By The Defender Staff
Parents’ Excessive Smartphone Use Could Harm Children’s Mental Health
A child at the dinner table talks about trouble at school or an argument with a friend, but parents aren’t listening: They’re checking their smartphones instead.
It’s a scenario that plays out millions of times per day across America, and it could be harming the mental health of children, a new study suggests.
Kids ages 9 to 11 who said their parents spent way too much on their smartphones were more prone to anxiety, attention issues and hyperactivity later on compared to the youngsters of parents who weren’t phone-obsessed, Canadian researchers report.
“When children’s emotional and physical needs are consistently ignored or inappropriately responded to, they are at risk of developing mental health difficulties,” explained a team led by Sheri Madigan, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Calgary in Alberta.
Her team published their findings Aug. 16 in the journal JAMA Network Open.
Babies Exposed to Common Chemical May Face Higher Risk of Diabetes, Obesity
Early-life exposure to common chemicals in our environment might permanently damage our gut health, research suggests, contributing to the development of diabetes and obesity later in life.
Scientists have hypothesized that exposure to these “forever chemicals” during childhood may be contributing the recent rise in these disorders among American adults.
“Persistent organic pollutants are found worldwide and they affect not only humans but also wildlife,” Andrew Patterson, a professor of molecular toxicology and of biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State, told Newsweek. “The negative health effects of these chemicals are well documented and include birth defects and cancer.”
New Research Shows How PFAS Could Be Affecting New Hampshire’s Nursing Moms, Babies
New Hampshire Bulletin reported:
A recent study of New Hampshire mothers led by a Dartmouth researcher found that mothers with higher per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, or PFAS, levels were at greater risk of stopping exclusive breastfeeding early. Experts recommend infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months because of a number of health benefits.
The New Hampshire study, published in May, found the association with shorter breastfeeding durations was “driven largely by PFOA,” or perfluorooctanoate. Those in the highest quarter of PFOA levels had a 28 percent greater risk of stopping exclusive breastfeeding before six months than those in the bottom quarter of PFOA levels.
PFAS are linked to a number of health problems, including some cancers, but people may not realize the impact it can have in the earliest stages of life. Breast milk can expose infants to PFAS and other environmental chemicals, according to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The study did not find an association between PFAS and stopping partial breastfeeding before 12 months. One year of breastfeeding was the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics until it was lengthened to two years in 2022.
Students With Mental Health Struggles Linked to Absenteeism and Lower Grades, Showing Clear Need for More in-School Support
Parents are reporting worse mental health for their children than they did a decade ago, but different groups of children are struggling with mental health in markedly different ways.
That’s what our team at the University of Southern California’s Center for Applied Research in Education found using a widely used mental health screening measure.
More specifically, we found that preteen boys — the subgroup with the worst scores — struggle more in areas that include externalizing behaviors like hyperactivity, inattentiveness and conduct problems. For teen girls — the subgroup with the second-worst scores — struggles were especially pronounced in more internal problems like anxiety and depression.
These results confirm an upward trend in student mental health concerns that began before the pandemic but was likely exacerbated by school shutdowns, social isolation and other child and family stressors brought on by COVID-19.
Kids Who Survived Super Bowl Shooting Are Scared, Suffering Panic Attacks and Sleep Problems
Six months after Gabriella Magers-Darger’s legs were burned by sparks from a ricocheted bullet at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in February, the 14-year-old is ready to leave the past behind. But the past remains ever present.
Children are particularly vulnerable to the stresses of gun violence, and 10 of 24 people injured by bullets at the Feb. 14 parade were under 18 years old. Countless more children like Gabriella experienced the trauma firsthand. They’ve endured fear, anger, sleep problems and hypersensitivity to crowds and noises.
A 15-year-old girl who was shot through the jaw and shoulder effectively dropped out of school for a time and daily panic attacks kept her from summer school, too. An 11-year-old boy shot in the side described feeling angry at school for reasons he couldn’t explain. A 5-year-old girl who was on her father’s shoulders when he was hit by gunfire panics each time her dad feels sick, fearing he has been shot again.
Scientists say the long-term effects of gun violence on kids are little researched and poorly understood. But the harm is pervasive. Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that during the first year after a firearm injury, child survivors experienced a 117% increase in pain disorders, a 68% increase in psychiatric disorders, and a 144% increase in substance use disorders. The mental health effects spill over — to mothers, fathers, siblings.
The post Parents’ Excessive Smartphone Use Could Harm Children’s Mental Health + More appeared first on Children’s Health Defense.
IPAK-EDU is grateful to Children’s Health Defense as this piece was originally published there and is included in this news feed with mutual agreement. Read More
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