Be the Voice They Need to Hear
Health & Wellness / Lifestyle

Be the Voice They Need to Hear

Donald Petersen Jr., BS, HCD(hc), FICC(h)
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • While healthcare may be improving for children, research shows their overall health is actually declining in many ways.
  • Why this is happening is not generally known by parents and older children, whose primary sources are social media and peer misconceptions.
  • Our children’s health will continue to decline unless someone like you begins to talk about how these habits are robbing them of their youth and vitality.

While healthcare may be improving for children, research shows their overall health is actually declining in many ways.1 Sadly, why this is happening is not generally known by parents and older children, whose primary sources are social media and peer misconceptions. Here is a list of facts you can communicate with parents and teens to help them understand.

Cannabis

Contrary to popular belief, cannabis use is not without its negative consequences. Adolescent cannabis use negatively impacts neurodevelopmental processes and behavior, increasing the risk of psychotic, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders. It also increases the risk of long-term cognitive and psychological consequences, particularly in those who begin using it earlier in life.2-3

Vaping

While promoted as a tobacco alternative, vaping is anything but safe. A study examining former and current vaping found that both increased the likelihood of various respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. When combined with cigarette smoking, the odds of developing a respiratory disease were 3.30 times higher compared to someone who never smoked.4

Ultraprocessed Foods

Between 47% and 59.4% of daily calories consumed by toddlers and school-aged children come from ultraprocessed foods (UPF), increasing their risk of pediatric obesity, insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, and gut microbiome disruption. A study of 3-year-olds found that higher UPF consumption was associated with adverse behavioral and emotional symptoms by age 5.5,-6

Smartphones

Continuous and pervasive smartphone use during school hours is associated with reduced cognitive control. This is in addition to social media’s potentially negative influences on mental health.7

Inactivity

A study conducted by the Physical Activity Alliance found that only 21%-28% of children ages 6-17 spend a minimum 60 minutes engaged in physical activity daily. Lower physical activity is shown to be associated with lower sociability, higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, greater waist circumference, and higher body-mass index (BMI) in boys; and lower self-control ability, higher hypersensitive C-reactive protein, higher waist circumference, and higher BMI in girls.8-9

Lack of Sleep

Insufficient sleep among U.S. high-school students has increased from 68.9% in 2007 to 76.8% in 2023. According to the NIH, children who get inadequate sleep experience mental health and behavioral challenges, and impaired cognitive function including decision-making, conflict solving, working memory, and learning.10-11

Who Will Talk About It?

Our children’s health will continue to decline unless someone like you begins to talk about how these habits are robbing them of their youth and vitality. At the very least, I urge you to share this article and help parents and their children understand.

References

  1. Forrest CB, Koenigsberg LJ, Eddy Harvey F, et al. Trends in US children’s mortality, chronic conditions, obesity, functional status, and symptoms. JAMA, 2025;334(6):509-516.
  2. Young-Wolff KC, Cortez CA, Alexeeff SE, et al. Adolescent cannabis use and risk of psychotic, bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders. JAMA Health Forum, 2026;7(2):e256839.
  3. Scheyer AF, Laviolette SR, Pelissier AL, Manzoni OJJ. Cannabis in adolescence: lasting cognitive alterations and underlying mechanisms. Cannabis Cannabinoid Res, 2023 Feb;8(1):12-23.
  4. Bhatta DN, Glantz SA. Association of e-cigarette use with respiratory disease among adults: a longitudinal analysis. Am J Prev Med, 2020 Feb;58(2):182-190.
  5. Chamarthi VS, Shirsat P, Sonavane K, et al. The impact of ultra-processed foods on pediatric health. Obes Pillars, 2025 Sep 9;16:100203.
  6. Kavanagh ME, Chen ZH, Tamana SK, et al. Ultraprocessed food consumption and behavioral outcomes in Canadian children. JAMA Netw Open, 2026;9(3):e260434.
  7. Telzer EH, Burnell K. Smartphone use during school hours and association with cognitive control in youths aged 11 to 18 years. JAMA Netw Open, 2026;9(3):e261092.
  8. 2024 US Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth. Physical Activity Alliance, Aug. 26, 2025.
  9. Zhang D, Zhang B, Wu Q, et al. Exploring the associations between physical inactivity and cognitive function, mental health, and metabolic parameters in U.S. adolescents: results stratified by sex. BMC Public Health, 2025 Sep 3;25(1):3036.
  10. Bommersbach TJ, Olfson M, Rhee TG. Insufficient sleep among US adolescents across behavioral risk groups. JAMA, 2026;335(13):1173-1176.
  11. “Children’s Sleep Linked to Brain Development.” National Institutes of Health, Aug. 30, 2022.
August 2026
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