Parents of children who died by suicide or self-harmed after talking to AI chatbots urged Congress to take action Tuesday as lawmakers push to pass bills to protect kids online and hold tech companies accountable.
Why it matters: Growing concerns over kids' use of AI chatbots, and the lawsuits that follow, are putting the pressure on Congress to act and companies to rethink how they launch products for young users.
Nearly one in four parents say they've given melatonin to their children to help them sleep, according to a new American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey.
Why it matters: Melatonin use for children has grown in popularity, but there's still limited research on its effectiveness and long-term safety.
Health influencer Casey Means pledged to resign from her food tracking and wearables company Levels Health if confirmed as surgeon general, according to a recent filing with the Office of Government Ethics.
Why it matters: The commitment is one of several steps Means intends to take to limit conflicts of interest in the role as the nation's top doctor, according to a letter outlining how she would uphold ethical standards.
A New York court Tuesday tossed out state-level terrorism charges against the suspect in the 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.
The big picture: The suspect still faces second-degree murder charges, but the court said prosecutors presented "insufficient evidence" to warrant terrorism charges under a state law enacted after the 9/11 attacks.
Loneliness is draining U.S. youths' mental health, with 61% saying it takes at least somewhat of a toll and 35% reporting it disrupts their daily life, according to Hopelab and Data for Progress survey results shared exclusively with Axios.
The big picture: The polls shows two different paths, with over half of respondents reporting good mental health, though that state of well-being strongly correlates with income and LGBTQ+ identity.
President Trump's high-profile crackdown on drug advertising could quickly hit a wall due to legal challenges and the changing ways medicines are marketed to the public.
Why it matters: Trump's targeting of misleading direct-to-consumer ads isn't backed by legal authority to actually ban pharmaceutical advertising.
Senate Democrats on Tuesday will introduce a resolution condemning anti-vaccine policies Republicans are pursuing at the national and state level, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats are putting pressure on Republican lawmakers to either support or rebuff the Florida officials' groundbreaking move to end all vaccine mandates — as well as the anti-vaccine policies Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is implementing.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday added five members to serve on his handpicked vaccine advisory panel just days ahead of a key meeting where the group will make recommendations for who should get COVID shots.
Why it matters: Some of the new members were critical of the pandemic response or faced charges of spreading misinformation.
A string of recent rural health clinic closures is threatening to further reduce access to care in outlying areas as health systems brace for cuts in the in the Republican budget law and grapple with inflation and workforce issues.
The big picture:Rural health cutbacks already are a fact of life. But some of the latest closures are in anticipation of the nearly $1 trillion reduction in federal Medicaid spending that will in large part hit starting in 2027.
People with mental health conditions are twice as likely to report difficulties getting needed medical care as those without, according to a new survey of U.S. adults with workplace coverage shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The findings from the Employee Benefit Research Institute provide more evidence that having health insurance doesn't automatically translate to having access, especially for people with mental health needs.
