I'm an only child. Saying this can sometimes feel like a confession, especially when people well-meaningly respond with, “Oh, you don't see it that way!” Now, as the mother of a preschooler, I watch my daughter live with the same assumption. “Does she have any brothers or sisters?” a teacher asked recently. “She plays so well with the other kids!”
Forgive me if it seems like I am bragging about my (or my daughter's) actions. I am an only child, after all.
For over a century, we have been deemed eccentric at best, antisocial, neurotic, and narcissistic at worst. “To be an only child is a disease in itself,” declared the 19th-century child psychologist Granville Stanley Hall.
Whether there are real differences in the personality and happiness of only children and those with siblings remains a controversial issue, one that has received new impetus from the growing trend towards only-child parenting.
Eva Beaujouin, a demographer at the University of Vienna in Austria, says that in high-income countries including the United States and Britain, one-child families have become more common since the 1970s, “whether by force or choice.” In Europe, almost half of all households with children have an only child.
Despite their increasing popularity, one-child families continue to face long-held beliefs that this family form is somehow harmful. Fortunately, a closer look at modern research offers some clarity, suggesting that being an only child can have surprising consequences. The findings may offer some relief to parents of only children, or those still unsure of how many children they should have…
Reconstruction of a Neanderthal man at the Natural History Museum in Vienna, Austria
Neanderthal/Alamy Stock Photo
If the interpretation of the fossilized ear bones is correct, Neanderthal children with Down’s syndrome lived to at least the age of 6. The discovery adds to evidence that, far from being savage and heartless, Neanderthals routinely showed consideration for other members of their society, although researchers disagree about the extent to which children might have needed special attention.
“Neanderthals clearly cared about the people in their group, and this is a really great example of how much they cared.” Penny Spikins He is a researcher at the University of York in the UK, but was not involved in the study.
The Neanderthal fossils were found in the Cova Negra cave near the town of Xativa in eastern Spain, which has been excavated intermittently since the 1920s and reveals that Neanderthals lived there between 273,000 and 146,000 years ago.
Researchers cataloguing the animal remains at Cova Negra Mercedes Conde Valverde Researchers from the University of Alcala in Spain have identified a hominid bone fragment, which cannot be dated precisely because it was found in disturbed sediments, that includes part of the temporal bone at the side and base of the skull, as well as part of the inner ear.
Conde-Valverde and her colleagues used CT scans to create a 3D model of the bone, which allowed them to determine that it was from a Neanderthal, not a modern human: Judging by the state of bone development, the bone belonged to a child at least 6 years old, and possibly no older than 10.
The team found several peculiarities in the development of the inner ear, particularly in the three canals called the semicircular canals that are involved in hearing and balance. One of the canals was abnormally wide. The other connected to an adjacent chamber called the vestibular aqueduct, which is normally separate. What’s more, the cochlea, which is crucial for hearing, was particularly small.
According to Conde Valverde, this combination of characteristics is only seen in people with Down syndrome, a genetic condition in which people have three copies of chromosome 21 instead of the usual two. The condition can cause learning disabilities, hearing and balance problems, and distinctive facial features.
It has probably been around for as long as humans, according to a study of ancient DNA published in February. 6 cases of Down Syndrome They are found in babies and young children, and one of them dates back nearly 5,000 years.
The newly identified child would have needed more care than other Neanderthal children, Conde Valverde said — for example, attacks of dizziness, a symptom of Down syndrome, may have made it difficult for him to get from place to place.
“Maybe mothers need help,” she says, because the increased time required for childcare can take away from other important activities, like finding food, not just for mothers but also for fathers.
Conde Valverde says that other Neanderthals in the group would not have expected the child to be of practical help, so they must have cared for him out of pure compassion.
Sarah Turner A Down syndrome researcher at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, believes this low expectation isn’t necessarily true: “People with Down syndrome contribute in many different ways to modern human societies,” she says, “and I’m sure that was true in Neanderthal societies as well.”
