内容摘要：, have emphasized their unity behind other goals, such as defunding Planned Parenthood.

, have emphasized their unity behind other goals, such as defunding Planned Parenthood.

fundamentally changed adolescence. As youth coped with isolation and spent excessive time online, the pandemic effectively carved out a much larger space for social media in the lives of American kids.No longer just a distraction or a way to connect with friends, social media has matured into a physical space and a community that almost all U.S. teenagers belong to. Up to 95% of teenagers say they use social media, with more than one-third saying they are on it “almost constantly,”

More than ever, teenagers live in a seamless digital and non-digital world in ways that most adults don’t recognize or understand, says Michael Rich, a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School and head of the nonprofit Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.Gionna Durham, 13 , left, holds her phone as she has dinner with her sister Gabriela Durham, 17 years old, unseen, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)Gionna Durham, 13 , left, holds her phone as she has dinner with her sister Gabriela Durham, 17 years old, unseen, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

“Social media is now the air kids breathe,” says Rich, who runs the hospital’s Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders.For better or worse, social media has become a home-base for socializing. It’s where many kids turn to forge their emerging identities, to seek advice, to unwind and relieve stress. It impacts how kids dress and talk. In this era of parental control apps and location tracking, social media is where this generation is finding freedom.

It is also increasingly clear that the more time youth spend online, the higher the risk of mental health problems.

Kids who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety, according to studies cited by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who issued anBishop David D. Kagan, of Bismarck, said: “The Court has upheld our religious freedom rights and that is all we ever wanted.”

A Better Balance, a legal advocacy group that led a decades-long campaign for the passage of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, condemned the ruling.“This ruling is part of a broad trend of attacks on women’s rights and reproductive freedom. The fact that IVF — a highly popular and common medical procedure that millions of Catholics and Christians support — is being targeted speaks to the extremist nature of this case,” A Better Balance President Inimai Chettiar said in a statement.

She said the ruling would contribute to confusion over implementation of a law that “was designed to close gaps in the law and bring clarity to pregnant workers and employers alike.” Chettiar emphasized that the entirety of the law remains in effect for most workers.In an interview, she said it will be interesting to see whether the Justice Department appeals.