As Statista’s Anna Fleck reports, the topic has been reignited by the release of a new book titled The Anxious Generation, by New York University social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, who links the rise in mental health illness directly to the proliferation of social networks and smartphones.

While Haidt writes that social media and smartphones are not the only causes of the mental health epidemic seen in several countries, he points to how such technologies are hindering children’s healthy development by reducing their time spent playing with friends in real life, eating into time for sleeping, as well as corroding their self esteem. Even children who do not use social media are struggling, he argues, due to the changes brought about to social life. Critics say, however, that correlation is not the same as causation and that the data does not show a complete picture.

As the following chart shows, the share of U.S. 12-17 year olds having experienced a depressive episode in the past year has risen from 7.9 percent in 2006 to 18.1 percent in 2023.

While the figure has come down from the pandemic high of 20.1 percent in 2021, it is still above that of 2019 and 2020.

This is according to data from the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The source classifies a major depressive episode in the past 12 months if a respondent has had at least one period of two weeks or longer when they felt depressed or lost interest or pleasure in daily activities for most of the day nearly every day. Depressive symptoms include problems with sleeping, eating, energy, concentration, self-worth, or having recurrent thoughts of death or recurrent suicidal ideation.

The share of teens who had reported a major depressive episode was particularly high among Multiracial (24.4 percent) respondents in 2023, followed by white adolescents (19.6), Asian (13.7 percent) and Black teens (13.3 percent).

There was insufficient data for calculating the Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander teenagers.

(Mercola)—Every day, about 28.6 million students in the United States are served school lunches, according to the School Nutrition Association.¹ For many children, these meals are a key source of nutrition. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) even claims that school-provided lunches are among the healthiest meals children eat.²

However, the quality of school lunches has actually been deteriorating for decades. While standards for calories, sodium and added sugars are in place, little is known about the other substances in school lunches beyond these guidelines. A recent investigation³ by Spotlight on America uncovered hidden dangers in these lunches that are putting children’s health at risk — namely, heavy metals and pesticides.

Shocking Cocktail of Pesticides and Heavy Metals Found in America’s School Lunches

Spotlight on America⁴ tested school lunches from Washington, D.C., Virginia and Maryland to identify substances and ingredients that are not listed on the label. They sent the samples to Health Research Institute (HRI), an accredited laboratory in Iowa, wherein the researchers analyzed common cafeteria fare including breadsticks, pizza, potatoes and fruit under the supervision of Dr. John Fagan, the lab’s CEO and Chief Scientific Officer.

“To make the invisible, visible,” said Dr. Fagan, explaining the mission behind testing school lunches. “To me it’s counterintuitive that anybody would say, ‘Let’s put poisons on our food,’ but that’s the way our food system is today.”

The laboratory findings⁵ revealed a disturbing reality about what children consume daily in school cafeterias. Nearly 50 different pesticides were identified across the samples, with dozens of chemicals often present in single meals. Notably, one elementary school lunch contained 38 distinct pesticides, while a single cup of strawberries contained 23 different pesticides.

Among the identified pesticides was carbendazim, a fungicide banned in the U.S., most European countries, Brazil and Australia due to its associations with cancer, infertility and birth defects, present in nearly half of the tested samples. Additionally, glyphosate, the active ingredient Round-Up that’s linked to cancer, diabetes and heart problems, was found in multiple samples, especially in wheat-based products like bread.

Their test also revealed the presence of dicamba and 2,4D in several lunch samples; these are weed killers associated with increased risk of certain types of cancer. The full list of detected pesticides is available in Spotlight on America’s report.⁶

Beyond pesticides, their findings showed concerning levels of heavy metals in these school meals. These include cadmium, a known carcinogen, at levels 12 times higher than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) limit for bottled water. Arsenic in rice samples also measured six times above the allowable limit for apple juice. Most alarming was the detection of lead, a neurotoxin with no safe exposure level, in every single sample tested.

Epidemiologist Dr. Melissa Perry, Dean of the George Mason University School of Public Health, reviewed the results and expressed concerns about the implications. “50 pesticides in school lunches, it’s not okay,” she said in Spotlight on America’s report. “It demonstrates that our regulatory system is not succeeding in ensuring that the food that children eat are free from chemical burden.”

