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By U.S. Rep. Chris StewartR-Utah And Utah Gov. Spencer Cox

Every year, more than 5,000 young Americans take their own lives. Our nations young people are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, and the preponderance of the evidence that links this tragic trend to social media is beyond disturbing enough to warrant action.

Thats why we support dual legislation at both the state and federal levels to protect our children from the harms of social media.

More than 40% of teenagers say that they struggle with feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and more than half of parents express concern over their childrens mental well-being. There has never been a generation this depressed, anxious and suicidal, and growing evidence is showing that social media is causing harm, especially for teen girls.

Research conducted by the University of Utah Huntsman Mental Health Institute shows that young adults who use social media are three times as likely to suffer from depression. And when we look at what happened to American teens from 2009-2010, as social media became more prevalent, this reality is undeniable.

In 2010, about 63% of American high-school students reported using a social networking site on a daily basis. But by 2014, 80% of high-school students said they used a social media platform daily, and 24% said they were online almost constantly.

During that timeframe, hospital admissions for self-harm doubled for girls ages 10 to 14. That is no coincidence.

There is also eyewitness testimony that speaks to this very point. In 2017, British researchers asked 1,500 teens to rate how each of the major social media platforms affected their anxiety, loneliness, body image and sleep. Instagram scored as the most harmful, followed by Snapchat and then Facebook.

If you still dont believe us, take Facebooks own word for it. An internal Facebook presentation noted, We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls. Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression. This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.

Facebooks own research also stated, The tendency to share only the best moments, a pressure to look perfect and an addictive product can send teens spiraling toward eating disorders, an unhealthy sense of their own bodies and depression.

This effect is particularly relevant to TikTok, a platform which is known for addictive algorithms. And this should come as no surprise, as the platform was developed by the Chinese Communist Party for the very purpose of creating a digital, emotional heroin for young people in the West.

Its also worth noting that social media usage is becoming more and more common among younger and younger audiences. In 2021, children ages 8 to 12 spent five and a half hours a day on screens, and teens ages 13 to 18 spent nearly nine hours a day. These statistics should scare us all, but they should also inspire us to make bold, necessary change for the sake of our kids.

President Joe Biden recently wrote that young people are struggling with bullying, violence, trauma and mental health. We must hold social-media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit. And the Surgeon General recently stated that 13 is too early for children to join social media.

We couldnt agree more.

Utah recently passed two social media bills which will provide protection for our children, more parental controls, and increased accountability for social media companies.

On the federal side, this critical issue is a real opportunity for bipartisanship in a divided Congress, and its an important opportunity for progress in a divided nation.

To those who say this would be an overstep by our government, we understand your concern. And we share your ideological belief that more government usually makes life worse, not better.

But the government already regulates this aspect of our digital lives. The current minimum age for social media usage is 13. Obviously, this law is not enforced by tech companies and, subsequently, easily avoided by kids who want to participate. Federal legislation will not only raise that minimum age but hold tech companies accountable for enforcing this regulation.

We have countless protections for our children in the physical world we require car seats and seat belts; we have fences around pools; we have a minimum drinking age of 21; and we have a minimum driving age of 16.

The damage to Generation Z from social media is undeniable so why are there no protections in the digital world? This is about taking power from companies and giving it to parents in the interest of their kids, not the government.

We are under no illusion that this is a silver bullet solution for what has become a national crisis. But we certainly believe that its an important step in the right direction. We hope youll join us in working to give our nations young people the protections they so desperately need.

The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline provides free and confidential support for anyone experiencing a suicidal, mental health, and/or substance use crisis. Please call or text 9-8-8 to be connected with a trained crisis counselor.

Please visit stewart.house.gov for more information on the Social Media Child Protection Act.

Gov. Spencer Cox is the 18th governor of the state of Utah. Chris Stewart represents Utahs second district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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We protect children in the physical world why not the digital world? - The Highland County Press

LAS VEGAS (PRWEB) March 28, 2023

Hive, the makers of delicious Hard Honey Beverages, are excited to invite industry professionals, tastemakers, and enthusiasts to visit Booth 961 at the highly-anticipated Bar and Restaurant Expo, taking place March 27-29, 2023, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The Bar and Restaurant Expo, renowned as the premier event for on-premise food and beverage industry professionals, will feature a diverse range of exhibitors showcasing the latest products, trends, and innovations. This year's expo promises to be bigger and better than ever, with networking events, educational sessions, and the chance to discover exciting new products and services.