Neanderthal temporal bone fossil discovered in Cova Negra, Spain
Julia Diez Valero
“There’s a lot of diversity in what counts as a disability and how disabled people are treated in different relationships,” Turner says. “Compassion may be one motivating factor, but without knowing someone’s life and how they were treated and behaved, I don’t think you can say much about how and why they survived.”
Turner has previously studied wild primates. Can survive for a long time Even if they are born with a disability or developmental disorder. This includes: What is thought to be Down SyndromeThe mother survived as long as her older daughter had her help, but died after the daughter gave birth to a baby and was no longer able to help.
This new study: Neanderthal care and compassionFor example, Spikins says, an adult male Neanderthal found in Iraq’s Shanidar Cave had atrophied arms and damaged legs and was “probably deaf and blind in one eye. He lived 10 to 15 years after these injuries, so “he must have been well cared for.”
Both Conde Valverde and Spikins reject the idea that caregiving was carried out in the hope that help would come when the children grew up.
“The idea of analytically thinking about whether someone is going to be productive comes from our society,” Spikins says. The reality is, we evolved to live in close-knit groups, The instinct to care for one another It was very important. People with Down syndrome “tend to be very loving and very outgoing,” she says, “and that’s very important in a small community like this.”
“Let’s take cell phones out of schools.” “Social media is harmful to teens.”
Such messages are being broadcast around the world and appear to have reached a peak in recent days. In the UK, concerns about the harms of social media and screen time have led to Smartphone Free Children Campaign A government crackdown on smartphone use in schools has also begun, and ministers are considering banning the sale of smartphones to anyone under 16. Meanwhile, in the United States, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy this week called for social media platforms to require cigarette-style warning labels.
More than 40% of American children own a smartphone by age 10, and the concern is Excessive screen use can lead to health problemsThese include obesity, sleep disorders, depression and anxiety.
Certainly, some studies have documented this link, but as we explain in our feature, The Truth About How Social Media and Screen Time Affect Young People, the evidence that screen time causes widespread harm to children is not as strong or clear as some claim.
While we figure out the details, we must protect our children, especially those who are most vulnerable to the harmful influences of smartphones and social media. But depriving them entirely would be the wrong move.
The smarter approach is to give children access, even from an early age, in a controlled and measured way.
Imagine what a smartphone utopia might look like: It would be done in stages: instead of giving kids access to the entire internet at first, we’d allow them access to walled gardens, like kid-friendly TV channels.
In such a world, we would allow limited messaging with strict moderation that loosens with age, the system would allow parents access that diminishes over time, and all of this would be combined with ongoing digital literacy classes.
Smartphones, social media, and screens will continue to be a part of our children’s lives, no matter how many warning labels they carry, and now is the time to think seriously about how we give our kids the tools they need to navigate the realities of growing up online.
It has been recognized for many years that smoking is extremely detrimental to health, and stopping smoking or avoiding it altogether is one of the most effective ways to safeguard one’s well-being.
Increased tobacco taxes, graphic warnings on packaging, workplace smoking bans, and the discontinuation of glamorous tobacco advertising campaigns have all contributed to the decline in smoking rates.
Nevertheless, nicotine addiction remains a thriving industry. Instead of fading away, the tobacco industry has introduced a new array of products aimed primarily at young individuals: flavored disposable e-cigarettes, heat-not-burn products, and the latest novelty item, nicotine pouches.
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Nicotine pouches are typically packaged in small round containers that are convenient to carry around. The pouches resemble small tea bags and contain vegetable fiber, sugar, flavorings, and, of course, nicotine.
Nicotine can be synthetically produced or directly extracted from the tobacco plant. These pouches come in various flavors, from fruity and berry to sweet and cocktail, and they offer different levels of nicotine strength, with some pouches having higher nicotine content than regular cigarettes.
The small pouch is placed between the lips and gums to absorb the nicotine in the mouth. After absorption, the pouch is discarded and replaced with a new one. These pouches are discreet, have a pleasant smell, and unlike oral tobacco products, such as chewing tobacco, they don’t require spitting like in movies depicting the old West.
