HJNO Jul/Aug 2025

MAHA REPORT 38  JUL / AUG 2025 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   296 National Toxicology Program. (2021). NTP research report on the consortium linking academic and regulatory insights on bisphenol A toxicity (CLARITY-BPA): A compendium of published findings (Research Report 18). https://doi.org/10.22427/NTP-RR-18. 297 den Braver-Sewradj, S. P., van Spronsen, Rob & and Hessel, E. V. S. (2020) Substitution of bisphenol A: a review of the carcinogenicity, reproductive toxicity, and endocrine disruption potential of alternative substances. Critical Reviews in Toxicology 50, 128–147. 298 EFSA Panel on Food Contact Materials, Enzymes and Processing Aids, Barat Baviera, J. M., Bolognesi, C., Chesson, A., Cocconcelli, P. S., & Fernandez-Cruz, M. L. (2023). Re-evaluation of the risks to public health related to the presence of bisphenol A (BPA) in foodstuffs. EFSA Journal, 21(4), e06857. 299 Myers, J. P., Antoniou, M. N., Blumberg, B., Carroll, L., Colborn, T., Everett, L. 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Environment International 92–93, 597–604. thoughts; one in five teens reporting the platform made them feel worse about themselves; aggravation of existing mental health conditions in struggling teens. 387 • Emotional Distress: A randomized controlled trial involving youth with emotional distress demonstrated that limiting social media use to one hour per day resulted in statistically significant reductions in self-reported depression, anxiety, and fear of missing out (FOMO). 388 Another randomized controlled trial where participants deactivated their social media accounts for four weeks found sta- tistically significant improvements in subjective well-being, including increased happiness and life satisfaction, and reduced symp- toms of depression and anxiety. 389 Corporate Influence on Children’s Social Media Use Technology corporations suggest a reach over childhood health that stretches well beyond the direct harms of screen exposure, actively shaping the contours of scientific discourse and the public-health policies that follow. The pervasive influence of major technology firms on the digital environment of children has prompted significant scrutiny, particularly regarding the alignment of corporate practices with child protection frameworks and the erosion of parental oversight: • Content Control and Censorship: During COVID-19, the tech platforms became quasi-public utilities for health messaging. Court records and Congressional research show federal agencies urged—or in some cases pressed—platforms to suppress content question- ing pediatric vaccine-risk profiles or school-closure policies. 390 391 • Dark-pattern purchases: An FTC settlement found a leading game platform used in-app flows that let minors carry out purchases and surrender data “without any parental involvement.” 392 These informal, largely invisible coordination between agencies and platforms—coupled with undisclosed ranking algorithms—compresses the range of permissible debate on childhood-health questions and can bury legitimate scientific concerns while impacting parental supervi- sion. Recognizing this hidden architecture is a crucial step toward improving childhood health and restoring transparency in the digital age. Family Dynamics and Socio Economics • Frequent family meals are associated with teens having lower rates of disordered eating, alcohol and substance use, violent behavior, and feelings of depression or thoughts of suicide in adolescents. 393 • Single- family parent homes are associated with worse mental health outcomes in teens: 394 • Double the rate of internalizing disorders (i.e. Anxiety & Depression). • Triple the rates of externalizing disorders (i.e. ADHD, conduct disorder). • The single- family parent home rate in the U.S. has increased from 9% in 1960 to 28% in 2012. 395 • Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are two to three times more likely to develop mental health issues. 396 Nature Exposure Impacts Childhood Mental Health A concern has been raised that children are spending less time outdoors and in nature, resulting in a range of behavioral problems and negative health effects exemplified in the 2005 book “Last Child in the Woods” by Richard Louv. 397 • Increasing childhood nature exposure is associated with improved psychological well-being and emotional functioning as well as reduced stress and ADHD symptoms. 398