At the heart of the Expo, the Hive team will showcase its palate-forward experience of Hard Honey beverages, which has quickly gained attention for its proprietary fusion of raw natural honey with a delicious twist. Crafted with the simplest ingredients, this gluten-free beverage offers a delightful alternative to other "Hard" ready-to-drink Alcoholic beverages.

Hive will also release its Premium Non-Alcoholic Wine and Hops line as a tasty alternative to other NA beers and wines on the market. Hive is made with Clean, Pure, and Simple ingredients you will be walking away craving for your next sip.

Stop by the Hive Booth #961:

Tasting Flights - Discover the buzz for yourself by sampling Hive's Hard Honey Beverage in all flavors, including PB and J, Hoppy Penelope, Ginger Mule, and Atomic Berry + Hive NA Wine and NA Hops.

Exclusive promotions: Learn about special offers and promotions available only to Expo attendees.

Share the Buzz on Social Media

Join the conversation and share your Hive experience on social media using the hashtag #hive2o #hive2hand #hardhoney. By doing so, you'll have the chance to win merchandise, gift cards, and much more. Be sure to snap photos of your favorite Hive flavors, your interactions with the team at Booth #961, and share your feedback on the Hive palate experience!

Join us at the Bar and Restaurant Expo to experience Hive's Hard Honey Beverage and connect with like-minded professionals in the food and beverage industry. Be sure to mark your calendars and visit Booth 961 from March 27-29, 2023, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

See you there!

About Hive: Home of HARD HONEY. Now available in Whole Foods Market and coming to stores near you.

At Hive, our mission is to provide an authentic drink experience for a variety of palates with "unique and delicious flavors" of Hard Honey and Premium Non-alcoholic Beverages that showcase the quality and passion of the bee's work from hive to hand (#Hive2Hand).

We strive to spread the joy that Honeybees create through every sip, bringing together the Honeybee's life's work with unchartered flavor profiles and aromas of pure honey for a one-of-a-kind drinking experience.

For more information, please visit HardHoney.com.

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Unveiling the BUZZ: Hive's Hard Honey Premium RTD (Ready ... - PR Web

In fact, the new Hipstamatic social network looks very similar to early versions of Instagram allowing photographers to publish images to a chronological feed and share their snaps with friends or like-minded users. Its a simple format that Instagram itself has long since abandoned in favor of stuffing its platform with algorithms and features like Reels.

Hipstamatic seemingly has little interest in any of that, which could be good news for those frustrated by the modern Instagram experience. For example, users on Hipstamatic are limited to following a maximum of 99 people, distinguishing it from similar platforms and, hopefully, ensuring it remains a smaller community.

And, of course, the new platform still features Hipstamatics iconic camera filters and lenses for adding a variety of image effects in addition to a selection of editing tools to make adjustments to photographs without jumping to another app. The platform is still an iOS exclusive and completely free of ads. Hipstamatic co-founder Lucas Buick says the app will be supported through a community membership program, though he doesnt say how much this will be, when itll be available, or whether itll unlock any benefits. Weve contacted Buick to clarify and will update should we hear back.

Despite the similarities of this relaunch, Buick once claimed that Hipstamatic never really tried to compete with Instagram. But as Instagrams popularity started to surge in 2011, it ultimately made Hipstamatic obsolete anyway. Not only did Instagram have social networking capabilities but it was also completely free, while Hipstamatic cost $1.99 to download. Hipstamatic was never shut down, instead remaining as a shadow of its former glory despite removing that download fee and eventually relaunching as the Hipstamatic X analog camera app in 2019.

The new Hipstamatic social platform faces an uphill battle to compete not just with Instagram but also the plethora of other photography-based networking apps like VSCO that exist today. Hipstamatics social network features are fairly basic by comparison, and most other platforms have since directed their attention toward video-based features anyway. But success doesnt have to involve crushing rival platforms. Maybe Hipstamatic will finally find its own beat as the niche, hipster photography network it could have been.