While relatively new in the market, these pouches are similar to Scandinavian “snus” – yet snus contains tobacco while pouches do not. This difference is vital as pouches often evade regulations, bypassing laws and rules that govern tobacco products and cigarettes.
This lack of regulation means that, unlike cigarettes, pouches can legally be sold to individuals under 18 in the UK. Other countries, like the US, are already taking steps to ban or restrict the sale of pouches to adults only.
What do we know about the health risks of pouches?
Although nicotine pouches are gaining popularity worldwide, there is limited data on their health risks due to their recent introduction. However, the World Health Organization advocates a precautionary approach by prioritizing nicotine whenever the sale and promotion of nicotine pouches are permitted. The health of young people.
Using pouches exposes individuals to toxic nicotine, can lead to addiction, and may encourage the use of other products like e-cigarettes or cigarettes.
In addition to addiction, nicotine has effects on adolescent brain development, impacting learning outcomes. High nicotine doses can induce symptoms like dizziness, headaches, nausea, and abdominal cramps, particularly in those new to nicotine exposure.
It may be tempting to compare the health effects of nicotine pouches, e-cigarettes, and tobacco products to determine which is “safer.” However, 85% of the UK population never smokes, and young individuals who have never smoked and never will not derive any health benefits from starting to use pouches.
At present, there is no evidence to suggest that pouches aid in smoking or vaping cessation. Instead of helping users quit smoking, individuals may resort to using pouches in situations where smoking or vaping is not feasible, such as during flights, at school, or work, resulting in increased nicotine consumption.
The global tobacco industry, dominated by a few multinational corporations, including British American Tobacco and Philip Morris International, produces and markets nicotine pouches. Using tactics reminiscent of old cigarette advertisements, pouches are promoted through motorsports, celebrity endorsements, and various lifestyle marketing approaches.
The tobacco industry is skilled at dangerous marketing. With addictive nicotine products widely available to young individuals and minimal regulation in the advertising and sale of pouches, there is a real risk of a surge in pouch use and nicotine addiction among young people.
Apple has acknowledged a persistent bug in its parental controls that allowed children to bypass restrictions and access adult content online.
This bug, which enabled kids to evade controls by entering specific nonsensical phrases in Safari’s address bar, was initially reported to the company in 2021.
Despite being ignored, a recent Wall Street Journal report has shed light on this issue, prompting Apple to commit to addressing it in the next iOS update.
This loophole effectively disabled the Screen Time parental control feature for Safari, allowing children unrestricted access to the internet.
While the bug doesn’t seem to have been widely exploited, critics argue that it reflects Apple’s disregard for parents.
iOS developer Mark Jardine expressed frustration, stating, “As a parent who relies on Screen Time to keep my kids safe, I find the service buggy with loopholes persisting for over a decade.”
When Screen Time was introduced in 2018, it was promoted as a tool for parents to monitor their kids’ device usage and manage their own screen time habits.
Over time, parents have become heavily reliant on Screen Time to control features, apps, and usage times for their children.
Following the release of Screen Time, Apple implemented restrictions on third-party services that offered similar functionalities, citing security concerns. However, this move faced criticism for anticompetitive behavior.
Five years later, critics argue that Apple’s monopoly has led to neglect in improving parental controls. Apple blogger Dan Mollen highlighted concerns raised by parents disillusioned with Screen Time.
Apple responded by saying, “We take reports of issues with Screen Time seriously and have continually made improvements to give customers the best experience. Our work isn’t done yet, and we will continue to provide updates in future software releases.”
Gene therapy involves administering normal copies of the mutated gene that causes a particular disease.
nobeastsofierce/Shutterstock
Five Chinese children born deaf have received gene therapy that provides them with a healthy copy of a mutated gene, allowing them to hear in both ears. Although the children have varying degrees of hearing loss, all can now hear and localize sounds at conversational volume.
Six months after treatment, the five children’s hearing was about 50 to 60 percent of normal levels, team members say. Chen Yi Chen “They get confused when we whisper, but normal conversation is fine,” he said at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston. “We’re very happy.”
