Jun 21, 2024 3 min read

HIT: If you came of age well before the dawn of social media, you’re likely to think of sites like Facebook as a useful way to stay in touch with old friends or strike up new friendships with people who share your interests. But some public health officials have been arguing that there is a dark side to social media, specifically for young people. They say it can be addictive, pulling children away from studies or activities that could build their minds and bodies, or are a place where predators and bullies lurk. For these reasons, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has recommended that warning labels be placed on social media sites, just as they are for cigarettes and alcohol. In a New York Times op-ed, Murthy said that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression. “Our children’s well-being is at stake,” Murthy wrote. Murthy himself conceded that the warning labels won’t necessarily make social media safer, and the decision about whether the labels are put in place rests with Congress. But labels are worth considering if it raises awareness of just how much time young people are spending on social media and if it encourages parents to steer their kids toward activities that are more useful.

HIT: We recently applauded the effort by Major League Baseball to include statistics from Negro League players in its official records and acknowledge the greatness of sluggers like Josh Gibson, whose prowess went largely unnoticed in his lifetime. Willie Mays played in the Negro Leagues early in his career, but the integration of Major League Baseball allowed him to spend the bulk of his career with the Giants, both when they were in New York and after they moved to San Francisco. Mays racked up impressive numbers over the course of his career, which stretched to 1973. He was one of the leading home-run hitters in the history of the game and was also noted for his speed and skill at fielding. Following his death this week at age 93, The New York Times said in its obituary that Mays “did more than personify the complete ballplayer. An exuberant style of play and an effervescent personality made Mays one of the game’s, and America’s, most charismatic figures, a name that even people far afield from the baseball world recognized instantly as a national treasure.”

MISS: Back in April, a headline on the CBS News website said “U.S. officials are bracing for another summer of dangerous heat,” and the accompanying article noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) was predicting higher-than-normal temperatures in June, July and August. Given the weather over the last several days, we can safely say that the NOAA hit the bullseye with its forecast. On Friday, a temperature in the mid-90s was forecast, and the same is expected on Saturday before we return to more “comfortable” temperatures in the 80s next week. Given the way our climate is changing, it seems inevitable that our summers are going to be scorchers for the foreseeable future – how many years now has every year been the hottest on record? On May 31, which is National Heat Awareness Day, the Biden administration announced it was making available the Heat and Health Index, a nationwide tool that allows officials to determine what communities might be at risk due to extreme heat. It’s a good thing that the tool is there, but a bit alarming that it is so necessary.