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Hipstamatics new social network is a reimagining of early Instagram - The Verge

GLOBAL

In higher education, the benefits of these social networks include, among other things, sharing intellectual resources, co-development of knowledge and joint research. Like any other human motivation, people form networks because it serves their own interests, and when peoples interests align, the relationship becomes mutually beneficial.

The evolution of social networks

It is useful to first understand how social networks evolved over time. Ever since humans decided to form social communities during the Neolithic Era, social networking and relationship-building have been a part of the human experience. As these communities grew, the quality of those interpersonal relationships became increasingly important and progressively complex.

And as communities became more complex, and as the division of labour increased, and as the family unit became more structured and more prevalent, people took on an increasing number of roles (for example, daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, aunt, friend, teacher, pottery maker, food maker and clothing maker). Communities required people to interact with other people in ways never before imagined or required.

From these first communities, the concept of private property arose for land, livestock, crops, dwellings, tools and the like. The concept of governance also evolved as nomadic tribal societies morphed into sedentary societies led by community leaders (military or religious or monarchal).

In these first agricultural societies new technologies and techniques were invented to aid in their development, such as crop and animal domestication, writing, the wheel, time-keeping devices and better tools to clear and cultivate the land for crop and animal husbandry. All of these developments allowed humans to control their environment to greater and greater degrees rather than always being at the mercy of the natural environment.

In the modern era, however, the social roles that people play have become increasingly fluid and more complex. With the advent of human rights and justice as chief concerns over the past century, greater expectations have been placed on social institutions like colleges and universities to address these concerns through such initiatives as diversity, equity and inclusion. As a result, social networks in higher education also continue to be more diverse and inclusive.

Technological changes

Over the past 20 years, social networks have expanded with the use of digital technology. With the advent of the internet and digital communication platforms (for example, websites, blogs, webinars, podcasts, social media sites and smart phones), people have been able to connect in ways never before imagined.

With these technologies, traditional time and space boundaries are no longer an obstacle for many people. With the emerging Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0, industrial capitalism is giving way to post-industrial capitalism which is based primarily on a service economy driven by knowledge, innovation and social capital.

In the past, the productivity of farmers and factories increased many-fold with the implementation of technological innovations. The results of many of these innovations have led to a global increase in economic growth.

In like manner, recent technological innovations have had a significant influence on higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an exponential increase in online learning which, in turn, has significantly affected conventional pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning. The next step is to develop a solution that will address the digital divide in order to enable education for all.

The COVID-19 crisis caused many schools and universities around the world to start using digital learning management systems (for example, Zoom, Google Classroom, Blackboard and Canvas) to provision most or all of their courses and programmes.

Universities are now making huge capital expenditures to implement a wide array of online teaching and learning technologies, including making them more social. In addition, innovative technologies like blockchain, virtual reality and artificial intelligence will become a critical part of the future of higher education.

Furthermore, changes in technology can occur very fast and it is often a challenge for organisations to respond to those changes. The change often requires significant resources such as training facilities, operational changes and transformation management, among others.

Organisations are also relying more on automation and artificial intelligence. It is within this context that students need to learn the right skills to help with both employment and employability prospects.

Enabling innovation through social networks

Cooperation is an important factor to enable innovation through social networks. In higher education, collaborative projects between different groups have been regarded as a way to diffuse ideas and knowledge.

Through online tools, many governments, universities and industries have collaborated using their expertise and technical or research skills. This was also witnessed during the COVID-19 pandemic when institutions and laboratories worked together to level up research-based productivity in health care and medicine, for example.

Connectedness is also correlated with the increase in use of social networks. Due to the recent advancement in technological tools such as discussion forums and social networking platforms, geographical distance and demographic factors have diminished in importance. Social networks have taken on a vital role in spreading knowledge across countries.

However, there is a dilemma to choose whether ties with social media contacts should be strong or weak. Strong ties typically consist of close family and friends. On the other hand, people who choose to establish weak ties with people can more readily disseminate new information with those outside their close network, thus increasing their social capital.

Cohesion is another factor to consider when setting up a learning environment through social networks. More researchers are inclined to share their ideas and research findings through social networking websites because they can reach a wider audience instantly. This kind of attitude towards the dissemination of knowledge can bring knowledge holders together and increase trust and reliability among them.

