Four challenges will shape the next farm bill -- and how the U.S. eats

By Kathleen Merrigan, Arizona State University
THE CONVERSATION

Modern farm bills address many things besides food, from rural broadband access to biofuels and even help for small towns to buy police cars. 

File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo

May 9 (UPI) -- For the 20th time since 1933, Congress is writing a multiyear farm bill that will shape what kind of food U.S. farmers grow, how they raise it and how it gets to consumers. These measures are large, complex and expensive: The next farm bill is projected to cost taxpayers $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

Modern farm bills address many things besides food, from rural broadband access to biofuels and even help for small towns to buy police cars. These measures bring out a dizzying range of interest groups with diverse agendas.

Umbrella organizations like the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Farmers Union typically focus on farm subsidies and crop insurance. The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition advocates for small farmers and ranchers. Industry-specific groups, such as cattlemen, fruit and vegetable growers and organic producers, all have their own interests.

Environmental and conservation groups seek to influence policies that affect land use and sustainable farming practices. Hunger and nutrition groups target the bill's sections on food aid. Rural counties, hunters and anglers, bankers and dozens of other organizations have their own wish lists.

As a former Senate aide and senior official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, I've seen this intricate process from all sides. In my view, with the challenges in this round so complex and with critical 2024 elections looming, it could take Congress until 2025 to craft and enact a bill. Here are four key issues shaping the next farm bill, and through it, the future of the U.S. food system.

The price tag

Farm bills always are controversial because of their high cost, but this year the timing is especially tricky. In the past two years, Congress has enacted major bills to provide economic relief from the COVID-19 pandemic, counter inflation, invest in infrastructure and boost domestic manufacturing.

These measures follow unprecedented spending for farm support during the Trump administration. Now legislators are jockeying over raising the debt ceiling, which limits how much the federal government can borrow to pay its bills.

Agriculture Committee leaders and farm groups argue that more money is necessary to strengthen the food and farm sector. If they have their way, the price tag for the next farm bill would increase significantly from current projections.

On the other side, reformers argue for capping payments to farmers, which The Washington Post recently described as an "expensive agricultural safety net," and restricting payment eligibility. In their view, too much money goes to very large farms that produce commodity crops like wheat, corn, soybeans and rice, while small and medium-size producers receive far less support.

Food aid is key fight

Many people are surprised to learn that nutrition assistance -- mainly through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps -- is where most farm bill money is spent. Back in the 1970s, Congress began including nutrition assistance in the farm bill to secure votes from an increasingly urban nation.

Today, over 42 million Americans depend on SNAP, including nearly 1 in every 4 children. Along with a few smaller programs, SNAP will likely consume 80% of the money in the new farm bill, up from 76% in 2018.

Why have SNAP costs grown? During the pandemic, SNAP benefits were increased on an emergency basis, but that temporary arrangement expired in March. Also, in response to a directive included in the 2018 farm bill, the Department of Agriculture recalculated what it takes to afford a healthy diet, known as the Thrifty Food Plan, and determined that it required an additional $12-$16 per month per recipient, or 40 cents per meal.

Because it's such a large target, SNAP is where much of the budget battle will play out. Most Republicans typically seek to rein in SNAP; most Democrats usually support expanding it.

Anti-hunger advocates are lobbying to make the increased pandemic benefits permanent and defend the revised Thrifty Food Plan. In contrast, Republicans are calling for SNAP reductions, and are particularly focused on expanding work requirements for recipients.

Debating climate solutions

The 2022 Inflation Reduction Act provided $19.5 billion to the Department of Agriculture for programs that address climate change. Environmentalists and farmers alike applauded this investment, which is intended to help the agriculture sector embrace climate-smart farming practices and move toward markets that reward carbon sequestration and other ecosystem services.

This big pot of money has become a prime target for members of Congress who are looking for more farm bill funding. On the other side, conservation advocates, sustainable farmers and progressive businesses oppose diverting climate funds for other purposes.

There also is growing demand for Congress to require the USDA to develop better standards for measuring, reporting and verifying actions designed to protect or increase soil carbon. Interest is rising in "carbon farming" -- paying farmers for practices such as no-till agriculture and planting cover crops, which some studies indicate can increase carbon storage in soil.

But without more research and standards, observers worry that investments in climate-smart agriculture will support greenwashing -- misleading claims about environmental benefits -- rather than a fundamentally different system of production. Mixed research results have raised questions as to whether establishing carbon markets based on such practices is premature.

