Can missing, natural indigo light explain the ‘myopia boom’ in children spending too much time indoors?

Amazing stuff! Good news! A very clever experiment.

"Efforts to explain rising rates of myopia, or nearsightedness, in children worldwide have made two things clear: More time spent outdoors seems protective, and more time spent indoors increases risk.

A new study in tree shrews now suggests a key to preventing myopia may be the indigo portion of sunlight. ...

In the new study, researchers first induced myopia in tree shrews—diurnal mammals that can serve as a model for primate visual systems—by fitting them with tiny spectacles that focus light at a point behind the retina, tricking it into growing longer to compensate.

The team found that indigo light (wavelengths between 419 and 446 nanometers) activated a light-sensing protein on the tree shrews’ retinas called OPN5, linked in mouse models to myopia prevention.

These indigo wavelengths are more abundant in natural sunlight than modern indoor lighting, and increasing their presence in the lights illuminating the animals’ indoor enclosure prevented myopia induced by the spectacles.

The results have not yet been confirmed in humans, but some of the authors are involved in companies developing classroom lighting and LED-equipped glasses that aim to give children’s eyes a steadier diet of indigo."

From the highlights and abstract:

"Highlights

• Indigo light suppresses lens-induced myopia in tree shrews

• The most protective wavelength range is 419–446 nm

• Tree shrew lens filtering shifts effective OPN5 stimulation to indigo

• Built environments may lack protective indigo wavelengths

Summary

Today, about 2.8 billion people worldwide suffer from myopia (nearsightedness), and projections place the 2050 burden at 4.8 billion people (the “myopia boom”). Myopia results from abnormal elongation of the eye, which causes images to focus in front of the retina.

Building on prior work in mouse models assessing the non-visual opsin OPN5, we test the hypothesis that insufficient exposure to short-wavelength light increases myopia susceptibility.

We use the tree shrew, a near-primate model for human myopia. Our findings show that indigo light in the range of 419–446 nm, when used to supplement a warm white light-emitting diode (LED), completely suppresses myopia induced by minus-lens wear.

A large body of genetic and epidemiological evidence suggests that the “myopia boom” has an environmental cause.

Our findings align with this evidence and suggest that one contributing factor is the relative absence of indigo light in built environments where we spend 86% of our time."

ScienceAdviser

Myopia and Indigo Light: Grytz Pushes Boundaries in Vision Research (a related, but older original news release from August 2025)

Prevention of myopia in a near-primate by supplemental indigo light suggests a hypothesis for the myopia boom (open access)

Graphical abstract

Figure 1 Expression of OPN5 in ganglion cells of the tree shrew retina

Kids Who Joined Social Media Earlier Had Lower Test Scores, Study Finds. Really!

Not so fast! As usual, this is a biased study as it does not ask what do young users of social media learn more compared to other students.

The study is limited to Northern Italy and focuses only on early childhood!

"Children who start using social media at a younger age may be putting their future academic performance at risk, according to a new study that tracked more than 5,000 students in Italy.

Researchers found that adolescents who opened their first personal social media account at ages 11 to 12 went on to score significantly lower in standardized tests than peers who waited until age 14 or 15. ..."

From the abstract:

"This study uses difference-in-differences models to evaluate the impact of early social media use on academic performance among children aged 7–16 years. A dataset comprising 5,227 students from northern Italy was constructed by merging data from a questionnaire on lifetime digital media habits with longitudinal standardized test scores in Italian, English and mathematics. Participants who created a personal social media account in 6th, 7th or 8th grade were separately matched with late adopters who initiated their first social media account in the 9th grade or later. The findings provide compelling evidence that early engagement with social media adversely affects learning outcomes. Additional findings on the effects of early social media use on other academic outcomes for which we do not have longitudinal data are in line with our main findings. We also find supporting evidence that a substantial part of this negative effect is mediated by students’ smartphone pervasiveness in key moments of the day."

