Study prompts discussion about smartphones and depression in kids
Meanwhile, social media users shared the mental health consequences of hearing slurs toward people with disabilities.
Meanwhile, social media users shared the mental health consequences of hearing slurs toward people with disabilities.
Recent articles and social media posts discussed a new study linking smartphone use to depression in kids. Other conversations highlighted how hearing slurs harms the mental health of people with disabilities and brain differences. Plus, a new Illinois law legalizing medical aid in dying for some terminally ill patients sparked debate about whether these types of laws “promote suicide.”
In response, communicators may share tips for caregivers who are monitoring their children’s smartphone use, circulate information about avoiding stigmatizing language, offer mental health resources for people with disabilities and brain differences, and recirculate suicide prevention resources.
Insights brought to you by the reporters and science writers of Public Good News (PGN), a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to improving community health.
What’s trending nationally in conversations about mental health
On December 1, Pediatrics published a study finding that children who own a smartphone by age 12 are more likely to experience depression and sleep problems. Over the past two weeks, articles and social media posts highlighted the study’s findings. Many social media users expressed concern about children’s mental health in the age of social media, while others suggested that childhood depression would happen with or without smartphones. Several said that children can have smartphones without experiencing negative mental health impacts if parents limit and monitor their use.
On November 27, President Donald Trump shared a social media post in which he called Minnesota Governor Tim Walz a term that is considered a slur toward people with developmental disabilities. Since then, social media posts criticized Trump’s use of the slur, saying that it harms people with disabilities and those with brain differences like autism and ADHD. Some commenters said that they had been called the slur as children when ADHD and learning disabilities made schoolwork challenging and that it had negatively impacted their mental health.
On December 12, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed a bill into law legalizing medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients, with similar laws being passed in other states. When the law takes effect in September 2026, terminally ill adults in Illinois who are expected to live six months or fewer will be able to obtain prescription medication that they can use to end their own lives at home. The medication will only be prescribed after strict evaluations and counseling about other care options. Before the law was signed, archdiocese leaders of the Catholic Conference of Illinois spoke out against the bill, saying, “It defies common sense for our state to enact a 9-8-8 suicide hotline, increase funding for suicide prevention programs and then pass a law that, based on the experience of other jurisdictions, results in more suicide.” While some social media users praised the law for preventing prolonged suffering, others suggested that legalizing medical aid in dying “promotes suicide.” A few worried that these types of laws will eventually be used to help people with depression die by suicide.
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Recommendations for public health professionals
The Infodemiology.com team will provide messaging recommendations in response to some of the trending narratives outlined above. These helpful tips can be used when creating content, updating web and FAQ pages, and developing strategy for messaging about mental health.
Discussions about how smartphones impact kids’ mental health has been an ongoing theme online. New research provides an opportunity to explain how parents and caregivers can help their children navigate social media in safer ways, including setting time limits, regularly talking about what youth are seeing on social media, and watching out for unhealthy behaviors. Communicators may also want to share depression and mental health warning signs in youth and mental health resources geared toward this population, including the peer support hotline YouthLine and the Trevor Project’s hotline for LGBTQ+ youth.
In response to conversations about how slurs and bullying impact people with disabilities, communicators may outline how to avoid stigmatizing language, especially in school settings. Messaging may also provide general mental health resources for people with disabilities, directories where people can search for therapists who specialize in disability issues, and local support groups for people with disabilities and brain differences like ADHD.
Conversations about medical aid in dying provide an opportunity to share mental health resources for people with terminal illnesses and their caregivers. Communicators may share directories where people can search for therapists who help people manage the mental health impacts of terminal illnesses, local or virtual support groups for terminally ill patients and caregivers, and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.