Complex bill, inexperienced legislators

Understanding farm bills requires highly specialized knowledge about issues ranging from crop insurance to nutrition to forestry. Nearly one-third of current members of Congress were first elected after the 2018 farm bill was enacted, so this is their first farm bill cycle.

I expect that, as often occurs in Congress, new members will follow more senior legislators' cues and go along with traditional decision making. This will make it easier for entrenched interests, like the American Farm Bureau Federation and major commodity groups, to maintain support for Title I programs, which provide revenue support for major commodity crops like corn, wheat and soybeans. These programs are complex, cost billions of dollars and go mainly to large-scale operations.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's current stump speech spotlights the fact that 89% of U.S. farmers failed to make a livable profit in 2022, even though total farm income set a record at $162 billion. Vilsack asserts that less-profitable operations should be the focus of this farm bill -- but when pressed, he appears unwilling to concede that support for large-scale operations should be changed in any way.

When I served as deputy secretary of agriculture from 2009 to 2011, I oversaw the department's budget process and learned that investing in one thing often requires defunding another. My dream farm bill would invest in three priorities: organic agriculture as a climate solution; infrastructure to support vibrant local and regional markets and shift away from an agricultural economy dependent on exporting low-value crops; and agricultural science and technology research aimed at reducing labor and chemical inputs and providing new solutions for sustainable livestock production.

In my view, it is time for tough policy choices, and it won't be possible to fund everything. Congress' response will show whether it supports business as usual in agriculture, or a more diverse and sustainable U.S. farm system.

Kathleen Merrigan is executive director of the Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Diocese of Oakland files for bankruptcy as it faces hundreds of sexual abuse claims

"The Diocese of Oakland is surely morally bankrupt, it seems to us, but they do not deserve to be declared financially bankrupt Except for character and integrity, it is not poor."

May 9 (UPI) -- The Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, church officials said, as it prepares to compensate victims who accuse its clergy and staff of having sexually abused them over the last six decades.

Bishop Michael Barber made the announcement in a letter to parishioners on Monday, stating they are filing for bankruptcy in the belief that "this is the best way to support a compassionate and equitable outcome for survivors of abuse while ensuring we continue to provide the essential services and support so crucial to our parishioners and communities."

The bishop also revealed that more than 330 people have filed sexual abuse lawsuits against the diocese during a three-year window that closed Dec. 31, allowing adults who were abused by church officials as children to seek compensation.

Filing for court-supervised bankruptcy will stop all legal actions against the diocese, which covers 82 parishes, and affords it the ability to reorganize its assets to settle claims with abuse survivors, he said.

"Given our current financial resources, RCBO could not shoulder the burden of litigating 330 cases filed under the recent California Assembly Bill 218," Barber said in a statement to the media, referring to the legislation that extended the statute of limitations for filing such lawsuits.

The majority of the lawsuits were filed over allegations of sexual abuse that were committed in the 1960s, '70s and '80s by priests the church said are no longer active in the ministry or are dead.

"It's important we take responsibility for the damage done so we can all move beyond this moment and provide survivors with some measure of peace," he said.

"Sadly, for many, the pain caused by these horrific sins, no matter when they occurred, will never wash away, which is why we offer support to survivors and pray for their continued healing."

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests, better known as SNAP, rebuked the announcement Monday as an attempt by the church to deny transparency and justice to its victims.

"Everything about this bankruptcy strikes us as wrong," it said in a statement. "It's all about keeping money and secrets."

The network accused Barber of filing for bankruptcy in order to prevent high-ranking members of the church accused of sexual abuse from testifying in court.

"The Diocese of Oakland is surely morally bankrupt, it seems to us, but they do not deserve to be declared financially bankrupt," it said. "Except for character and integrity, it is not poor."

The move by the Diocese of Oakland comes almost exactly two months after its Santa Rosa equivalent similarly filed for Chapter 11 as it was facing at least 160 new lawsuits filed by those who accuse its clergy of having sexually abused them.



In February, the Diocese of San Diego announced it would consider filing for bankruptcy in light of sexual abuse claims filed by some 400 people.

The Diocese of Oakland said that in 2003 under a similar law that extended the statute of limitations, it resolved 52 lawsuits with money it secured from insurance funds, the sale of property and loans.

