The AP (6/16, Megerian) reports Vice President Harris “and administration officials on Thursday launched a task force dedicated to fighting online harassment and abuse, which they warned can be a precursor to real-life violence.” The new “task force will address several issues, including prevention of online abuse and services for people who are targeted.”

Reuters (6/16, Alper) reports, “The group is tasked with producing within six months a blueprint detailing actions to address the problem, including more support for victims, prevention and greater accountability for aggressors and platforms hosting them.”

NBC News (6/16, Gregorian) reports the group “aims to address the growing problem of online harassment and abuse which disproportionately targets women, girls and LGBTQI+ people,” a White House official said.

CNN (6/16, Fossum) also reports.

Related Links:

— “VP Harris launches task force on online harassment, abuse “Chris Megerian, AP, June 16, 2022

According to HealthDay (6/16, Preidt), cannabis “use, drinking, smoking and vaping all fell among U.S. youth” during the COVID-19 pandemic, “likely because they had to spend more time at home and less time with their friends,” investigators concluded in a 49-study systematic review, the findings of which were published online April 27 in the journal Current Psychiatry Reports.

Related Links:

— “Youth Drinking, Pot Use Went Down During Pandemic “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, June 16, 2022

USA Today (6/15, Morin, Groppe) reports President Biden on Wednesday signed “an executive order…to offer new initiatives for the LGBT+ community, including addressing conversion therapy and expanding resources for mental health.” This new order “comes as state legislatures have passed multiple bills or executive orders that are anti-LGBTQ in recent months.”

Bloomberg (6/15, Ceron, Fabian) reports, “Under the order, HHS will ‘explore guidance’ that bars programs and organizations that receive federal funding from subjecting people to conversion therapy and provide support to those who have been subjected to such practices.” Also, the order “will include a commitment to expand mental-health resources that are inclusive of LGBTQ youth.”

Politico (6/15, Owermohle, Daniels) reports, “Biden is also directing HHS to take ‘steps to address the barriers and exclusionary policies’ to different types of health care and treatment.”

Related Links:

— “Biden signs executive order to address conversion therapy, anti-LGBTQ bills “Rebecca Morin and Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY, June 15, 2022

Healio (6/15, Herpen) reports, “Approximately 75% of men reported losing sleep after staying up late to play video games, and 62% of men say they have lost sleep due to staying up to drink alcohol,” investigators concluded after examining survey results from a poll of “2,010 American men from Feb. 17 to 24.” The findings were presented at SLEEP 2022.

Related Links:

— “Survey: majority of men lose sleep due to video games, alcohol “Robert Herpen, Healio, June 15, 2022

According to The Hill (6/15, Melillo), research indicates that “Medicaid expansion is associated with a statistically significant reduction in suicide rates compared with those reported in states that did not expand Medicaid.”

MedPage Today (6/15, Short) reports the study revealed that “from 2000 to 2018, suicide rates increased nationwide, but a smaller increase was detected in states with Medicaid expansion after 2014 (2.56 increase per 100,000 individuals) compared with states with no expansion (3.10 increase per 100,000).” The findings were published online June 15 in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Suicide rates slow in states that expanded Medicaid: study “Gianna Melillo, The Hill, June 15, 2022