In the first phase of the trial, which began in 2022, the team gave another group of six children in China the gene therapy in just one ear. Five of the six children had their hearing restored in the treated ear, with continued improvement, Chen said.
The team expects to see further progress in the second group of five children. “The progress we’re seeing now isn’t the peak,” Chen says. “We expect to see even more progress.”
The trial in China is the first of several ongoing trials around the world. She lives in the UK with her two children. There have also been reports in the United States of people regaining hearing in one ear after undergoing gene therapy.
“The tests are all pretty much the same.” Manohar Bans Doctors from Cambridge University treated two children in the UK.
All of the children in these trials were born with hearing loss because they carry a mutation in both copies of the gene for a protein called otoferin, which plays a key role in synapses, or connections, between the hair cells in the ear that detect sound and the nerves that transmit signals to the brain. The mutation affects the protein, blocking the transmission of signals.
Between 2 and 8 percent of children worldwide who are born with hearing loss are thought to have this condition, known as DFNB9.
Both parents of a child with DFNB9 have normal hearing if they each have just one mutant copy of otoferlin. These couples are often unaware that they have a one in four chance of having a child that is born deaf.
Gene therapy relies on the help of a virus called AAV to deliver a working version of the otoferlin gene to hair cells. Due to the gene’s large size, it needs to be split and put into two separate viruses.
The virus cocktail is injected into the inner ear, and the complete gene is reconstituted in cells that receive both halves. The DFNB9 trial marks the first time that so-called dual AAV gene therapy has been used to treat humans.
“This is a major technological advance,” Chen says, “and we hope that this technology will be widely used to treat other genetic diseases.”
The clinical trials will begin by treating one ear at a time because half the dose of AAV is needed, reducing the chance of adverse events, he says. No serious adverse events have been reported in any of the trials.
Chen’s team now plans to treat the other ears of the first group of children. This could be difficult because an immune response to the initial AAV injection could block gene delivery, but Chen believes it is possible.
Treating other inherited hearing loss is more difficult because some of the structures inside the ear degenerate. With DFNB9, all of the structures remain intact. “You only need to repair one element,” Chen says.
“Parents and young people need to be aware of all the risks and, above all, understand that hearing loss in itself does not prevent people from living a happy and fulfilling life,” he says.
An organization dedicated to fighting child abuse has reported that pedophiles are being encouraged to utilize artificial intelligence to generate nude images of children and coerce them into producing more explicit content.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) stated that a manual discovered on the dark web included a section advising criminals to use a “denuding” tool to strip clothing from photos sent by children. These photos could then be used for blackmail purposes to obtain further graphic material.
The IWF expressed concern over the fact that perpetrators are now discussing and promoting the use of AI technologies for these malicious purposes.
The charity, known for identifying and removing child sexual abuse content online, initiated an investigation into cases of sextortion last year. They observed a rise in incidents where victims were coerced into sharing explicit images under threat of exposure. Additionally, the use of AI to create highly realistic abusive content was noted.
The author of the online manual, who remains anonymous, claimed to have successfully coerced 13-year-old girls into sharing nude images online. The IWF reported the document to the UK National Crime Agency.
Recent reports by The Guardian suggested that there were discussions within the Labour party about banning tools that create nude imagery.
According to the IWF, 2023 witnessed a record number of extreme cases of child sexual abuse. Over 275,000 web pages containing such material, including content depicting rape, sadism, and bestiality, were identified, marking the highest number on record. This included a significant amount of Category A content, the most severe form containing explicit and harmful images.
The IWF further discovered 2,401 images of self-produced child sexual abuse material involving children aged three to six, where victims were manipulated or threatened to record their own abuse. The incidents were observed in domestic settings like bedrooms and kitchens.
Susie Hargreaves, the CEO of IWF, emphasized the urgent need to educate children on recognizing danger and safeguarding themselves against manipulative criminals. She stressed the importance of the recently passed Online Safety Act to protect children on social media platforms.