Barber assured parishioners in his letter Monday that schools would not be affected by the bankruptcy filing.

UBS appoints Credit Suisse CEO Ulrich Korner to executive board

UBS tapped Credit Suisse CEO and former UBS chief operating officer Ulrich Korner on Tuesday to join the group executive board of the megabank created from the merger of the two banks. File photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo

May 9 (UPI) -- Swiss banking giant UBS sought Tuesday to consolidate its mega-merger with rival Credit Suisse by announcing the appointment of CEO Ulrich Korner to its Group Executive Board, pending closure of the $3.7 billion deal.

Korner, who has previously held senior executive positions at both banks, will use his knowledge of both organizations to help guide the integration process, focusing on Credit Suisse's operational continuity and client focus while the deal goes through.

The takeover is expected to be completed by the end of this month or in early June, the bank said.

Credit Suisse will continue to operate independently for the foreseeable future under Korner with UBS taking a phased approach to integrating the two banks, but UBS Group will initially manage the two separate parent companies.

Swiss National Bank chair says it will review regulations after Credit Suisse collapse

Each will continue to run its own subsidiaries and branches, clients, and transact with counterparties, but the Credit Suisse Executive Board and division and function heads will report to both their respective UBS Executive Board member and Korner, UBS said.

"This is a pivotal moment for UBS, Credit Suisse and the entire banking industry. Together we will solidify and represent the Swiss model for finance around the world, one that is capital-light, less reliant on taking risk and anchored by stability and high-touch service," said UBS Group CEO Sergio Ermotti.

"With the new operating model and leadership team, UBS is well-equipped to build on its existing strength and the successes of the past decade. The integration of the businesses and legal entities will take time."

RELATED UBS Q1 profit plunges, bank sets aside $665M for financial crisis-era lawsuit

But Ermotti stressed that combining Credit Suisse with UBS's "highly capital-accretive business model," diversified revenue, disciplined risk management and all-weather balance sheet would benefit clients, employees, investors, the economies UBS serves and the wider financial system.

Apart from Korner and Ermotti, a former UBS CEO who was brought back in March to steady the ship 10 days after the emergency rescue deal was announced, most of the rest of the leadership team is unchanged with Iqbal Khan and Rob Karofsky staying on to head up UBS's all important global wealth management and investment banking divisions.

UBS agreed to take over rival Credit Suisse following a $69 billion run on the bank amid instability in the global banking sector in an emergency deal brokered by the Swiss government, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority and the central bank.

RELATED Senate committee says Credit Suisse serviced Nazi-related accounts

UBS expects the deal, which followed a $55 billion central bank loan to shore up Credit Suisse, mass "bail ins" that cost investors billions of dollars and UBS pay a fraction of its rival's book value, will see it emerge stronger as a "truly global" wealth manager, with around $5 trillion in invested assets.

UBS said its net profit fell by half in the first quarter to $1.04 billion, not because of the Credit Suisse deal, but due to $665 million in provisions to cover costs arising from a lawsuit related to U.S. mortgage-backed securities dating back to the 2008 financial crisis.

WAGE THEFT
Goldman Sachs to pay $215M to settle gender discrimination suit



May 9 (UPI) -- Investment giant Goldman Sachs said on Monday it will pay $215 million to settle a 13-year-old class-action gender discrimination lawsuit where plaintiffs claimed they suffered from biases in pay, performance evaluations and promotions.

The lawsuit covered about 2,800 female associates and vice presidents employed in investment banking, investment management and securities divisions. The settlement covers all women who worked in "revenue producing" positions from July 7, 2002, to March 28.

"As one of the original plaintiffs, I have been proud to support this case without hesitation over the last nearly 13 years and believe this settlement will help the women I had in mind when I filed the case," said Shanna Orlich, who originally sued Goldman Sachs with Cristina Chen-Oster, Allison Gamba and Mary De Luis.

The court will now set a hearing for preliminary settlement approval and then have a third-party administrator allocate the settlement amounts.

RELATED Attorneys general subpoena NFL in workplace discrimination probe

"Plaintiffs believe this settlement provides substantial, certain recoveries for all class members and advances gender-equity at Goldman," said Kelly Dermody, the plaintiff's co-counsel, in a statement.

Jacqueline Arthur, Goldman Sachs' global head of human capital management, said the company said both sides found it mutual the bring the long-litigated issue to rest.