Kids Who Joined Social Media Earlier Had Lower Test Scores, Study Finds - Newsweek (behind paywall)

Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career (open access)

Fig. 1: Exposure to technology during primary, lower- and upper-secondary school, box plot.

Fig. 2: Effect of early use of social media on competences in grades 8 (Italian, mathematics and English) and 10 (Italian and mathematics).

Studie: Social Media kostet Schüler ein halbes Jahr Lernleistung. Wirklich!

Was fuer ein Unsinn! Wieviele Jahre Lernleistung sind in den 1980ern durch Videospiele verloren gegangen?

Verbote sind dumm! Altersgrenzen sind hart zu definieren und schwer durchsetzbar. Die Verantwortung liegt bei den Eltern!

Die Studie ist auch auf frühkindlichen Gebrauch von sozialen Medien und auf Nord Italien beschränkt! Sie enthält nur zwei Grafiken.

Könnte ein halbes Jahr sogar grössten Teils ein Messfehler sein? Jede Wette!

Warum wird eigentlich nicht gefragt wieviel Kinder lernen durch soziale Medien?

"Eine der drängenden Fragen unserer Zeit lautet: Ab welchem Alter sollten Kinder und Jugendliche soziale Medien verwenden dürfen? Im Kleinen stellt sie sich irgendwann wohl jeder Familie. Im Großen ist sie eine zentrale Frage bei der aktuellen Debatte um Social-Media-Verbote, nicht zuletzt auch in Deutschland.

Eine neue Studie von Forschern um den Soziologen Marco Gui von der Universität Mailand-Bicocca könnte bei der Antwort helfen. Das Team hat untersucht, welchen Einfluss das Alter beim ersten Kontakt mit Tiktok, Snapchat und dergleichen auf die schulischen Leistungen hat. Die Antwort ist in „Nature Human Behaviour“ nachzulesen: Je früher Kinder Zugang zu sozialen Medien bekommen, desto schlechter fallen in den darauffolgenden Jahren ihre Schulnoten aus. ..."

From the abstract:

"This study uses difference-in-differences models to evaluate the impact of early social media use on academic performance among children aged 7–16 years. A dataset comprising 5,227 students from northern Italy was constructed by merging data from a questionnaire on lifetime digital media habits with longitudinal standardized test scores in Italian, English and mathematics. Participants who created a personal social media account in 6th, 7th or 8th grade were separately matched with late adopters who initiated their first social media account in the 9th grade or later. The findings provide compelling evidence that early engagement with social media adversely affects learning outcomes. Additional findings on the effects of early social media use on other academic outcomes for which we do not have longitudinal data are in line with our main findings. We also find supporting evidence that a substantial part of this negative effect is mediated by students’ smartphone pervasiveness in key moments of the day."

Studie: Social Media kostet Schüler ein halbes Jahr Lernleistung | FAZ (behind paywall) "Eine Studie enthüllt, welchen Einfluss das Alter beim ersten Kontakt mit sozialen Medien auf die Noten hat. Sie dürfte die Debatte um Altersgrenzen weiter befeuern."

Longitudinal effect of early social media use on standardized learning outcomes during school career (open access)

Fig. 1: Exposure to technology during primary, lower- and upper-secondary school, box plot.

Fig. 2: Effect of early use of social media on competences in grades 8 (Italian, mathematics and English) and 10 (Italian and mathematics).

US Surgeon General warns about Kids’ Screen Time

How much is alarmism and hysteria?

Were not similar warnings issued when video games became popular in the late 1973, early 1980s? You bet!

"Early and excessive screen time can trigger severe neurocognitive delays in young children, harming attention, memory, and language skills, Interim Surgeon General Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos warned on Sunday. ...

To fight back, her office released a framework called “the 5 Ds”: discuss rules as a family, model good habits, divert kids to hands-on activities, disconnect during meals and car rides, and delay device access. ...

"... 

No. 1: [Family] Discuss

No. 2: Do ([parents be a] model the behavior)

No. 3: Divert [children to other activities etc.]

No. 4. Disconnect [like screen free periods]

No. 5: Delay [access to screens]

..."