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat advised parents to engage in conversations with their children about safe internet usage. He emphasized the responsibility of tech companies to implement stronger safeguards against abuse.
Research published by Ofcom revealed that a significant percentage of young children own mobile phones and engage in social media. The government is considering measures such as raising the minimum age for social media use and restricting smartphone sales to minors.
New research has discovered that despite restrictions on advertising campaigns targeting young people, children are being inundated with gambling promotions and content that resembles gambling while browsing the internet.
The study, commissioned by charity GambleAware and funded by donations from gambling companies, highlights the blurred line between gambling advertising and online casino-style games, leading to a rise in online gambling with children unaware of the associated risks. It warns that gambling advertisements featuring cartoon graphics can strongly attract children. Recently, a gambling company promoted a new online slot game on social media using a cartoon of three frogs to entice players.
GambleAware is recommending new regulations to limit the exposure of young people to advertising. Research conducted by the charity revealed that children struggle to differentiate between actual gambling products and gambling-like content, such as mobile games with in-app purchases.
Zoe Osmond, CEO of GambleAware, emphasized the need for immediate action to protect children from being exposed to gambling ads and content, stating, “This research demonstrates that gambling content has become a part of many children’s lives.”
GambleAware chief executive Zoe Osmond said urgent action on internet promotions was needed to protect children. Photo: Doug Peters/Pennsylvania
The report also points out that excessive engagement in online games with gambling elements, like loot boxes bought with virtual or real money, can fall under a broader definition of gambling. It calls for stricter regulation on platforms offering such games to children.
Businesses are cautioned against using cartoon characters in gambling promotions, as they may appeal to children. However, there is no outright ban on using such characters. Online casino 32Red, for instance, recently advertised its Fat Frog online slot game on social media with a cartoon frog theme.
Dr. Raffaello Rossi, a marketing lecturer focused on the impact of gambling advertising on youth, criticized regulators for not acting swiftly enough to address the proliferation of online promotions enticing children. He called for new advertising codes to regulate social media promotions effectively.
The Gambling and Gambling Council assured that their members strictly verify ages for all products and have implemented new age restriction rules for social media advertising.
Recent data from the Gambling Commission indicates that young people are now less exposed to gambling ads compared to previous years. While no direct link between problem gambling development and advertising has been established.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) stated that it regulates gambling advertising to safeguard children and monitors online gambling ads through various tools and methods.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport affirmed its focus on monitoring new forms of gambling and gambling-like products, including social casino games, to ensure appropriate regulations are in place.
Kindred Group, the owner of the 32Red brand, was reached out to for comment.
The UK children are now inevitably exposed to violent online content, with many first encountering it while still in primary school, according to a media watchdog report.
British children interviewed in the Ofcom investigation reported incidents ranging from videos of local school and street fights shared in group chats to explicit and extreme graphic violence, including gang-related content, being watched online.
Although children were aware of more extreme content existing on the web, they did not actively seek it out, the report concluded.
In response to the findings, the NSPCC criticized tech platforms for not fulfilling their duty of care to young users.
Rani Govender, a senior policy officer for online child safety, expressed concern that children are now unintentionally exposed to violent content as part of their online experiences, emphasizing the need for action to protect young people.
The study, focusing on families, children, and youth, is part of Ofcom’s preparations for enforcing the Online Safety Act, giving regulators powers to hold social networks accountable for failing to protect users, especially children.
Ofcom’s director of Online Safety Group, Gil Whitehead, emphasized that children should not consider harmful content like violence or self-harm promotion as an inevitable part of their online lives.
The report highlighted that children mentioned major tech companies like Snapchat, Instagram, and WhatsApp as platforms where they encounter violent content most frequently.
Experts raised concerns that exposure to violent content could desensitize children and normalize violence, potentially influencing their behavior offline.
Some social networks faced criticism for allowing graphic violence, with Twitter (now X) under fire for sharing disturbing content that went viral and spurred outrage.