"Goldman Sachs is proud of its long record of promoting and advancing women and remains committed to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace for all our people," Arthur said in a statement.

"After more than a decade of vigorous litigation, both parties have agreed to resolve this matter. We will continue to focus on our people, our clients, and our business."

The announcement comes less than a month after Goldman reported net revenue of $12.2 billion for the first quarter, 5% lower year-on-year but 15% higher than levels over the three-month period ending in December.

Paramount lays off 25% of TV networks' staff, shuts down MTV News on Tuesday as Paramount+  finalizes its merger with Showtime. 

Image courtesy of Paramount Plus

May 9 (UPI) -- Paramount laid off 25% of its domestic TV networks' staff and shut down MTV News on Tuesday as the company finalizes its merger of Paramount+ with Showtime.

Chris McCarthy, president and chief executive officer of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and Paramount Media Networks, sent a memo to employees, saying leaders had worked "to determine the optimal organization for the current and future needs of our business."

"As a result, we have made the very hard but necessary decision to reduce our domestic team by approximately 25%. Through the elimination of some units and by streamlining others, we will be able to reduce costs and create a more effective approach to our business as we move forward," McCarthy wrote in the memo.

Paramount also announced Tuesday it would shut down MTV News, which launched in the late 1980s, following years of downsizing.

In January, Paramount revealed its plan to fully integrate Showtime into Paramount+ across streaming and linear platforms later this year with the new network becoming "Paramount+ with Showtime" in the United States. The merger integrates Showtime with MTV Entertainment Studios and creates a networks division that combines nine separate teams into one portfolio group.

Parent company Paramount Global, which had about 24,500 employees as of the end of 2022, had warned there would be staff layoffs. About 10% of Showtime's workers were let go earlier this year after the merger was announced.

Last week, Paramount Global announced worse-than-expected first-quarter earnings due to higher streaming investments and an 11% drop in TV ad revenue. The 11% drop follows a 7% drop for the fourth quarter of 2022. The company also announced a dividend cut to preserve cash.

While Paramount+ credited a bump in new subscriber growth to hits including "Yellowstone," "1883," "Tulsa King," "George & Tammy" and "Yellowjackets," McCarthy blamed the layoffs on "pressure from broader economic headwinds like many of our peers."

Of those peers, Disney is currently cutting 7,000 positions, while Warner Bros. Discovery recently completed a series of layoffs.

Paramount's memo Tuesday informed workers that those whose jobs have been cut would be alerted immediately.

"Today we will notify employees whose positions are being impacted with leaders communicating the news directly to those teams/or individuals. Those meetings will be followed by individual 1:1s with our HR partners," McCarthy said.

"I realize these decisions will be very hard for everyone, most of all, those who will be leaving. It's not something we take lightly," McCarthy added.
A
"To those impacted, we deeply appreciate the passion and creativity you have brought every day. I want to thank you for your many contributions."

Li-Cycle, Glencore mull plans for giant battery recycling plant in Italy
A smelting facility in Italy is tapped for a conversion to a plant that can repurpose many of the elements in lithium-ion batteries. Partners Li-Cycle and Glencore believe it will be Europe's largest. 

Photo courtesy of Glencore

May 9 (UPI) -- North American battery recycler Li-Cycle announced plans Tuesday to partner with mining giant Glencore to build what they said would be the largest source of recycled battery-grade elements on the European continent.

The companies outlined plans to conduct a feasibility study on converting one of Glencore's lead refineries in Portovesme, in the Sardinia region of Italy, into a plant that could recycle lithium, nickel and cobalt -- essential elements for lithium-ion batteries.

"The planned Portovesme Hub is a landmark project for Europe's battery recycling industry and is expected to be the largest source of recycled battery-grade lithium on the continent," Tim Johnston, co-founder and executive chair of Li-Cycle, said.

The Paris-based International Agency estimates that the Democratic Republic of Congo currently produces 70% of the world's cobalt, while Australia, Chile and China account for 90% of the total global production of lithium.

But developments are advancing quickly. Li-Cycle said it already has infrastructure in place to develop tens of thousands of tons of material used in batteries.

The Italian plant could have the capacity to process as much as 70,000 tons a year of a scrap product called black mass for later use in batteries. A feasibility study commences in two months and has a target date of completion by mid-2024.

With mining operations centered in a few select countries, Kunal Sinha, the global head of recycling at Glencore, said recycling has a unique role in the energy transition.

