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It's very easy to encounter pornography on today's internet. And unfortunately, that goes for kids too, as Michaeleen Doucleff reports. What's worse, much of the content is violent, says Michael Flood, a social scientist at the University of Queensland who studies pornography. “Sometimes that's verbal violence, with hostile and derogatory language. Sometimes that's violent behaviors, such as strangulation, slapping, or choking," Flood says.
In one study from 2023, researchers found that the average age children first view pornography was around age 12. And 15% of children saw it at age 10 or younger.
Experts have a few tips for parents who want to protect their kids. At home, you can program your wifi router to block specific sites, buy a device that connects to the router and filters out unwanted content, or purchase a router designed specifically to block porn. As for cell phones, many psychologists and pediatricians recommend waiting until 8th grade or later to give your kid their own smartphone.
If your child has a smartphone, install parental controls, but know that they don’t always work, says Brian Willoughby, a social scientist at Brigham Young University. Parental involvement is key, experts say. Encourage your kid to tell you about disturbing content they find online, and let them know they won’t be judged or punished.
Learn more about protecting kids from pornography online, and what to do if they do come across it.
And: So your tween wants a smartphone? Read this first |
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Chad Lanning for Portland State University |
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I belong to a community choir. There are no auditions, and members range in age from 3 to 65. I couldn’t tell you the names of half of the people in the choir, but when we really get the four-part harmony going, I feel like we could get through anything together.
For conductor Coty Raven Morris, group singing is a way to get at equity and community building, a kind of alternative to workshops that feel like “45 minutes of making people feel guilty.” She’s a professor of choir and music education at Portland State University, and organizes community singing events in Portland, Oregon.
"When people sing together, you can see them removing the mask of insecurity," says Morris. She sees bringing people together to perform music as an act of social justice.
Learn more in Katia Riddle’s report.
Plus: How to find your singing voice |
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A survey of 1,700 people 45 and older by the Alzheimer's Association found growing interest in testing, diagnosis and treatment for the deadly disease, as NPR’s Jon Hamilton reports. About 80% said they would want to know they had the disease before symptoms began to interfere with their daily activities. More than 90% said that if diagnosed, they’d want to take a drug that could slow down the disease’s progression.
Elizabeth Edgerly, a clinical psychologist with the Alzheimer’s Association, says that in the past, clients would often say they didn’t want to know whether or not they have Alzheimer’s. She says the change may be due to the fact that the disease can now often be diagnosed by a simple blood test, whereas in the past it required a spinal tap or a PET scan. Also, two recently approved drugs can slow down Alzheimer's for people in the earliest stages.
"I don't think people are as fearful as they have been in the past. I think there's a desire to know what's happening to our bodies," says Dr. Nathaniel Chin, a geriatrician at the University of Wisconsin who was not involved in the survey.
Get deeper into the data, and potential implications.
Plus: Latest Alzheimer's lab tests focus on memory loss, not brain plaques |
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The good news is the vast majority of people still have confidence in the safety of the measles vaccine. But Americans are being exposed to a lot of false claims about measles, and many don’t know what to make of it, according to the results of a recent new poll by health policy think tank KFF.
The survey asked adult respondents about three false claims: that the measles vaccine is more dangerous than getting the disease, that the vaccine causes autism in children, and that vitamin A can prevent a measles infection.
Some big take-aways:
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1 in 4 adults said vitamin A either probably or definitely prevents measles.
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19% believed it was probably or definitely true that the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is more dangerous than getting infected with measles.
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Among parents who said that at least one of these false claims was probably or definitely true, 1 in 4 said they'd either skipped or delayed some recommended vaccines for their kids.
NPR’s Maria Godoy reports.
And: Measles remains a danger to health even years after an infection |
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We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of NPR's health journalism online.
All the best,
Andrea Muraskin and your NPR health editors |
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