Monday, July 27, 2026 - Join The Flyover

Too much screen time may trigger lasting brain delays, top health official warns "Interim surgeon general warns early and excessive screen time can trigger neurocognitive delays in young children"

Cassandra or Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos? 😊 (Source)

In a landmark case, Four men have been brought to trial in Sierra Leone over the forced marriage of a 17-year-old female teenager

Good news! How guilty are the mothers?

"Activists say the trial—the first of its kind in the country—shows that the national ban on child marriage is starting to be enforced."

"... “For the first time since child marriage was banned in Sierra Leone two years ago, people accused of committing the crime have been brought to trial.

Four men appeared at a High Court on Friday in the capital city, Freetown, charged with the forcible marriage of a 17-year-old girl …"

"... Among the accused are the girl's father and her so-called husband. The BBC is not naming them to protect the child's identity.

All four men pleaded guilty - but because the alleged groom claimed he had obtained consent from the child's mother for the marriage, relying on the outdated customary marriage act, his plea was re-classed by the prosecutor as "not guilty". ...

Sierra Leone is a patriarchal society and it has long been common for a father to give his daughter's hand in marriage forcibly.

Despite the fact that 18 is now the minimum age to wed, many instances of underage girls being forced to marry persist in the country, often officiated by local religious figures. ..."

Doomslayer: Progress Roundup - by Malcolm Cochran

A Landmark Trial of Sierra Leone’s Child Marriage Ban

Four men held over child marriage in Sierra Leone appear in landmark court case

“Social Media Addiction” Is Way More Complicated Than You Think

Do not many teenagers go through some temporary infatuation or mania at some point during their adolescence? Oh, yea! Usually, they are harmless and end well!

Who is most responsible to make sure this does not become pathological, addictive etc.? Parents, guardians, older siblings!

"The era of social media addiction litigation is upon us.

In a case heard this March, a Los Angeles jury decided against Meta (the parent company of Instagram) and Google (the parent company of YouTube), finding them liable for negligence and defective design.

The plaintiff was 20-year-old Kaley G. M., who claimed that her decade-long addiction to social media caused her to suffer anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, and body dysmorphia. In her complaint, Kaley said she developed a “dangerous dependency” on the platforms. ...

For the defense, the Meta team argued the plaintiff’s psychological distress predated her use of Instagram ...

Kaley won $3 million in compensatory damages, and $3 million in punitive damages. Meta is appealing. ...

The same basic arguments used in Kaley’s lawsuit are driving lawsuits against Meta, Google, Snapchat, and ByteDance (owner of TikTok), filed by over 2,500 individuals, states, and schools. One study suggests that the compensation sought by more than 1,200 school districts totals nearly $500 billion.

Meanwhile, the California court system has coordinated a large group of plaintiffs—representing more than 1,000 cases from across the nation—suing social media companies under a collective known as Judicial Council Coordination Proceeding. The earliest cases will soon come before a California judge. ..."

“Social Media Addiction” Is Way More Complicated Than You Think | American Enterprise Institute - AEI

Rising summer heat linked to higher US youth suicide rates, especially ages 15 to 24. Really!

Why not all day long intense social media consumption on phones? This appears to be junk science to keep up the global warming/climate change hoax!

This study was conducted by researchers from Yale University and Brown University. I suspect this apparently shoddy research article was primarily produced to garner attention and citations. 

The reminder that the golden rule of statistics correlation is not causation may apply here too! Moreover, the higher suicide rates appear to be highly geographically concentrated (see chart below).

Notice also the difference between younger people and to general population is only 0.02 percentage points, i.e. 0.75% v. 0.73%. Even the summer effect difference is only 0.29 percentage points.

"... A recent U.S. study found that higher summer temperatures were strongly associated with increased suicide rates among youth, with the connection appearing specifically in summer. During those months, every 1°C (1.8°F) rise in average monthly temperature was associated with a 2.68% increase in the suicide rate. The summer heat effect was strongest among older teens and young adults ages 15 to 24. ..."

