A call to ban phones in school

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

Jun 04, 2024 View in browser   By Daniel Payne, Erin Schumaker and Ruth Reader WORLD VIEW France has banned phones in schools. | AFP via Getty Images Concern about smartphones’ effect on young people’s mental health extends well beyond the United States. How so? Last year, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning that kids on social media are exposed to violent and sexual content, as well as bullying and harassment. Now, a report from the British Parliament’s Education Committee says parents should limit children’s screen time and access to social media because the harms “significantly outweigh the benefits,” our European colleagues report. The report’s authors said they’re “extremely concerned” at the level of harmful content young people see online, specifically how it can affect their mental and physical health and educational outcomes. The concern is greatest for young children. The report also highlights the impact social media has on young girls and women, particularly relating to body image and eating disorders. It cites U.K. data that shows 18 percent of British children and young people ages 7 to 16 had a probable mental health disorder in 2022. That’s up from 12 percent in 2017, 10 percent in 2004 and just under 10 percent in 1999. Why it matters: The report backs the U.K. government’s decision in February to encourage schools to prohibit mobile phone use, saying it is “clear that a ban can have a positive impact on mental health.” France banned mobile phone use in schools in 2018. Many schools have done so in the United States as well, but governments haven’t mandated a ban at either the state or federal level. What’s next? The report calls for stronger measures to monitor the implementation and effects of the February plan and says a statutory ban on kids’ use of social media could be necessary if the situation doesn’t improve.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF HEALTHCARE POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like healthcare, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced and better sourced than any other. Our healthcare reporting team—including Alice Miranda Ollstein, Megan Messerly and Robert King—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of health policy and the healthcare industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE South River, Md. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. The partial skeleton of a teenage Tyrannosaurus rex, discovered by three children hiking in the North Dakota badlands and nicknamed "Teen Rex" goes on display at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science this month, Live Science reports. 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 or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp. AROUND THE AGENCIES FDA advisers are considering MDMA along with therapy as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. | Cam McGrew A club drug could be the next big thing in treating mental illness. That’s if an FDA advisory committee agrees on Tuesday that MDMA, or ecstasy, helps treat post-traumatic stress disorder when combined with talk therapy, our Erin Schumaker reports. The FDA's decision is a huge moment for psychedelic research, said Andrew Penn, a psychiatric nurse practitioner and clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco who's previously worked with Lykos Therapeutics, the maker of the treatment. If the FDA says "yes," it will likely galvanize support for early-stage psychedelic research. If the FDA says "no," it could give those same researchers pause, he said. Lawmakers and officials at the VA are hopeful the committee will find that Lykos' application supports approval. And the company’s data is striking. Sixty-seven percent of participants with severe PTSD who received MDMA combined with therapy no longer met the diagnostic criteria for the disorder, compared with 32 percent in the group that received therapy and a placebo, according to Lykos' Phase 3 study, which was published in Nature in 2021. Why it matters: There's a profound need for better PTSD treatments. Current options are notoriously ineffective, with many people with PTSD left white-knuckling through daily life. Veterans are especially hard hit. The VA cites research finding 7 percent of veterans will suffer from PTSD at some point in their lives. It can cause flashbacks, nightmares and anxiety brought on by traumatic events – like combat. Nearly one in four vets who seek care at a VA facility have the condition, had it or will get it. Even so: In March, an independent, nonpartisan group that evaluates new drug applications found Lykos’ trials suspect. And last month in Senate testimony, the head of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow, compared the hype for psychedelics as a cure for mental illness to belief in “fairy tales.” Rebuttal: Lykos CEO Amy Emerson responded to critics in a public comment saying their critique discounts “significant unmet medical need” and that the FDA is best-equipped to evaluate its treatment’s safety and efficacy.   JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE.     DANGER ZONE Polluted air is causing heart ailments across the globe. | AFP via Getty Images The number of people across the globe dying from cardiovascular conditions caused by air pollution has increased over the past decade and is still growing, according to a new report from the World Heart Federation, a Geneva-based alliance of groups promoting cardiovascular health, covering data from 2010 to 2019. In 2019, outdoor air pollution contributed to 4.2 million deaths — and almost 70 percent of them were caused by cardiovascular conditions: 1.9 million from heart disease and 900,000 from stroke. Indoor air pollution contributed to 3.2 million deaths annually, according to 2019 estimates, and more than half of them were due to cardiovascular disease: 1 million from heart disease and 700,000 from stroke. Climate change’s role: In some countries in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean, air pollution is nearly 10 times the recommended level, the report found. The study also highlighted how climate change and air pollution are linked: Extreme weather events caused by climate change — such as floods, droughts and high temperatures — can exacerbate air pollution.   Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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