“I think the major takeaway from our study should be that social media use is a poor substitute for person-to-person interaction. Our results suggest that no matter how one uses social media—actively or passively—such use leads to higher levels of loneliness.” That’s what James A. Roberts, professor and researcher, Baylor University, told PsyPost.

“These are kids who spent most of their formative years – kindergarten, first grade, second grade, third grade, when you’re supposed to be learning social skills – not learning them. They don’t have those social skills,” Wendy Gonzalez, an elementary school teacher in Richmond, CA. said that as a result of remote learning during the pandemic, many of her students didn’t “know how to talk to each other.”

“Sitting toddlers down in front of a screen all day can do lasting damage to their brains, a new study warns. Scientists in Singapore add that the harm to screen-watching infants persists into late childhood, even beyond the age of eight.

NBC News: Some paper and bamboo straws contain so-called “forever chemicals” that could make them a less-than-ideal alternative to plastic, researchers have found.

“Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) in plastics pose a serious threat to public health and cost the U.S. an estimated $250 billion in increased health care costs in 2018, according to new research published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. The paper is titled ‘Chemicals Used in Plastic Materials: An Estimate of the Attributable Disease Burden and Costs in the US.'”

NBC News: “The average liter of bottled water has nearly a quarter million invisible pieces of ever so tiny nanoplastics, detected and categorized for the first time by a microscope using dual lasers.”

Study Finds: “Medical professionals are raising the alarm over a ‘silent killer’ that has infiltrated American society — ultra-processed foods. In a new study, physicians from Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine are shining a light on the perils of these foods and the urgent need for a dietary shift.

CBS News: “Cannabis use — whether smoked, eaten or vaporized — is associated with a higher number of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, according to a new study.”

CNN: “Eating ultraprocessed foods raises the risk of developing or dying from dozens of adverse health conditions, according to a new review of 45 meta-analyses on almost 10 million people.”

“Alcohol is a well-established, preventable cause of cancer responsible for about 100,000 cases of cancer and 20,000 cancer deaths annually in the United States. Yet the majority of Americans are unaware of this risk.” Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. surgeon general.

Don’t count on the baby food aisle at your local supermarket to provide healthy nutritious foods for your child. That’s the takeaway of a new study.

“I can’t underscore just how powerful it is to have a few moments of authentic interaction with somebody where you can hear their voice and see their face. There is tremendous benefit that comes to each of us from being able to show up for each other.” Dr. Murphy has even previously cited loneliness as an epidemic in our society.