From the abstract:

"Abstract

Objective:

The impact of higher ambient temperature on suicide is well documented in the general population, although it remains unclear in youths despite their particular biosocial vulnerability. In an ecological study, the authors examined this relationship, focusing on seasonal differences.

Methods:

The authors calculated monthly suicide rates in young people (ages 5–24) by county using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Census Bureau from 1980 to 2004 in the contiguous United States.
Fixed-effects regression was used to estimate relative risk of suicide per 1°C change in average monthly temperature overall and by season, accounting for precipitation, region, county, month, and year.
Age-stratified analysis (ages 4 to 65+) assessed whether effects were unique to young people. Heterogeneity models examined the impacts of legal sex, income, race, education, geographic division, and rurality.

Results:

Averaged across seasons, suicide in young people increased 0.75% (95% CI=0.34, 1.16) per 1°C increase, comparable to the general population (0.73%, 95% CI=0.53, 0.93).
This effect was significant only in summer, and it was substantially larger in summer (2.68% per 1°C; 95% CI=1.42, 3.94).
Age stratification showed that 15- to 24-year-olds were uniquely vulnerable compared to other age groups (2.97% per 1°C; 95% CI=1.30, 4.65). Most geographic regions experienced this association, and no sociodemographic differences were identified.

Conclusions:

Summer heat is associated with higher suicide rates among late adolescents and young adults, who appear most at risk. This association likely reflects neurobiological and socioenvironmental conditions of young people that amplify heat-related mental health risk. These data highlight the need to study how ambient temperature impacts youth mental health and develop biosocially informed interventions as temperatures rise."

Rising summer heat linked to higher US youth suicide rates, especially ages 15 to 24

Deadly Heat: The Association Between Ambient Temperature and Suicide in Young People in the United States (open access)

FIGURE 1.  Trends in the effect sizes of the association of summer ambient temperature and suicide in young people (ages 5–24 years) by year and geographic division ... 
In panel B, the geographic divisions are color coded by natural breaks classification (Jenks) for the magnitude of the association.

More young people are looking frequently to AI chatbots for mental health help and many do not disclose it

Good news! What about older adults?

"... a new study finds one in five young people, about 8 million, lean on chatbots for mental health advice. ...

Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents and young adults reported using ChatGPT, Meta AI, Character.AI or other chatbots for mental health help when they were feeling stressed, angry or sad. That’s an estimated 8 million individuals, researchers report June 1 in JAMA Pediatrics.

Using a similar survey, the same research team had found in 2024 that 1 in 8 young people sought this advice from chatbots, which are not regulated or licensed for mental health treatment. ...

Suicide is a leading cause of death among children, adolescents and young adults. ..."

From the keypoints and abstract:

"Key Points

Questions  As of 2025, what percentage of US adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 21 years used artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health advice, and among those who use AI chatbots for this purpose, to what extent did they tell others?

Findings

This national survey including more than 42 million US youth (population-weighted) found that almost a fifth of adolescents and young adults reported using AI chatbots for mental health advice, representing an increase by almost half from 1 year prior. Most users told no one that they used AI chatbots for this purpose.

Meaning

AI chatbots are widely used by adolescents and young adults for emotional and psychological support, underscoring the urgent need for parents, clinicians, and policymakers to understand their evolving role in youth mental health care.

Abstract

Importance

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots has coincided with a persistent youth mental health crisis in the US, raising a question about the extent to which young people are turning to this technology for mental health advice.

Objective

To assess the prevalence, frequency, perceived helpfulness, and disclosure of AI chatbot use for mental health advice among US adolescents and young adults in 2025.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional, nationally representative survey was conducted with adolescents and young adults aged 12 to 21 years in November 2025.