Low-Level Exposure to Pesticides Is Still Harmful to Children

Spotlight on America noted⁷ that most of their test results were within the limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). However, this does not imply the levels are harmless, especially for children, whose developing brains and bodies are far more sensitive to even minimal chemical exposure. According to Dr. Perry:⁸

“The variety and the volume of chemicals that are being introduced in the market every year makes it practically impossible to evaluate the health effects of each and every chemical. We don’t know what it means to be exposed over time at low levels continuously, especially for developing children.”

According to the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD) concept, exposure to pesticides during key stages of brain development causes lasting damage to brain structure and function, increasing the risk of various chronic diseases later in life.⁹

Of particular concern are the neurotoxic insecticides known as “neonics,” which were introduced in the 1990s and are now the most widely used insecticides in the United States. These compounds were found in six of the school lunch samples tested. As Dr. Perry explains, these insecticides are specifically designed to be neurologically active, targeting processes crucial to brain development.¹⁰

The emergence of unexplained neurological conditions in younger populations may serve as an early warning of these effects. In New Brunswick, Canada, neurologist Dr. Alier Marrero has documented 430 patients with unexplained neurological conditions, including 111 patients under age 45. When tested, 90% of these patients showed elevated blood levels of glyphosate, with one sample reaching 15,000 times above the detection limit.¹¹

According to a comprehensive 2020 review,¹² glyphosate is known to cross the blood-brain barrier and trigger inflammation implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. The herbicide has also been linked to various neurological effects, including elevated risk of autism from childhood exposures. Animal studies have demonstrated additional concerns, showing that exposure leads to anxiety, impaired working memory, decreased curiosity and reduced movement.¹³

Exposure to Heavy Metals Causes Irreversible Damage to the Body

The heavy metals detected in school lunches are equally concerning. Lead exposure poses one of the most serious threats to human health, particularly in children. Even low levels cause permanent damage to the nervous system and impair cognitive development. It also accumulates in bones and teeth over time, causing skeletal problems and making its toxic effects long-lasting and difficult to reverse.¹⁴

Children exposed to lead often experience learning disabilities, behavioral problems, reduced IQ and delayed growth and development.¹⁵ Cadmium contamination is similarly hazardous, with severe effects on multiple organ systems.

The kidneys are especially vulnerable to cadmium toxicity, leading to proteinuria (elevated protein levels in the urine) and reduced filtration capacity.¹⁶ Long-term exposure results in brittle bones, as cadmium interferes with calcium metabolism and bone structure.¹⁷

Arsenic, a known carcinogen, has been linked to various types of cancer, including skin, bladder, lung and liver cancers.¹⁸ It also disrupts cellular function by interfering with enzyme systems and DNA repair mechanisms.¹⁹ Arsenic exposure during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, low birth weight and developmental delays in children.²⁰

These heavy metals also bioaccumulate, meaning they build up in the body faster than they are eliminated. The liver and kidneys work continuously to filter these toxins but eventually become overwhelmed and damaged by prolonged exposure.²¹ Once these metals cross the blood-brain barrier, they cause permanent neurological damage and cognitive decline.²²

Given the irreversible nature of the damage caused by heavy metals, prevention and early intervention are important. Reducing exposure to these toxins in school lunches — and in food more broadly — needs to be a priority to protect children’s long-term health.

This Is Not the First Time Children’s Nutrition Has Been Compromised

The recent findings of pesticides and heavy metals in school lunches echo a disturbing pattern of contamination in children’s food that spans decades. In 2017, the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF)²³ found that 20% of baby food samples contained detectable levels of lead. The contamination was especially high in fruit juices, sweet potatoes and teething biscuits.

In another case, a 2021 congressional report²⁴ revealed dangerous levels of heavy metals like arsenic, lead, cadmium and mercury in popular baby foods sold by major companies, including Gerber and Beech-Nut.

The report noted that some products had arsenic levels up to 91 times higher than the FDA’s limit for bottled water. Similarly, a testing by Environmental Working Group (EWG)²⁵ in 2018 found traces of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, in popular cereals like Cheerios and Quaker Oats.

In 2022, Moms Across America conducted an analysis²⁶ of 43 school lunches from public schools across 15 U.S. states and found that 95.3% of them had detectable levels of glyphosate. Four veterinary drugs and hormones were also identified in nine of the samples, and every single lunch tested contained heavy metals, with levels up to 6,293 times higher than the EPA’s allowable limits for drinking water.

More recently, a September 2024 investigation led by Friends of the Earth²⁷ found alarming levels of pesticide residues in baby food produced by Target under its Good & Gather brand.

