| | | | |  | | By Ruth Reader, Daniel Payne, Ruth Reader and Toni Odejimi | Programming note: We’ll be off on Wednesday for Juneteenth but will be back in your inboxes on Thursday.
| | |  Murthy is ramping up his campaign to keep kids off social media. | AP | Surgeon General Vivek Murthy is calling for tobacco-style warning labels for social media, but he needs an act of Congress to make it happen. Murthy has raised alarms about social media since his 2021 health advisory on youth mental health. He says there is now enough research to show that teens on social media for long hours are at higher risk for depression and anxiety. A surgeon general’s warning would make parents and kids aware. Murthy spoke with Ruth about why he’s optimistic lawmakers will act. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. Do you think Congress will take up your call? I’m encouraged that we’ve seen an increase in not just bipartisan support, but overall support among lawmakers for taking action. States have been working on taking measures on their own, but I think this is one of those cases where, ideally, what we have is a national solution to what is a national problem. Is it important that Congress approve a surgeon general’s warning as opposed to asking companies to disclose harms, as a bill pending in Congress — the Kids Online Safety Act — would do? I think disclosing harms is what we want. We want people to know the risk. Many people know about a surgeon general’s warning. They've seen them on alcohol bottles or on tobacco products. I think our office has a long history of being trusted on issues related to public health. In one recent study, nearly three-quarters of parents said that a warning label would lead them to either monitor the use of social media more closely, as well as put restrictions around social media for their child. What do you think about steps social media companies say they are taking to address the problem? I recognize companies are taking steps to try to address some of these harms, but again, taking steps and demonstrating that they’re actually effective are two different things. We’ve got to ensure that the public and parents and kids in particular have proof that whatever changes are being made are actually generating the kind of safety that should be the standard.
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Oak Bluffs, Mass. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. As part of its effort to combat loneliness, the New York State Office for Aging has given away 31,500 robot pets to older adults, ABC News 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, Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com, or Toni Odejimi at aodejimi@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
| | |  Scott says he wants to keep kids safe online, but doesn't want to mire Vermont in litigation. | AP | Vermont GOP Gov. Phil Scott said he feared a legal morass in vetoing legislation last week that sought to require social media companies operating in his state to design their platforms with kids’ mental health and safety in mind. Scott cited ongoing litigation in California over a similar measure. Why it matters: Legislators and public health officials are concerned that social media is contributing to a rise in mental distress among teens, but whether so-called age-appropriate design laws can pass constitutional muster remains to be seen. Two years ago, NetChoice, an advocacy group that counts Facebook, X and Snap among its members, sued to block California from implementing its age-appropriate design law, arguing it violates the right to free speech. In September, a federal district court judge in San Jose granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the law until the court can consider its constitutionality. Connecticut and Maryland have also passed age-appropriate design laws, tasking tech companies with shielding kids from potentially harmful content. Legislation to regulate social media to protect kids has bipartisan support in Congress, but lawmakers have yet to pass a bill. The backstory: Vermont’s lawmakers passed the legislation unanimously in May after staving off lobbying efforts from the tech industry and local business groups to weaken the bill, our Alfred Ng reports. A coalition of advocacy groups that promoted the bill, including the Vermont chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Education Association, a teachers’ union, said Scott is wrong to see the bill as vulnerable to legal challenge and urged the state legislature to override his veto. “Parents and families know time is precious and our kids can’t wait any longer for these much-needed protections,” the coalition said in a statement. But when lawmakers met on Monday, only the state House had enough votes for an override, while the Senate voted to sustain the veto.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | | |  Pathogens are becoming resistant to antibiotics, prompting a need for new drugs. | Getty Images | Development of new antibiotics is “badly lacking,” putting the world at greater risk from antimicrobial resistance, the World Health Organization warns in a new analysis. Why it matters: Bacteria that’s grown resistant to existing antibiotics is an increasing problem. More than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections and 35,000 related deaths are reported in the U.S. each year, according to the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. Innovation drought: The WHO examined 32 antibiotics in development to target infections caused by pathogens — bacteria that can cause infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, sepsis and other conditions — on the WHO’s priority list and found only 12 are innovative, our European colleagues report. The innovation label means the antibiotics target pathogens in new ways and don’t appear to cause resistance to other drugs. Just four of the 12 drugs target pathogens that pose a “critical” risk, says the WHO. According to the analysis, the entire pipeline of new antibiotics has gaps, including drugs for children, oral formulations and ingredients to tackle rising drug resistance. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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