The social media battle moves to the House

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Aug 05, 2024 View in browser   By Ruth Reader, Daniel Payne, Carmen Paun, Erin Schumaker and Toni Odejimi WASHINGTON WATCH Schumer is pushing back on House Republicans over reports that they won't support KOSA. | AP Majority Leader Chuck Schumer isn’t happy about reports that the Kids Online Safety Act, which the Senate passed last week to protect the mental health of children who use social media, might face trouble in the House. “It has been reported that House Republicans will refuse to take these bills up,” the New York Democrat said on the Senate floor, calling it a gut punch for the parents who have pushed for the legislation. “These parents, the kids across America, deserve better.” Why it matters: Parents are concerned that social media is contributing to a youth mental health crisis. Lawmakers are under pressure to pass legislation that keeps kids safe from the worst aspects of the platforms. A coalition of advocacy groups was able to push legislation forward in the Senate. They say they plan to apply the same pressure in the House. “The parents and young people who are leading the push for KOSA were able to break through the inaction and opposition in the Senate, and we’re confident that as they share their personal stories more broadly with representatives, they’ll do the same in the House,” said Ashwin Verghese, communications director for FairPlay, an advocacy group that promotes child safety online. Even so: The bill’s critics will also meet with lawmakers this month. “In a lot of ways, this isn’t going to wildly change our plans,” said Evan Greer, director of Fight for the Future, a technology policy nonprofit that’s against the Kids Online Safety Act. “KOSA is dead for now, but the misguided thinking behind it is very much alive as well in Washington, D.C.” Meanwhile: While KOSA may be in limbo, the tech giants are already thinking about how they will comply with some of its provisions. This week, Google launched new parental controls to help keep tabs on teens who watch YouTube. The company defaults to certain safety settings for kids, including limiting recommendations for content, like dieting videos, that could be problematic.   During unprecedented times, POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy. Live briefings, policy trackers, and and people intelligence secures your seat at the table. Learn more.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. The New Yorker's Robert F. Kennedy Jr. profile, which contains an anecdote about the presidential candidate dumping a dead black bear in Central Park a decade ago, is live. (Yes, there’s a photo of Kennedy with the bear.) Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com, or Toni Odejimi at aodejimi@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.  WORKFORCE Clinicians’ familiarity with AI could be key to the tech’s adoption through the health sector. | Al Behrman/AP Advanced artificial intelligence is developing at a rapid clip in the health industry, but it won’t be as useful as it could be if health workers aren’t comfortable using it. That’s the theory of OSF HealthCare, a large health system in Illinois and Michigan, which is trying to familiarize its workforce with the new tool and its potential. “Once you get people comfortable with this,” Melissa Knuth, the organization’s vice president of planning who oversaw the initiative, said, “the potential in the clinical space is really exponential.” First things first: OSF wants to “raise all boats” so that the system’s 24,000 employees have a basic understanding of AI, said Knuth. The educational campaign serves as a sort of “AI literacy 101” and includes guidance on what kinds of AI models are appropriate for clinical settings and how to craft a prompt that will get the most out of generative AI capable of responding to questions. Why it matters: Health systems across the country are looking to educate clinicians on AI, create guidance for appropriate use and take advantage of the tech — all at the same time. Knuth said OSF used generative AI tools to create the training, suggesting it could speed the development of future education initiatives. What’s next? Educating the health system’s workforce about AI is an ongoing project, Knuth said — partly because new AI tools and uses for old tools will continue arising.   SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW.     INNOVATORS Drones are being enlisted to fight mosquito-spread disease. | Jaime Saldarriaga/AP Researchers at the World Mosquito Program at Australia’s Monash University have enlisted drones to fight dengue, a mosquito-transmitted disease that causes high fever and flu-like symptoms and has led to a record number of cases in the Americas this year. How so? The program involves dispersing from the drones mosquitoes carrying a bacteria that blocks dengue. Infected mosquitoes spread the bacteria to the wild population, reducing disease transmission. The drones carry mosquito storage canisters that house up to 160,000 bugs. The canisters have a climate-control system to keep the mosquitoes sedated and healthy until they’re released in groups of 150. Why it matters: Researchers have determined that aerial releases lead to uniform mosquito distribution comparable to more labor-intensive ground-based strategies. More than half of the world’s population lives in areas suitable for dengue transmission. Climate change and global mobility have increased the risk of dengue spreading worldwide. Global dengue incidence has increased 30-fold in the past 50 years, with an estimated 390 million cases a year and approximately 10,000 deaths reported annually, according to recent studies.   Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

To change your alert settings, please log in at https://login.politico.com/?redirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.politico.com/settings This email was sent to rouf@idiot.cloudns.cc by: POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA Unsubscribe | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service