As a result, technology-enabled researchers can have a greater impact, which accelerates the development of innovative ideas.

Lastly, conciseness is a factor to enable innovation through social networks. The level of heterogeneity among network partners is crucial when determining the effectiveness of the network, which enables diverse voices to be heard. In order to cluster like-minded voices, discussion groups and online forums can be created to foster collaborative ideas.

Building social capital

Invest in community-led networks; they make a difference, says Margaux Jacquemin, head of alumni at Ensea por Mxico/Teach for All Network.

When networks are at their most powerful, they make people happier and more inspired in their work and the impact can be really strong. Networks are very effective in contributing to systemic change in education.

Social networking technologies have become pervasive in students lives. Students today are very technologically savvy. The social identity of students is important. Digitally networked learning communities have great potential for innovation and they help foster a more human-centric economy. Thus, social networking technologies have the potential to advance the common good.

The success of social networking depends on diversity, equity and inclusion. As human tendencies are, we tend to associate with those that are like us and reflect our own thoughts and perspectives. However, social networks enable people to view problems from different perspectives which, in turn, tends to enable better outcomes.

A network built on a foundation of shared values empowers its members through multiple perspectives and collaborative approaches, which is especially important in higher education. As such, social networks are now one of the primary mechanisms through which faculty and students can build their social capital.

Patrick Blessinger is president and chief scientist of the International Higher Education Teaching and Learning (HETL) Association, United States; Enakshi Sengupta is an author and independent scholar, India; and Serpil Meri-Yilan is assistant professor of languages at AICU, Turkey.

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How students and faculty can build their social capital - University World News

In a growing social media world population, one cannot ignore the technological invasion of the medical world. From the discovery of penicillin to electronic medical records and the digital health revolution, real medical revolutions are not too many.

However, social media is disrupting the medical ecosystem and how we practice medicine. Information to the public is moving from a push system, where the teacher or the publisher decides what information to diffuse, into a pull system, where all the information is publicly available, and people are free to extract whatever catches their curiosity.

Therefore, it becomes extremely difficult to control the quality of information posted. Anyone, knowledgeable or not, can post, comment or publish on every medical topic.

That is why we believe that the education of future patient generations is needed to critically judge which source to trust and how to select reliable information. This difficult task of orienting the public in searching for reliable and relevant information has been treated in a previous article published by the senior authoras it was recommended to doctors to orient their patients in their medical research, hence embracing the fact that people constantly look up their symptoms and diagnoses.

In this article, we outline and briefly present some aspects of medical social media that affect patients and physicians in their online medical experience.

Rating physicians

Studies show that 80 percent of patients look up their doctor online in search of their ratings. Today, this step is considered a decisive phase in choosing providers, leading to new business ventures like reputation management firms.

However, rating a physician is not as simple as rating a pizza parlor. Despite the common knowledge that mostly unsatisfied or unhappy patients rate their doctor, multiple factors affect the scorings that are mainly separate from the direct interaction with the physician or the quality of care. These factors should be considered, such as booking appointments, cleanliness of the office, office staff attitude, waiting time in the office. This can be especially unfair to employed physicians (increasing in numbers in the U.S.), who have little to say regarding office operations and workflow outside their direct face-to-face interaction with patients.

Also, in a world where everyone looks up everyone, there are two types of physician rating websites: institutional and independent. A major discordance exists between how physicians and patients look at these websites. While doctors tend to agree with health system sites but see that online comments increase their job stress, patients tend to trust independent websites for rating health professionals.

Patient support groups

This social media aspect is particularly interesting to patients with rare symptoms and diseases. These support groups help them realize they are not alone. They can share experiences and understand what to expect from the evolution of the disease or other peoples experiences with the side effects of treatment.

Regarding patients fighting long-term illnesses or rare diseases, these online groups have proven to redress knowledge deficits, improve self-management by learning behaviors from others, build a community of like individuals, and cathartic release. This is encouraged by dissociative anonymity and invisibility as a facilitator for expression.

These patients, avid for emotional support, spend limited time engaged with their medical professionals compared to the time they spend trying to get by every day to manage their conditions. The support groups dont replace a doctors visit but may help improve patients every day and have a supportive psychological effect on them.