While some platforms offer tools to help children avoid violent content, there are concerns about their effectiveness and children’s reluctance to report such content due to fear of repercussions.
Algorithmic timelines on platforms like TikTok and Instagram have also contributed to the proliferation of violent content, raising concerns about the impact on children’s mental health.
The Children’s Commissioner for England revealed alarming statistics about the waiting times for mental health support among children, highlighting the urgent need for action to protect young people online.
Snapchat emphasized its zero-tolerance policy towards violent content and assured its commitment to working with authorities to address such issues, while Meta declined to comment on the report.
When considering the most effective way to protect children’s mental health, the idea of banning social media often comes up. Recent events in the UK, such as the tragic murder of Brianna Gee, have reignited discussions on the dangers of social media for children. However, scientific evidence does not strongly support the notion that social media directly causes mental health issues in children.
Social media has been around for quite some time and has brought many positive aspects to the lives of young people. It allows them to connect with others, pursue their interests, and show support in times of tragedy. Studies have shown that increased social media use does not necessarily decrease life satisfaction for most children.
While it may seem that social media is linked to a decrease in life satisfaction for some adolescents, the opposite is not always true. Evidence supporting the idea of social media addiction in children is limited. Without a clear causal relationship between social media use and mental health issues, banning social media for children may not be the solution.
Are most children addicted to social media and smartphones?
Using the term “addiction” in reference to social media and smartphone use may be misleading. While some children may develop bad habits related to their use, it does not necessarily constitute a true addiction. Weaning children off social media is often easier than addressing addictive behaviors related to substances.
Is it possible that a social media ban will actually be enforced?
Enforcing a ban on social media for children poses many challenges, both legally and morally. Children have rights to access and enjoy social media, and restricting their access may infringe on these rights. Past attempts to ban social media use, such as South Korea’s “Cinderella Law,” have shown limited effectiveness in improving children’s well-being.
How can children develop a healthy relationship with screens?
As parents, it is important to guide children in developing a healthy relationship with screens, including social media. Teaching them to self-regulate their behavior and manage their screen time can prepare them for adulthood. Simply banning social media may not address the underlying issues of human behavior and the attention economy.
According to an internal document released late Wednesday, Meta estimates that about 100,000 children on Facebook and Instagram are subjected to online sexual harassment every day, including “pictures of adult genitalia.” The unsealed legal filings include several allegations against Meta, based on information the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office learned from presentations and communications between Meta employees. These allegations describe an incident in 2020 in which the 12-year-old daughter of an Apple executive was solicited via Instagram’s messaging product, IG Direct.
In testimony before the US Congress late last year, a senior Meta employee described how his daughter was recruited through Instagram. His efforts to resolve the issue were ignored, he said. This suit is the latest in a series of lawsuits filed by the New Mexico Attorney General’s Office on December 5, alleging that Meta’s social network has become a marketplace for child predators. The state’s attorney general, Raul Torrez, accused Meta of allowing adults to find, send messages to, and groom children. Meta released a statement in response to Wednesday’s filing, stating, “We want to provide teens with a safe and age-appropriate online experience, and we have over 30 tools to support them and their parents.”
The lawsuit also referenced a 2021 internal presentation on child safety, in which Meta states that it has “poorly invested in the sexual expression of minors on IG, with significant sexual commentary on content posted by minors.” The complaint also highlights Meta employees’ concerns about the safety of children. Meta’s statement also said the company “has taken significant steps to prevent unwanted contact from teens, especially adults.”
The New Mexico lawsuit follows a Guardian investigation in April that revealed how Meta failed to report or detect the use of its platform for child trafficking. According to documents included in the lawsuit, Meta employees “coordinate human trafficking operations” and ensure that “every step of human exploitation (recruitment, conditioning, and exploitation) is expressed on our platform.” But an internal email from 2017 said executives opposed scanning Facebook Messenger for “harmful content,” citing the service’s desire to “provide more privacy.” In December, Meta received widespread criticism for introducing end-to-end encryption for messages sent via Facebook and Messenger.