Exposures

Exposures included self-reported age, sex, race and ethnicity, census region, metropolitan status, and prior discussion with a clinician about mental health in the past 6 months.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Self-reported use of AI chatbots for mental health advice, including any prior use, frequency of use, perceived helpfulness of responses, and disclosure of use to others. Respondents were also asked whether they had spoken with a physician about their mental health in the prior 6 months. Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, variation in responses was assessed according to respondents’ demographic and geographic characteristics.

Results

Among a US population-weighted 42 825 655 youth (unweighted, 1009 youth; median [IQR] age, 17 [15-18] years; population-weighted 21 410 663 male [50.0%]), 19.2% of adolescents and young adults (population-weighted n = 8 207 180) in 2025 reported having used AI chatbots for mental health advice. Among those who sought advice from AI chatbots, 42.8% did so at least monthly, and 91.7% rated the advice as somewhat or very helpful.

Most adolescents reported they had not disclosed AI chatbot use for mental health advice to anyone (63.3%).

Use of an AI chatbot for mental health advice was more common among females compared with males (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.10; 95% CI, 1.36-3.23), respondents aged 18 to 21 years compared with respondents aged 12 to 14 years (aOR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.98-6.74), and those who had spoken with a physician about their mental health in the prior 6 months compared with those who had not (aOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.18-3.03).

Conclusions and Relevance 

In this nationally representative survey study of US adolescents and young adults, a fifth reported using AI chatbots for mental health advice. AI chatbots are already embedded in many youths’ mental health information ecosystem, underscoring the need for parents and clinicians to proactively discuss chatbot use to promote safety, appropriate expectations, and linkages to evidence-based care."

More young people are looking to AI chatbots for mental health help

AI Chatbot Use and Disclosure for Mental Health Among US Adolescents and Young Adults (open access)

Credits: The Flyover

Cannabis use among adolescents increases the risks of being diagnosed with bipolar and psychotic disorders

Bad news! However, this study is based only on self reported use. Apparently, the study also did not investigate the intensity of the use of Cannabis.

Not a good idea for children/teenagers to consume such drugs!

"Cannabis use among adolescents increases the risks of being diagnosed with bipolar and psychotic disorders, as well as anxiety and depression, years later, per a new longitudinal study in JAMA Health Forum that analyzed data on 460,000 teenagers in Northern California for a 25–year period."

"... Findings  In this cohort study of 463 396 adolescents aged 13 to 17 years who were universally screened for cannabis use, past-year cannabis use was associated with a significantly increased risk of incident psychotic, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders by age 26 years. ...

Results ... Of 463 396 adolescents (... mean [SD] age, 14.5 [1.3] years) included in the sample ... At baseline, 26 345 adolescents (5.7%) self-reported past-year cannabis use.

Past-year cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of incident psychotic (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 2.19; 95% CI, 1.97-2.42), bipolar (AHR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.82-2.22), depressive (AHR, 1.34; 95% CI, 1.30-1.39), and anxiety disorders (AHR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.21-1.28). The strength of the associations between cannabis use and incident depressive and anxiety disorders decreased as adolescents aged. ... "

"... Researchers analyzed health data on 460,000 teenagers in the Kaiser Permanente Health System in Northern California. The teens were followed until they were 25 years old. The data included annual screenings for substance use and any mental health diagnoses from the health records. Researchers excluded the adolescents who had symptoms of mental illnesses before using cannabis. ...

They found that the teens who reported using cannabis in the past year were at a higher risk of being diagnosed with several mental health conditions a few years later, compared to teens who didn't use cannabis. ..."

Global Health NOW: The Power of Polio Influencers in Malawi; and Fiji’s ‘Tsunami’ of HIV Infections

Adolescent Cannabis Use and Risk of Psychotic, Bipolar, Depressive, and Anxiety Disorders

A huge study finds a link between cannabis use in teens and psychosis later

Teen Pregnancy Crisis in Philippines: Government Reports 138,697 Teen Mothers

Bad news!

(194) Teen Pregnancy Crisis in Philippines: Government Reports 138,697 Teen Mothers | WORLD DNA - YouTube

Beyond the classroom in Japan: Kids finding their place in society

Recommendable! "In Japan, hundreds of thousands of students find it hard to attend school, while families and teachers often struggle to bring them back. An NPO offers work experience that helps kids reconnect with society and build their confidence."