Physician-only communities

There was a time when social networking meant attending a cocktail party and handling business cards. A survey of 4,000 conducted by QuantiaMD found that over 90 percent of physicians use some form of social media for personal use, and over 65 percent use it for professional use. Physicians use communities like Sermo, QuantiaMD, Doximity, and Medpedia to enhance their professional networks, connect with peers, share cases, discuss practice management, and make referrals. These websites differ in whether they are open to the public or limited to medical professionals. Some even use the NPI database to verify providers; others also provide CME credits.

Social media facilitates closed physician groups within the same specialty and provides a safe platform to discuss practice issues, patient cases, supply shortages, and billing issues. These online discussions and exchanges help keep physicians up to date, ultimately improving patient care. During the pandemic, with no in-person conferences, the closed groups were of great value to many physicians who were not comfortable attending general online meetings or conferences.

Blogs and digital grand rounds

Blogs are designed to be personal pages where people post articles, some highly specialized in a specific pathology, a medical specialty, or even a cause. Some blogs have become very popular and are followed by physicians worldwide. This widespread information has been an eye opener on many changes in health care, which results in impelling changes within the medical profession.

The comprehensive accessibility of medical information through blogs has many benefits to the community, like the deprofessionalization of physicians, to some degree, leading to a better understanding of medical issues, enhancing doctor-patient communication, and humanizing physicians as they explore ways to express themselves in open, informal ways.

On the other hand, medical bloggers use these platforms to assert their reputation and affirm trust in their expertise. Tumblr, WordPress, and Blogger are examples of these platforms. The intersection between digital media and health care, a phenomenon called Health 2.0 by Hughes, Joshi, and Wareham led to a new way of conducting grand rounds in hospitals. Among other tools like forums and podcasts, these timeless digitalized grand rounds gained popularity and value among health professionals who can now exchange ideas with experienced peers and contribute widely to medical research.

However, there is growing concern about the ethical use of social media.

That is why the American Medical Association (AMA) has published guidelines for the ethical use of social media, highlighting the need to respect HIPAA rules while posting online. Medical bloggers should also avoid discussing legal cases, which can be easily discovered online.

Knowledge aggregation

Nonmedical websites like Wikipedia are usually the go-to websites for patients, medical students, and even physicians before digging into peer-reviewed data. As it regularly ranks high in Google searches, Wikipedia is the most visited resource for health information for the public, patients, students, and even practitioners.

In an article by Denise Smith, published in Nature journal, the authors stipulated that the number of errors found in Wikipedia was comparable to Encyclopedia Britannica. Behind this page is a diverse community of altruistic editors who believe that accurate information should be available and accessible to everyone and everywhere. Today, Wikipedia is the 7th most frequently accessed website in the U.S. According to the article Situating Wikipedia as a health information resource in various contexts: a scoping review, Wikipedia was as accurate as the NIH website. It surpassed WebMD, another prominent health-related site.

However, there is some wariness to using Wikipedia. Other studies have shown contradictory results regarding whether Wikipedia suits medical students. Keeping this information in mind, physicians are recommended to visit Wikipedia occasionally to be aware of the information to which patients and medical students are exposed.

Peer-reviewed literature

Peer-reviewed medical literature is now on social media. PubMed and high-impact-factor journals followed the online trend and embraced social media to increase their reach with a broad range of potential benefits to key stakeholders. These have hired specialized social media editors (SMEs) to manage content, mainly interactions and postings, and publish post-publication feedback. Among the responsibilities of the SME, we highlight the role of vulgarizing medical vocabulary to be understandable to everyone outside the medical community, making this online medical literature a reliable source of information for patients.

Finally, social media has effectively conveyed health-related issues, especially during the fast-changing policies like Ebola and COVID-19 health crises.

In conclusion, social media is here to stay. In 2019, the FSMB published guidelines on the appropriate use of social media in medical practice. Highly engaged patients are a reality that physicians need to embrace and guide as much as possible. Both physicians and patients should be aware of the right and relevant sources of information. As Erik Qualman said: We dont have a choice on whether we do social media; the question is how well we do it.

Homer Moutran is an otolaryngologist. Caline El-Khoury is a clinical project manager. Danielle Wilson is a medical student.

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From penicillin to digital health: the impact of social media on medicine - Kevin MD