Health Canada recently announced a new public health initiative to help reduce tobacco-related deaths, deter new smokers, and motivate existing smokers to quit. Starting in August 2023, tobacco companies will be required to print health warnings directly on cigarettes and other tobacco products that are sold in Canada. The warnings, written in English and French, include messages like “Cigarettes cause cancer,” Tobacco smoke harms children,” and “Poison in every puff.” Carolyn Bennett, Canada’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, said, “Tobacco use continues to kill 48,000 Canadians each year. ... This bold step will make health warning messages virtually unavoidable, and together with updated graphic images displayed on the package, will provide a real and startling reminder of the health consequences of smoking.”

Last week, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory about the effects of social media on children and teens. He noted that the teen years represent a critical stage in brain development that can make young people more susceptible to social pressures, peer opinions, and peer comparison, and that social media was exposing many children and teens to harmful content such as violence, bullying, harassment, and disordered eating behaviors. Many studies have also shown a relationship between social media use and poor sleep habits and depression in teens. While more research is needed to determine the full impact of social media use on youth, Dr. Murthy and other medical leaders are calling on policymakers and tech companies to take urgent action to create safer, healthier online environments.

Repeatedly heading a soccer ball has been previously associated with negative long-term brain health for professional players. However, a new study found that a small number of repeated soccer headers equivalent to a throw-in did not cause immediate neurophysiological deficits for teens, suggesting that limited soccer heading exposure in youth sports may not result in irreversible harm if players are properly trained.

Michigan is the latest state to propose a bill that would allow students to take mental health days off from school. About a dozen states currently allow students to take a day off from school, not because they’re sick, but simply to take time to mentally relax and recharge.

If your school doesn’t allow mental health days, there are still many small things you can do to practice self-care every day. Things like getting more sleep and regular exercise are always recommended, but it’s also important to make time for things you enjoy, like reading, playing or listening to music, or drawing. Mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or mediation, can also help with reducing stress and anxiety.

When she was in middle school, Anna Du enjoyed collecting sea glass from the beach and making jewelry. Then she learned that many of the colorful “glass” pieces were actually small plastic particles from trash and other debris in the ocean. Du was horrified, and began studying how she could help clean up plastic pollution. She spent hours building prototypes and eventually perfected a remote-operated vehicle that can dive beneath the waves and detect microplastics before they make their way into the food supply. Now, at 17 years old, Du is a nationally recognized advocate for microplastics awareness and pollution prevention. She told Good Morning America, “I want to inspire my generation to use science and technology as weapons against these big-world problems.”

C-SPAN’s StudentCam is an annual national video competition that invites middle and high school students to create short documentaries about issues that affect their lives and their communities. StudentCam’s 2023 theme was “If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?” More than 3,000 student filmmakers entered, submitting documentaries on timely topics from data privacy and inflation to opioid abuse and censorship. C-SPAN awarded cash prizes to the top 150 student documentaries and C-SPAN television networks are broadcasting the top-winning entries throughout April. The 2024 StudentCam theme will be announced this summer and the official competition launch will coincide with the beginning of the new school year.

Seventeen-year-old Ellen Xu of San Diego, California, took third place in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, one of the oldest and most prestigious science awards in the United States. Her invention uses an algorithm and ordinary smartphone images to help with early detection of Kawasaki disease, an illness that can cause long-term heart complications in babies and children. There is no current test for Kawasaki disease and doctors often misdiagnose it. Xu’s early detection tool was 85 percent effective in identifying between Kawasaki and non-Kawasaki symptoms in children.

Xu’s younger sister was misdiagnosed with Kawasaki disease at age three and wasn’t officially cleared of the disease until nearly ten years later. Xu hopes her invention will help protect children and prevent other families from dealing with the stress of misdiagnosis. As she told a San Diego reporter, “Even if I could change one life, that would be super, super meaningful.”

Researchers have found that adolescents who report strong relationships with their parents have better long-term health outcomes. Study findings suggest that investments in improving parent--adolescent relationships could help improve general health, mental health and sexual, health while also reducing substance use in young adulthood.

Last month, 16-year-old Sienna Vaughn from Plano, Texas, died after taking a counterfeit pill that was contaminated with fentanyl. She and a friend bought the pills, which looked like the prescription pain reliever Percocet, from a classmate. Vaughn’s friend survived, but Vaughn experienced fentanyl poisoning and could not be revived at the hospital. Her parents are now trying to raise awareness about the massive spread of fentanyl-laced drugs in the United States. Nearly one dozen students in Texas have overdosed on fentanyl from September 2022 to March 2023.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a long-lasting impact on adolescent mental health and substance use, according to a new population-based study based on survey responses from a sample of over 64,000 13- to 18-year-olds assessed prior to and up to two years into the pandemic.

Hair analysis could be the key to understanding adolescent drug usage, as a new study uncovers almost double the number of children were found to be using substances than those who admitted to in a US survey.

According to the CDC’s new Youth Risk Behavior Survey, more and more teens are experiencing poor mental health. The findings were especially high with teen girls, with nearly 3 in 5 saying they felt persistently sad or hopeless—the highest level reported over the past decade. One in three girls also said they seriously considered attempting suicide, up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago.

Self-harm is often used as a coping mechanism when people feel depressed, overwhelmed, or hopeless. People may intentionally harm their body for emotional relief, but the injuries can be severe or even life threatening. In some cases, self-harm can be a sign of suicidal thoughts or intent.

If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or hopeless, help is available. Consider talking to an adult you trust, like a teacher, school nurse, or coach. You can also contact the U.S. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or Talk Suicide Canada by calling 1-833-456-4566.

According to the CDC’s new Youth Risk Behavior Survey, more and more teens are experiencing poor mental health. The findings were especially high with teen girls, with nearly 3 in 5 saying they felt persistently sad or hopeless—the highest level reported over the past decade. One in three girls also said they seriously considered attempting suicide, up nearly 60 percent from a decade ago.

Self-harm is often used as a coping mechanism when people feel depressed, overwhelmed, or hopeless. People may intentionally harm their body for emotional relief, but the injuries can be severe or even life threatening. In some cases, self-harm can be a sign of suicidal thoughts or intent.

If you’re feeling anxious, depressed, or hopeless, help is available. Consider talking to an adult you trust, like a teacher, school nurse, or coach. You can also contact the U.S. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988, or Talk Suicide Canada by calling 1-833-456-4566.

A new study from the University of Toronto found that one in four Canadian boys and young men were at risk of developing muscle dysmorphia (MD). MD is a type of body dysmorphic disorder, a mental health condition where a person is dissatisfied with or spends a lot of time worrying about their physical appearance. Someone with MD is obsessed with their muscle size and definition, and may develop unhealthy eating and exercise behaviors in an attempt to change their body. Canada is also experiencing a rise in eating disorders, which have similar symptoms as MD. Researchers say this is fueled in part by unrealistic body ideals on social media, as well as a desire by some teens to adapt to “Western” body ideals.

Multiple births, a short interval between pregnancies and mothers with a maternal physical or mental health condition are more at risk of having a low birth rate baby. Every year 20 million children are born with a birth weight below 2,500 grams, and considered low birthweight (LBW) babies The study looked to understand the risk factors for LBW so that resources and interventions could be scheduled effectively.