Back to textbooks: Denmark rolls back digital learning. Really!

Banning smartphones etc. is no solution! It is backwards. One extreme (too much screen time) is chasing another extreme (no screen time) for children. Bad politics!

Mystery of treatment-resistant childhood leukaemia uncovered, a new subtype of cancerous T-cells is identified

Good news! Cancer is history (soon)!

"A team ... and their collaborators mapped the origins of T-cell leukaemia. They identified a new subtype of cancerous T-cells that does not respond to current treatments and could be responsible for the high mortality in this type of childhood cancer.

The research ... pinpointed the gene that is switched on in these cells, and how to identify them. These cells could be identified by adapting tests that are already used routinely by clinicians and could therefore be easily integrated into clinical care.

Being able to identify children whose cancer will not respond to treatment could directly impact their clinical care. For example, allowing them to avoid chemotherapies that have been proven to be ineffective against resistant cancers and prioritise other treatments.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) affects the blood and bone marrow and is the most common type of childhood cancer, with 400 children diagnosed in the UK each year. There are two different groups depending on which immune cells are affected: B-cell leukaemia (B-ALL) and T-cell leukaemia (T-ALL).

In general, outcomes for B-ALL have improved over the past few decades due to the development of new immunotherapies and the identification of genomic subgroups that can help tailor treatment.

However, T-ALL makes up around 15 per cent of total cases and is a more aggressive disease. It has higher rates of treatment failure and drug resistance, which occur in about 10 percent of children with T-ALL4. ..."

From the abstract:

"Refractory cancers may arise either through the acquisition of resistance mechanisms or represent distinct disease states.
The origin of childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) that does not respond to initial treatment, i.e. refractory disease, is unknown.
Refractory T-ALL carries a poor prognosis and cannot be predicted at diagnosis. Here, we perform single cell mRNA sequencing of T-ALL from 58 children (84 samples) who did, or did not respond to initial treatment.

We identify a transcriptionally distinctive blast population, exhibiting features of innate-like lymphocytes, as the major source of refractory disease.
Evidence of such blasts at diagnosis heralds refractory disease across independent datasets and is associated with survival in a large, contemporary trial cohort.
Our findings portray refractory T-ALL as a distinct disease with the potential for immediate clinical utility."

Mystery of treatment-resistant childhood leukaemia uncovered "A new type of cancer cell that “warrants urgent investigation” has been discovered in childhood leukaemia and could impact clinical care. Research into new or repurposed treatments that target this new cell type could give hope to children and families worldwide. "

A non-canonical lymphoblast in refractory childhood T-cell leukaemia (open access)

Fig. 1 ZBTB16 defines refractory blasts in T-ALL

Republicans Weigh in on Bill Banning and criminalize Transgender Procedures for children

Generally speaking a good idea! However, legitimate and medically approved transgender treatments on a case by case basis should be carefully reviewed before approval, but not be banned.

Transgender has obviously become a mania and a cult way beyond what is rational and common sense! But when children are to become victims of either the mania or the cult, then they need to be protected. Some parents also seem to be too eager to have transgender children.

Anyone who uses terms like "gender-affirming care" or "gender dysphoria" are using horrible euphemisms at best or worst it is evil. The leftist gender ideology is horrible. Be warned immediately!

On the right, the language or terms used related to this issue are not much better. Terms like "sex-rejecting procedures", malpractice, "shielding God's creation" or "irreversible medical procedures" are wrong or misleading.

"Republicans’ commitment to ending the mutilation of children is being tested this week with the upcoming House vote on the Protect Children’s Innocence Act. 

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and co-sponsored by more than 40 other House Republicans, seeks to criminalize providing transgender surgeries or medications to minors in the United States. It also creates a right to action to sue for damages if a minor is a victim of a transgender procedure, such as the administration of cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, or genital surgeries. ..."