Medication errors in children with ADHD have increased dramatically, with the majority occurring at home and involving males between the ages of 6 and 12, a study has found. Enhanced education and improved medication management are needed to reduce these errors. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Experts call for patient and caregiver education and the development of improved dosing and tracking systems that are tolerable in children.
attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. In 2019, nearly 10% of children in the United States were diagnosed with ADHD. Currently, about 3.3 million children in the United States, or about 5 in 100 children, are prescribed her ADHD medication.
Increase in ADHD medication errors
In a new study recently published in the journal Pediatricsresearchers from Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center, investigated the characteristics and characteristics of out-of-hospital ADHD medication errors reported to U.S. poison centers from 2000 to 2021 in people under age 20. We investigated trends.
According to the study, the annual number of ADHD-related medication errors increased by 299% from 2000 to 2021. During the study period, 87,691 medication error incidents involving ADHD medications as the primary substance in this age group were reported to U.S. poison centers. An average of 3,985 individuals are born per year. In 2021 alone, he was reported for 5,235 medication errors, which equates to 1 child for every 100 minutes he received. The overall trend was that males accounted for 76% of medication errors and the 6-12 year age group accounted for 67% of medication errors. Approximately 93% of exposures occurred in the home.
Common medication error scenarios
Among medication errors involving ADHD medications as the primary substance, the most common scenarios include:
54% – “I accidentally took or administered my medication twice.”
13% – “I accidentally took or gave someone else’s medication.”
13% – “I took/administered the wrong medication.”
“The increase in the number of reported medication errors is consistent with the findings of other studies that have reported an increase in the number of ADHD diagnoses among children in the United States over the past two decades, which reflects the use of ADHD medications. “It is likely associated with an increase in
Health effects and prevention strategies
In 83% of cases, the person was not receiving treatment in a health facility. However, 2.3% of cases were admitted to a health care facility, of which 0.8% were admitted to a critical care unit. Additionally, 4.2% of cases were associated with serious medical outcomes. Some children experienced agitation, tremors, seizures, and changes in mental status. Children under 6 years of age were twice as likely to experience a serious medical outcome and more than three times as likely to be admitted to a health care facility compared to children aged 6 to 19 years.
“Because medication errors in ADHD are preventable, more attention needs to be paid to educating patients and caregivers and developing improved medication and tracking systems that are resistant to children,” said the study’s senior author. said Center Director Gary Smith, MD, PhD. Contributes to injury research and policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. “Another strategy could be a move away from pill bottles to unit-dose packaging, such as blister packs, which could help people remember if a drug has already been taken or administered.”
Prevention efforts should focus on the home, but additional attention should also be paid to schools and other settings where children and adolescents spend time or receive medications.
References: “Pediatric ADHD Medication Errors Reported to U.S. Poison Centers from 2000 to 2021” Mikaela M. DeCoster, BS; Henry A. Spiller, MS, D.ABAT; Jaahnavi Badeti, MPH, BDS. Marcel J. Casavant, MD. Natalie I. Rein, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP. Dr. Nicole L. Michaels. Motao Zhu, MD, MS, PhD. Gary A. Smith, MD, PhD, September 18, 2023; Pediatrics. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2023-061942
Data for this study were obtained from the National Poison Data System (NPDS) maintained by the American Poison Centers (formerly the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC)). Poison Centers receive calls through the National Poison Helpline (1-800-222-1222) and document and report information to NPDS about the product, route of exposure, exposed individuals, exposure scenario, and other data.
The FTC proposed strengthening rules to protect children from the surveillance economy. The updated rules will require companies to get parental permission before sharing data with advertisers and prohibit them from retaining data for vague “internal operations,” among other things.
“The proposed changes to COPPA are much needed, especially in an era when online tools are essential to daily life and companies are deploying increasingly sophisticated digital tools to monitor children. Masu.” FTC Chair Lina Khan said: In a blog post. “Children need to be able to play and learn online without being endlessly tracked by companies looking to hoard and monetize their personal data.”