Lab tests on nonorganic apple and pear purees revealed 21 pesticides, including 12 classified as highly hazardous to human health or the environment. Neonicotinoid pesticides were detected in 100% of the samples, linked to birth defects, learning disorders, autism spectrum disorder and hormone disruption.

Organophosphate metabolites, equally toxic to children’s developing brains, were also found in every sample.²⁸ Additionally, 10 of the pesticides detected are known endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which harm brain development, hormones and the immune system even in minuscule amounts.²⁹

On the topic of EDCs, a September 2024 peer-reviewed study³⁰ identified nearly 200 EDCs linked to breast cancer in common food packaging and plastic tableware, with about two-thirds of these chemicals shown to migrate into food. While breast cancer may not be an immediate concern for young children, exposure to EDCs during their developmental stages disrupts metabolism, impairs growth and affects overall development.³¹

As if these hidden threats weren’t enough, the FDA approved the inclusion of Kraft Heinz ready-to-eat prepackaged Lunchables to the K-12 school meal programs, supposedly reformulated to meet the National School Lunch Program’s (NSLP) nutritional requirements.³² But if you have even the slightest knowledge about diet and nutrition, you’ll realize that NSLP nutritional requirements really don’t amount to much. They certainly do not guarantee that your children are being well-fed.

Safe School Meals Act — A Step Toward Protecting Children from Toxic Exposure

Just days before Spotlight on America released its school lunch testing results, Senator Cory Booker introduced the Safe School Meals Act.³³ This bill, if enacted, would establish rigorous standards aimed at eliminating dangerous toxins from school meals.

One of its primary goals is to ensure that the FDA sets strict limits on heavy metals like lead, cadmium and arsenic. If the FDA does not act within two years, the bill requires that the allowable levels of these toxins be set to non-detectable, offering immediate protection for school-aged children. It also addresses pesticide residues commonly found in school meals. It would ban harmful chemicals such as glyphosate, paraquat and organophosphates.

Another key focus of the bill is eliminating toxic chemicals from food packaging. Materials containing PFAS, phthalates, bisphenols and lead, which leach into food and threaten children’s health, would be banned from use in school meal packaging under the new legislation. This ensures that children are not exposed to harmful substances from their food containers.

In addition to setting safety standards, the Safe School Meals Act promotes the sourcing of food from organic and regenerative farms. The bill offers schools financial incentives to purchase clean, nutrient-dense foods from certified organic producers.

It also supports small farms by covering the costs of organic certification and providing grants to help them transition to safer, toxin-free farming practices. By connecting these responsible growers with the $17 billion National School Lunch Program, the bill aims to improve both the safety and nutritional quality of school meals, ensuring that they are a source of nourishment, not a source of toxic exposure.

Empowering Healthy Food Choices in School and at Home

As parents, taking an active role in your child’s diet is more important than ever. If resources allow, sending your child to school with a homemade lunch made from real, whole foods is one of the best ways to ensure they’re getting the nutrition they need. For parents who can’t pack lunch every day, there are still ways to make sure your children eat healthier even when relying on school-provided meals.

Start by staying informed about the school’s lunch offerings. Many schools provide menus in advance, giving you the opportunity to help your child select healthier options from what’s available. Having open conversations with your child about the importance of choosing real, whole foods over ultraprocessed ones encourages them to make better choices when you’re not there.

Advocating for improved school meals is another important step. By participating in parent-teacher organizations or attending school board meetings, you have the opportunity to push for healthier cafeteria offerings. Exploring simple interventions like introducing school gardens also make a big difference. The Garden to Cafeteria program is one such option, which teaches students how to grow food, which is then used in salad bars in school cafeterias.

In Denver, this program has been in place for years, resulting in more than 5,000 pounds of produce that have been enjoyed by students in about 250 schools.³⁴ Such programs are even self-sustaining, with proceeds going back to support the program, and are implemented throughout the U.S.

At home, complementing school lunches with balanced, nutrient-dense breakfasts and dinners ensures your child gets the nourishment they need throughout the day, even if school meals fall short. Ultimately, while you may not always control what’s served at school, you still have the power to influence your child’s overall diet and long-term health.