"It will shorten delivery times, reduce emissions by minimizing the distance of the freight routes and support Italy and Europe's ambitions to be a global leader in the circular economy," he said.

At home, Li-Cycle in February received a $375 million conditional loan guarantee from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program for a planned commercial materials center in Rochester, N.Y.

Li-Cycle said the hub in Rochester could position the company as the leading domestic producer of recycled battery-grade materials.

Regulator issues permit for New Mexico nuclear waste facility

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a permit Tuesday, allowing Holtec International to build a facility (similar to the one pictured) to store nuclear waste in New Mexico. 

Photo courtesy Holtec International

May 9 (UPI) -- The agency that governs nuclear power in the United States issued a permit Tuesday to build a facility to store nuclear waste in New Mexico.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission permit goes against the wishes of both state and federal elected officials.

"I have been strongly opposed to the interim storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level waste in New Mexico, which would pose serious risks to our communities. But today's announcement paves the way for New Mexico to be home for indefinite storage of spent nuclear fuel," Sen. Ben Ray Lujan D-N.M., told The Hill in a statement.

"This approach -- over the objections of many local, state, and federal leaders -- is unacceptable," he said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., in March signed legislation prohibiting the facility from being built by Florida-based Holtec International.

It's not clear what effect her law would have on the NRC's federal permit.

Lujan Grisham called on President Joe Biden to intervene.

The NRC permit grants Holtec the right to build the consolidated interim storage facility for spent nuclear fuel in the state's Lea County. The company can store 500 canisters, or approximately 8,680 metric tons, of spent nuclear fuel for 40 years.

Holtec said it plans to eventually apply for amended licenses in order to eventually store up to 10,000 canisters or approximately 173,600 metric tons over an additional 19 phases.

The company was founded in 1986 in New Jersey and specializes in manufacturing parts for nuclear reactors. It also offers existing nuclear waste storage services.

Despite having the permit, Holtec is not fully committed to moving ahead with the project.

"We're still working with our partners and the key stakeholders to understand what our paths are ... what our potential options are. Then we're going to head forward from that," the company's director of government affairs and communications Patrick O'Brien told the Albuquerque Journal in an interview Tuesday

The NRC permit allows Holtec to build a facility in New Mexico's Lea County to store approximately 8,680 metric tons of nuclear waste for 40 years, which is opposed by state and federal elected officials. Photo courtesy Holtec International

Korean firm to test AI robot on patrol of apartment complex

By Kim Tae-gyu, UPI News Korea & Kim Hae-wook

An autonomous robot patrols an apartment complex south of Seoul. HL Mando plans to test the commercial viability of the patrol robot this year before commercialization. Photo courtesy of HL Mando

May 9 (UPI) -- South Korea's autonomous driving solutions company HL Mando said Tuesday its AI robot is set to begin patrolling the grounds of a large apartment complex.

The company said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with real estate manager AJ Daewon to operate the robot in an exurb of Seoul.

Equipped with cameras and laser-based sensors, the robot will patrol predetermined routes to check for potential issues such as children/car safety, fire risks and parking violations, HL Mando said.

If the test run is successful, the firm plans to roll out the robots nationwide next year.

"All this year, we will do daytime test runs of the patrol robot, but once fully commercialized, it could be patrolling around the clock," an HL Mando spokesman told UPI News Korea.

"The robot is programmed to alert the control center when it senses any potential problems so that proper measures can be taken," he said.

HL Mando has been working on autonomous patrol robots for the past several years, testing various prototypes at locations like parks and factories.

"Working with AJ Daewon, we will be able to bring unmanned patrol robots, ones with practical use, to people. We will continue to develop unique AI products using our technological advantage," HL Mando Executive Vice President Choi Sung-ho said in a statement.

The share price of HL Mando was up 1.33% Tuesday on the South Korean stock exchange.

American Psychological Association issues recommendations for teen social media use

By Cara Murez, HealthDay News

The American Psychological Association on Tuesday issued 10 science-based recommendations for teen and preteen social media use, the first time it has done so.

Photo by Potstock/Shutterstock

It's easy for kids to get drawn into Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok, and a leading U.S. psychologists' group warns they need some training in social media literacy beforehand.

The American Psychological Association on Tuesday issued 10 science-based recommendations for teen and preteen social media use, the first time it has done so. The APA compares training in social media to getting a driver's license. Teens can't just hit the road without learning the rules.