The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) has been in place since 2000 and remains effective at preventing the most egregious data collection and abuse of children, but it was last updated in 2013 and now has a new coat. can do. of paint. The FTC asked for comments a long time ago on how the rules should change, and (as is often the case with Internet privacy issues) the response was overwhelming.
“We received more than 175,000 comments after the FTC announced it was considering revisions to the COPPA rule.” the agency mentioned in a news release.. “The proposed rule reflects what he has heard from parents, educators, industry members, researchers and others, and his 23 years of experience enforcing COPPA.”
The agency will soon issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), a draft of the new COPPA regulations, that the public will be able to comment on and criticize for the next 60 days. The exact timing will depend on when this document is published in the Federal Register, which is outside the FTC’s control, but could happen in the coming weeks. In the meantime, what you can do is Watch the draft here.
The updated rules require:
Parents will opt-in before sharing their child’s information with third parties, unless sharing is “essential” to the service. Expect many things to suddenly “integrate” next year.
Narrow the loophole in “support for internal operations.” For example, Amazon exploited this exception to retain children’s information indefinitely to improve its speech recognition models. Hopefully it will be less.
Better justify “nudges” like push notifications to get kids to open apps or stay online.
We do not force children to provide personal data to use our apps or features. For example, “Give me your birthday to get her 100 free crystals.”
Data is not retained beyond its original stated use. As in the Amazon example, you can use your child’s voice command to launch an app (its primary use), but then you can’t “reliably” launch anything else.
Schools and school districts may authorize educational technology providers to collect and use personal information about students for educational purposes only.
“Personal information” now includes biometrics.
There are a few other details about the NPRM itself (of interest primarily to those directly involved). If you would like to know more about why these things are necessary, or why he needs COPPA in the first place, please contact Commissioner Alvaro Bedoya. We have released a helpful commentary on this topic.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) approved the update, calling it “an encouraging step toward putting safeguards in place to protect the youngest users of social media from constant surveillance and manipulation.” .
But, he continued, “Rulemaking is not a substitute for law, and Congress needs to act. Create minimum age requirements for social media use and prohibit algorithmic targeting of children and teens. We urgently need to pass legislation to protect children online.”
Given the current state of Congress and (at least) the prospect of losing a controversial election in 2024, I doubt the senators’ urgency will translate into legislation any time soon. FTC rules will need to remain in place for some time to come.
Scientific Evidence Backs Antagonistic Pleiotropy Theory of Aging
Comprehensive studies have confirmed the antagonistic pleiotropy theory of aging, indicating a genetic correlation between high fertility and shortened lifespan. Nonetheless, environmental factors are highlighted as major influencers of modern human lifespan and reproductive behavior.
New research further supports the idea that genes promoting early reproduction can accelerate aging but emphasizes the overriding role of environmental factors in determining longevity and reproduction.
Originating in a 1957 theory proposed by evolutionary biologist George Williams, the antagonistic pleiotropy theory posits that genetic mutations favoring early reproduction could simultaneously contribute to aging, making life shorter.
The theory was tested in a new study led by the University of Michigan, involving over 276,000 individuals, reaffirming its validity. The researchers found distinct genome-wide evidence supporting the theory.
A novel breakthrough discovery showcased a strong negative genetic correlation between reproduction and longevity, suggesting that mutations promoting reproduction tend to shorten lifespan. However, this link is also influenced by environmental factors.
It was established that the number and timing of reproduction can impact lifespan. Remarkably, having two children was linked to the longest lifespan, according to this study, reinforcing previous research findings.
The concept of pleiotropy suggests that a single mutation can impact multiple traits, while antagonistic pleiotropy posits that mutations can be beneficial or harmful depending on various circumstances. The evolutionary basis of aging is seen through this lens.
In line with this, the study’s outcome points to significant environmental changes, such as lifestyle and technological advances, as opposed to genetic variants identified as drivers of human phenotypic changes.
Reference: “Evidence for the role of selection for reproductively advantageous alleles in human aging” by Erping Long and Jianzhi Zhang, December 8, 2023. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh4990
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