HealthDay (3/13, Solomon) reported a systemic review and meta-analysis of 153 studies found that “digital media use is consistently associated with risks to child and adolescent mental health and development globally.” The researchers observed that “social media use was associated with higher depression, externalizing and internalizing behaviors, self-injurious thoughts, problematic internet use, and substance use. There were also negative associations with lower academic achievement, poorer self-perception, and less positive development.” Additionally, “there was an association between video gaming and higher aggression and externalizing behaviors and higher attention/executive functioning. Digital device use and messaging/communication media were associated with depression.” The review was published in JAMA Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Digital Media Tied to Risks for Child, Adolescent Mental Health and Development,”Lori Solomon, HealthDay, March 13, 2026

The AP (3/12, Huamani, Ortutay) reports that closing statements began Thursday in the trial on whether Meta and YouTube “should be liable for harms caused to children using their platforms.” The case, “along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies are likely to play out.”

Related Links:

— “Lawyers in landmark social media addiction trial make final appeals to the jury,”Kaitlyn Huamani And Barbara Ortutay, AP, March 12, 2026

Psychiatric News (3/12) reports a study found that “children and teenagers who have been exposed to trauma are very likely to experience clinically significant symptoms of depression in the aftermath of the trauma, with many of them continuing to experience symptoms a year later.” The research team “pooled data on 2,006 trauma-exposed youth ages 7 to 18 across four countries who completed measures of depression symptoms across acute- (>24 hours to 1 month), short- (>1 to 3 months), intermediate- (>3 to 6 months), and/or long-term (>6 to 12 months) windows.” They observed the “prevalence of children who likely had ‘clinically significant depression’ was 38.7% in the acute-, 57.9% in the short-, 47.1% in the intermediate-, and 41.8% in the long-term window.” The study was published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.

Related Links:

— “Youth Exposed to Trauma Often Have Long-Lasting Symptoms of Depression, Psychiatric News, March 12, 2026

HealthDay (3/11, Thompson) reports a study found that “children were more likely to eat healthy and not gain weight if their parents participated in training to help manage stress.” The investigators “recruited 114 parents with overweight or obese children ages 2 to 5 and assigned them to one of two groups. One group underwent a mindfulness training program focused on managing stress and avoiding unhealthy behaviors along with education on healthy nutrition and physical activity. The second group only got the education on eating right and exercising.” Study results showed that “only the mindfulness group experienced lower parental stress, improved positive parenting and less unhealthy eating among their children by three months after the classes ended. On the other hand, children in the control group had a six-fold higher risk of overweight or obesity within three months of the classes.” The study was published in Pediatrics.

Related Links:

— “Lowering Parents’ Stress Can Reduce Risk Of Childhood Obesity,”Dennis Thompson, HealthDay , March 11, 2026

HealthDay (3/11, Gotkine) reports a study found that “genetic factors influence suicide attempt risk, but they do not account for observed sex differences.” The researchers observed that “compared with men, women more often had suicide attempts (3.3 versus 2.6 percent). Risk aggregated within families in both sexes (odds ratios ranging from 1.6 to 3.4 across relative types), with higher risk in first- than second-degree relatives.” They noted that “stronger familial aggregation was seen in women than men and in same-sex first-degree relatives than in cross-sex pairs.” Furthermore, “moderate-to-high pedigree genetic correlations were seen for suicide attempts with psychiatric disorders, which were strongest with substance use disorders; no significant sex differences were seen. High genetic correlation was seen between female and male suicide attempts (0.85), suggesting a considerable genetic overlap.” The study was published in BMJ Mental Health.

Related Links:

— “Moderate Heritable Component Identified for Suicide Attempts,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay , March 11, 2026