"There are some ways that social media can benefit and there are some ways that it might cause harm," said Mitchell Prinstein, the APA's chief science officer. The report authors wanted to make sure their approach was balanced, he said.

There are certain psychological competencies kids should have before they use social media. These are tailored to strengths and the level of maturity that individual kids possess, the report noted.

Parents can help their youngsters develop those competencies, and they can also screen for problematic online behaviors, the report advised.

How parents can help

Among the skills parents can teach kids is knowing what's real and what isn't on these platforms.

RELATED Half of U.S. parents worry about social media's toll on kids' mental health

"We all have a natural tendency to believe what we see, to overgeneralize and assume that what we see is probably representative of a great number of people. We all have a tendency to compare ourselves to others. These are natural human characteristics," Prinstein said. "When we did it in the offline world and it was limited to only a certain amount of time and only in certain contexts, we were better able to handle that."

Having access to this around the clock with all these misperceptions and social comparisons can be concerning for children's psychological health, Prinstein said.

Another key point: Kids "should be informed explicitly and repeatedly, in age-appropriate ways, about the manner in which their behaviors on social media may yield data that can be used, stored, or shared with others, for instance, for commercial [and other] purposes," the report says.

RELATED Bipartisan Senate bill would ban social media accounts for kids younger than 13

The APA also wants to emphasize that some of this is the responsibility of tech designers or legislators.

"A platform that's designed to give the same exact experience to an 8-year-old versus an 80-year-old is not paying attention to what we know about kids' development and kids' unique vulnerabilities," Prinstein said.

The guidelines were compiled by a panel of excerpts in various types of child mental health, ranging from clinical child psychologists to school psychologists.

A substantial investment in research is necessary, the report noted, and it should include access to data from tech companies.

While the platforms can push a person to care about the numbers, not about developing positive relationships, they're not all bad.

"We do know that there are some benefits particularly for those from underrepresented groups. There's a real source of social support and helping to find others with similar identities or interests that social media can offer," Prinstein said. "And we wouldn't want to take that away from youth of color or youth with gender and sexual identities that might not match their families or most people in their school and communities."

Research also shows that kids are more likely to have diverse friendships online than in person because communities are still segregated, he said. They're also more likely to engage in civic activism.

Yet there are people out there who are teaching children to harm themselves and to hide it from their parents, Prinstein said.

"I think it's just important for parents to realize that without monitoring there's a good chance kids are going to experience this. And if they do, they might have a lot of questions," Prinstein said. "Similarly, a lot of kids are being exposed to cyber hate and there's research that shows that that's harmful not just to the victims, but to anyone who sees it."

What to watch for

Parents should be watchful for signs that social media use is interfering with daily life or with sleep, the report cautioned. They should monitor kids' social media use in early adolescence, from about age 10 to 14, increasing autonomy as they age. Monitoring should be balanced with youths' appropriate need for privacy, the report suggested.

"I think they did a really good job at highlighting both how to use it well and the benefits, and then also calling out the risks," said Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director for the children's mental health organization On Our Sleeves based in Columbus, Ohio. She was not involved with the report.

"In terms of the healthcare world that I'm a part of, it's a reminder that just like we're screening for things like depression and anxiety, we should be asking kids about their social media use and the impact," Hoet said. "How many hours are you spending on it? How do you feel after you use it? Is it impacting your sleep?"

Hoet, too, sees social media's good and bad elements.

"The APA report does talk about amplifying the pro-social acts, and I agree with that. We can learn a lot from each other. Build empathy. It allows for that interacting with groups that are outside of your own," she said.

The bad can include social comparison and the need to be constantly checking a phone, Hoet said.

Her organization encourages parents and caregivers to have conversations with their kids about social media. It also offers tools to help parents understand social media and how a child may use it, along with resources to help families create boundaries.

"I thought the callout for the longitudinal research was really important. Knowing the long-term effects, not just immediate, but what happens as kids grow older and they become adults," Hoet said. "I think that's important."

The amount of research dollars dedicated to child mental health is small compared to investments in other areas of science, Prinstein said.

"It's just time for that to change. We need a mental health moonshot, in the same way that [President] Biden talks about a cancer moonshot," Prinstein said.

More information

The Pew Research Center has more on teens and social media.

