinger of climate change. Rapid temperature swings can exacerbate health problems, especially in people with underlying conditions, public health advocates told The Washington Post. Young, healthy people can likely adjust to a 40-degree temperature change without much of a problem, but research suggests that for older and more vulnerable populations, rapid temperature swings can put stress on the heart or trigger migraines. A drop in humidity can dry out the nose, raising the risk for bacterial and viral infections and can trigger allergy symptoms. And for young and old alike, if you opted to wear winter clothing on an 81-degree February day in Washington, as yesterday was, you also ran the risk of overheating. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Ben Leonard at bleonard@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. Today on our Pulse Check podcast, more from Ruth's interview with Murthy. Listen to today's Pulse Check podcast WORLD VIEW Delicious, but moderation is advised. | Getty Images Disordered eating, which includes both eating to excess and depriving oneself of food, is a global phenomenon affecting more than 1 in 5 kids, according to a new review published in JAMA Pediatrics. The analysis of 32 studies covering more than 63,000 kids between 7 and 18 years old in 16 countries found that 22 percent of the children demonstrated disordered eating. Girls (30 percent) were almost twice as likely as boys (17 percent) to report disordered eating. However, in adolescence, the sex differences appeared to be “relatively minor.” The analysis also found that rates of disordered eating — behaviors like binge-eating, self-induced vomiting and extreme exercise — rose as kids got older and their body mass indexes increased. Disordered eating may not reach the clinical bar for an eating disorder diagnosis. The authors from Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the University of Manchester in the U.K., and other universities said the research demonstrates the need for primary care providers to screen for eating disorders. Zooming out: The research comes amid increased attention on eating disorders and social media’s alleged role in causing them. Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told Congress in 2021 that social media can increase eating disorders for teen girls, an issue drawing bipartisan concern. A California court could soon determine whether social media firms must alter their algorithms to shield users from some content and pay for alleged damage to mental health. It’s considering a lawsuit accusing tech giants of making products that can lead to eating disorders and other mental health issues. Instagram shows no weight-loss ads to minors, and Meta notes it has parental supervision tools. ByteDance (TikTok’s owner) works with the National Eating Disorders Association to flag harmful content. Some national and state mental health groups have called for a national health emergency on youth mental health, citing a significant rise in eating disorders.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. Don't miss out on the must-know stories, candid insights, and analysis from POLITICO's energy team. Listen today.     DANGER ZONE Most Americans aren't sold on AI. | Seth Wenig/AP Photo Artificial intelligence has a trust gap, especially in health care. A recent MITRE-Harris Poll survey found that more than half of Americans polled aren’t on board with the federal government using the technology to help process Medicare and veterans’ benefits. Most also say they aren’t comfortable talking with an artificial intelligence chatbot for typical health questions. “A lot of it’s fueled by a steady drumbeat of negative press for failures, from autonomous vehicle crashes to failed attempts to deploy AI for health care,” said Douglas Robbins, vice president for engineering and prototyping at MITRE, a nonprofit technology and engineering firm. “A lack of understanding is the other part of it,” he added, noting that the public is less comfortable with AI than tech experts. Honing in on specific use cases in health care could build data to help bolster trust, he said. That data could inform future regulation that would also improve trust. Eight in 10 Americans polled said they’d support artificial intelligence regulation. The survey also found that fewer than half of the general public thinks AI is “safe and secure,” compared with two-thirds of tech experts. AI has so far failed to make the big splash in health care that technologists have predicted it would make, but investors and tech experts are still bullish on its potential.   Follow us on Twitter Ben Leonard @_BenLeonard_ Ruth Reader @RuthReader Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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