Republicans Weigh in on Bill Banning Transgender Procedures

Many European Parents with obese children tend to think their children are underweight or normal weight

Who is right, parents or WHO? Are parents just make belief or wishful thinking or denying reality or is there something wrong with the definition of obesity in children?

How reliably or accurately is obesity in children defined? Is there a widely accepted consensus on this definition?

It seems to be quite pretentious by the WHO to question parents like this?

The more obese children are diagnosed, the better the business for doctors?

I personally know one of my best high school friends would today probably be considered seriously obese. However, he did not really eat junk food, his eating habits were normal and he was a very athletic teenager doing a lot of sports. Thus, we considered him specially heavy built with a little bit of a belly and big face, but not obese and not fat.

Plus, during puberty does not the physical shape of some teenagers sometimes dramatically change like from chubby to tall and slender? So what does obesity in this context mean?

"Nearly two-thirds of European parents with children who are overweight or obese think their kids are underweight or normal weight, per a WHO report."

From the abstract:

"Unhealthy body weight in children affects physical and mental health, school performance and quality of life, while also raising the risk of obesity and noncommunicable diseases later in life. Reliable data are essential to guide action against childhood obesity and to track progress. To this end, WHO established the European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI) in 2007. This is now the largest childhood obesity surveillance initiative in the world, with the participation of 48 countries in 2024.

This report presents findings from COSI’s sixth round (2022–2024), covering about 470 000 children aged 6–9 years across 37 countries, with additional information on family and health behaviours for over 150 000 children.

Overall, 25% of children aged 7–9 years were living with overweight (including obesity) and 11% with obesity

 Large differences continue in prevalence between countries, with the prevalence of overweight ranging from 9–42% and prevalence of obesity ranging from 3–20%.

Unhealthy dietary habits were common, and only about half of children travel actively to school. These findings highlight that childhood obesity continues to pose a serious public threat to the Region and underscore that comprehensive policy action is urgently needed at international, national and local levels."

"... At the same time, parents of children living with overweight or obesity tend to underestimate their children’s weight status. ...

For the first time, COSI also reported on thinness – a reminder that undernutrition coexists with excess weight in several countries. This double burden of malnutrition highlights persistent inequality between and within countries. ...

New to COSI Round 6, data on parental perception revealed a major gap in awareness. Overall, nearly two thirds (66%) of children living with overweight were perceived by their parents to be underweight or normal weight.

In all countries with data available, more than half of the parents of children living with overweight underestimated their children’s weight status. ..."

Global Health NOW: Gold Mining, Mercury, and the Amazon’s Mothers; and Dispatches from Bogotà: ICFP 2025

WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative (COSI): report on the sixth round of data collection, 2022– 2024

Childhood obesity and overweight remain a major concern across the [European] Region, new WHO report finds

Microbiome may determine the temperament of babies

Amazing stuff! I am not sure this study resolved the chicken and egg issue or what came first. Did the microbiome influence the temperament or vice versa.

"... a new preprint, may be differences in their microbiomes.

Previous studies have drawn connections between microbiome composition and certain temperament traits. 

But it’s hard to tell the chicken from the egg: Do kids who behave certain ways end up with a specific mix of microbes, or do some microbes influence the way kids behave? ...

They gathered four exuberant 2.5-year-old toddlers and four more inhibited ones. ... The team obtained fecal samples from all the toddlers, then prepared a bunch of rats for a poo transfusion by essentially rinsing the microbes from their bowels before giving them a filtered stool sample or a sham control, followed by booster inoculations 2 and 3 days later.

Rats that received exuberant toddler poo were more exploratory in standard lab tests than both the rats that received samples from the inhibited kids and the control rats. 

Intriguingly, although the rats that received the inhibited kids’ stools didn’t show significant behavioral differences from the controls, a part of their brains showed reduced dopamine signaling, which could indicate that they felt less “reward” from joyful activities. ..."