Daily Internet use among older adults may ward off dementia

"We cannot tell which is the chicken and which is the egg at this time," 

By Alan Mozes, HealthDay News

A new study of older adults suggests that regular Internet use may be a boon for older Americans, staving off the long-term risk for dementia.

 Photo by Steve Buissinne/Pixabay

In a world increasingly consumed by social media, much has been made of the amount of time younger generations spend online every day -- and the harms that habit can bring.

But now a new study of older adults suggests that regular Internet use may actually be a boon for older Americans, staving off the long-term risk for dementia.

"We studied the association between Internet usage and the risk of dementia in the long term among dementia-free adults aged 50 and older," explained study author Gawon Cho.

"We found that regular users experienced approximately half the risk of dementia than non-regular users," said Cho, a doctoral student in the department of social and behavioral sciences at New York University's School of Global Public Health, in New York City.

"Surprised by the magnitude of the risk difference" her team observed, Cho acknowledged that it's not entirely clear whether dementia-free patients are simply more likely to surf the web in the first place, or whether surfing the web can actually help keep dementia risk at bay

"We cannot tell which is the chicken and which is the egg at this time," Cho admitted.

Still, she said, the findings do indicate that when it comes to maintaining a healthy brain "Internet usage in old age matters."

To examine how Internet use might impact dementia risk, the study team focused on more than 18,000 American adults. All were between the ages of 50 and 65 when the study was launched in 2002.

After initially undergoing mental health assessments, all participants were subsequently interviewed every two years, to keep tally of Internet usage habits.

At each interview all participants were asked to respond yes or no to the following question: "Do you regularly use the World Wide Web, or the Internet, for sending and receiving email or for any other purpose, such as making purchases, searching for information or making travel reservations?"

Those who answered "yes" were classified as "regular Internet users." Those who answered "no" were deemed "non-regular users."

By that definition, approximately two-thirds of the participants were regular Internet users when the study began; just over one-third were not.

In addition, in 2013 a sub-sample of participants who skewed older were also asked to indicate precisely how many hours a day they went online to email, socialize, get news or shop, among other activities. Time spent watching TV or movies was excluded.

Dementia risk was then tracked for a maximum of 17 years, with an average follow-up of about 8 years.

In the end, just under 5% of the participants had developed dementia by the time the study was halted. About 8% of the participants had died without having developed dementia, while more than 87% remained mentally sharp.

Cho acknowledged that roughly one-fifth of the participants changed their Internet usage habits over the course of the study. Specifically, about 13% of those who had first been classified as regular users indicated they were non-regular users during at least one of the subsequent interviews.

Change also unfolded in reverse, the team noted, with just over one-third of those initially deemed to be non-regular users having switched to regular Internet use at least once over the ensuing years.

Still, the vast majority of participants did not alter their Internet habits over time. After stacking initial Internet habits up against dementia risk, the team concluded that about 1.5% of regular Internet users were at risk for dementia, while more than 10% of non-regular users were, according to the report

The investigators said the findings held up even after taking into account race, ethnicity, gender and prior education.

But a notable twist surfaced when the team turned to the 2013 hourly usage data.

Among that small group of relatively older men and women, investigators saw a "U-shaped dynamic," in which older folks who were never online and those who were online between 6 to 8 hours each day seemed to have a higher risk for dementia than their peers whose Internet use fell somewhere in between.

Cho noted that prior research has suggested that excessive Internet use may ultimately "negatively affect the risk of dementia in older adults."

As for the broader finding that regular Internet use might be protective against dementia, Cho and her colleagues speculated that it might have to do with how routine online surfing helps to bolster language ability, memory and thought-processing capacity.

The findings were published recently in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Claire Sexton, senior director of scientific program and outreach for the Alzheimer's Association, suggested that the findings align with the notion that "the more we know about the Alzheimer's risk factors we can change, the better."

Sexton said, "This is important research, as it identifies a potentially modifiable factor that may influence dementia risk."

More research into the impact of lifestyle choices on dementia risk will be needed, she noted.

"People may be able to reduce their risk of cognitive decline by adopting key lifestyle habits, including regular physical activity, getting more formal education, taking care of heart health, and getting enough sleep," she said. "When possible, combine these habits to achieve maximum benefit for the brain and body. Start now. It's never too late or too early to incorporate healthy habits."

More information

There's more on dementia at the U.S. National Institute on Aging.

Copyright © 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.