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Adolescent social media restrictions may reduce some harms while shifting others, warn experts

Effects are not simple and need to be considered within social, technological, commercial, and political contexts to avoid unintended harms As the UK plans to ban under 16s from social media platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, experts writing in The BMJ today argue that restrictions may reduce some harms ...

2026-07-15T17:06:40+01:0016 July 2026|Press release, The BMJ|

Epidurals not linked to increased harm for newborns or children

Study provides strong evidence that epidural analgesia in labour is safe for newborns, say researchers Having an epidural during labour is not associated with clinically significant increased risks of harm to newborn babies, including brain injury, severe breathing problems, sepsis and death, or cerebral palsy later in childhood. The researchers ...

2026-07-15T17:04:34+01:0016 July 2026|Press release, The BMJ|

Most obesity drugs do not improve quality of life or heart health

Treatment decisions should be individualised, balancing expected benefits, harms, treatment burden, costs, availability, and patient preferences, say researchers Despite substantial weight loss, most obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro do not meaningfully improve quality of life and few show cardiovascular benefits at one year, finds an analysis of the latest evidence published ...

2026-07-08T15:52:46+01:009 July 2026|Press release, The BMJ|

Mechanical restraint linked to small increased short term blood clot risk in psychiatric hospitals

Absolute risk is low, but findings support ongoing efforts to reduce use and duration of mechanical restraint where feasible Mechanical restraint is associated with a small increased short term risk of blood clots among inpatients at psychiatric hospitals, finds a Danish study published by The BMJ today. Although the absolute risk remains ...

2026-07-01T16:28:35+01:002 July 2026|Press release, The BMJ|

Little evidence that Australia’s under-16 social media restrictions have curbed use among adolescents

Longer term evaluation needed, but current age verification checks are “suboptimal” and being bypassed by many under 16s, warn researchers There is little evidence that Australia's Social Media Minimum Age Act has led to any immediate reductions in social media use by under 16s, finds an early analysis of survey data published by The BMJ today. ...

2026-06-24T16:43:21+01:0025 June 2026|Press release, The BMJ|
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