From the abstract:

"Background

Behavioural phenotypes have previously been transferred via faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from patients with psychiatric disorders to rodents. Studies indicate that the gut microbiota composition may be linked to certain temperament traits, defined as biologically-based differences in emotional reactivity and self-regulation. Here, we aimed to determine if the gut microbiota plays a role in temperament using an FMT approach. We focused on the temperament traits of exuberance, defined as positive reactivity, decreased behavioural inhibition, and high behavioural approach tendencies.

Methods

Faeces from 2.5-year-old toddlers from FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study with high exuberance/approach or high behavioural inhibition in the LabTAB bubbles-episode was transferred to juvenile male Sprague Dawley rats (age 22/23 days). Behaviour of the rat recipients (n=53) was assessed using the novel non-social arena, novel social arena, hole board test for exploratory behaviour, social approach-avoidance test, and forced swim test. The faecal pellets collected from the rodents were analyzed with 16s rRNA sequencing and faecal samples from the sample of toddlers (which included the donors, n=176) were analysed using short-read metagenomic sequencing. The striatum and prefrontal cortex from the rodents’ brains were analysed post-mortem using RNAseq.

Results

Microbiome from toddlers with high exuberance traits induced increased exploratory behaviour compared to vehicle-controls and rats receiving faeces from inhibited toddlers.

Locomotor activity, social, and depressive-like behaviour remained unaffected. We noted a downregulation of the dopamine synapse pathway within the striatum of the rats that received faeces from the inhibited trait donors compared with vehicle-controls. Faecal microbiota of rats receiving faeces from the same donor resembled more each other than rats from a different cage. Clostridium species AM29 11AC in toddler microbiome was positively related to exuberance, but there were no cross-sectional associations between faecal metabolites in the human sample.

Conclusions

FMT from exuberant toddlers lead to altered exploratory-related behaviour in rats."

ScienceAdviser

Faecal transplantation from exuberant toddlers increases exploratory behaviour in rats (preprint, open access)

Figure 1. Schematic of the animal experiment timeline. 

Figure 3. Pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes in striatum in recipients of inhibited toddler’s faeces vs controls were not statistically significant.

Are Illegal Chinese Vapes Poisoning America’s Kids? FDA Commissioner Marty Makary | PragerU

Very recommendable! Serious stuff!

Kids in the UK are hacking their own schools for dares and notoriety

Signs of our times! What pranks did we do as teenagers? 😊

"Kids are making a mark in the U.K.’s cybersecurity arena, and not in the way their parents want them to. According to the country’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), students were behind more than half of personal data breaches in schools.

In a warning to teachers and educational institutions, the ICO outlined its analysis of 215 data breach reports resulting from security incidents originating from inside schools, finding that 57% of the hacks were pulled off by students. ..."

Kids in the UK are hacking their own schools for dares and notoriety | TechCrunch

US Department of Health & Human Services Roadmap for Children’s Health (overmedicalization)

Overmedicalization is generally a great concern no matter what the age of the individual. When it comes to children it is even more disturbing, if not alarming!

E.g. to give children hormone/puberty blockers, because of a so called "gender dysphoria" diagnosis could be a serious case of medical malpractice depending on the circumstances of the case. Are some doctors too fast doing this? Absolutely!

"The Trump administration released its long-anticipated report yesterday to “Make Our Children Healthy Again,” aimed at addressing a rise in chronic diseases in children—a trend Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. describes as “an existential crisis for our country,” ...

Overmedicalization: The report also points to “a concerning trend of overprescribing medications to children” ... "

Global Health NOW: MAHA Roadmap for Children’s Health; Influencers in South Africa’s Cigarette Debate; and Cholera’s Climb in Africa

MAHA Commission Unveils Sweeping Strategy to Make Our Children Healthy Again (official news release)

Malnutrition Redefined: Why More Children Are Obese Than Underweight with Palki Sharma

Bad news!

Palki is an old fashioned socialist calling for government intervention! To blame it all on processed food is absurd to the point of junk journalism! Processed food has been around for much longer than the past two decades. What about lack of exercise etc.