• ¹ School Nutrition Association, School Meal Statistics
• ² USDA, Lunches Consumed from School Are the Most Nutritious
• ^{3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10} ABC7, September 27, 2024
• ⁹ Antioxidants 2023, 12(10), 1825
• ¹¹ Children’s Health Defense, September 5, 2024
• ¹² J Immunotoxicol. 2020 Dec;17(1):163-174
• ¹³ Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Apr 21;23(9):4605
• ¹⁴ WHO, September 27, 2024
• ¹⁵ NIH, Low Levels of Lead Linked to Problems in Children
• ¹⁶ Biomolecules. 2021 Oct 23;11(11):1575
• ¹⁷ Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2024 Mar 21:15:1354577
• ¹⁸ American Cancer Society, Arsenic and Cancer Risk
• ¹⁹ Chem Res Toxicol. 2020 Feb 7;33(3):709–726
• ²⁰ Cureus. 2023 Nov 21;15(11):e49177
• ²¹ Toxics. 2023 Jun 9;11(6):519
• ²² Environmental Sciences Europe Volume 36, article number 18, (2024)
• ²³ EDF, June 15, 2017
• ²⁴ U.S. House of Representatives, February 4, 2021
• ²⁵ EWG, October 24, 2018
• ²⁶ Moms Across America, September 28, 2022
• ^27, 28 Friends of the Earth, September 18, 2024
• ^29, 31 Pediatr Rev (2024) 45 (2): 111–115
• ³⁰ Front Toxicol. 2024 Sep 24:6:1440331
• ³² CNN, March 14, 2023
• ³³ Cory Booker, September 18, 2024
• ³⁴ Slow Food USA, Garden to Cafeteria

(Mercola)—In this country, we’re often led to believe that vaccines are backed by solid science and have unquestionable safety. However, when you start to dig deeper, you’ll find that the evidence supporting their safety and effectiveness is often quite weak.

Since the rapid development of mRNA shots during the pandemic, many parents have been more proactive in making decisions about their children’s vaccinations. Recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)¹ reflect this shift, revealing that more parents of kindergarteners are becoming selective about which vaccines their child receives, or are choosing to delay certain vaccinations.

This change is driven by an increase in the number of recommended vaccines for children, coupled with rising concerns about their adverse effects. While mainstream media portrays this development as concerning, I believe it reflects a positive shift toward greater awareness and a desire among parents to make informed decisions about their children’s health care.

Fewer Parents Are Blindly Accepting the Scheduled Vaccines

According to the CDC,² for the 2023 to 2024 school year, vaccination coverage among kindergartners decreased for all reported vaccines, with the percentage for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) at 92.7% and the diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) at 92.3%.

These numbers fall below the 95% threshold recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.³ The CDC has also noted a record increase in vaccine exemptions among kindergartners, with the percentage of children exempt from one or more required vaccines rising from 3% to 3.3% over the past year. This increase equates to approximately 80,000 to 127,000 children.⁴

The majority of these exemptions are non-medical, indicating that parents are increasingly making conscious decisions to opt out of certain vaccinations for reasons other than health contraindications. This decline continues a trend that began in the 2019 to 2020 school year, with over 30 states reporting lower vaccination rates compared to the previous year.⁵

State-by-state data shows variations in vaccination coverage across the country. Idaho reported the lowest vaccination coverage at 79.5%, while West Virginia maintained the highest at 98.4%. Fourteen states reported exemption rates exceeding 5%, indicating that in some regions, a substantial number of parents are choosing alternative approaches to vaccination.⁶

Unsurprisingly, this decline in vaccination rates has prompted fear-inducing reports from various news outlets and comments from health officials. For instance, in a report by AP News, Dr. Raynard Washington, chair of the Big Cities Health Coalition representing 35 major metropolitan public health departments, noted that the decline in vaccination rates “explains a worrisome creep in cases of whooping cough, measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases.”⁷

Previous Research Has Questioned the Effectiveness of the Vaccines

While declining vaccination rates are being linked to the resurgence of certain diseases, numerous studies have raised doubts about the efficacy of vaccines in preventing these illnesses from the outset. This raises valid concerns for parents who are wary of exposing their children to substances they believe carry more risks than benefits.

For instance, a paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine⁸ back in 2018 revealed that 25% of individuals vaccinated against mumps lose their immunity within eight years, while half lose it within 19 years. This decline in immunity helps explain the resurgence of mumps among college-age populations.

Moreover, virologist Stanley Plotkin stated in a Science report⁹ that research indicates the MMR vaccine produces a weaker immune response against current mumps strains compared to those from 50 years ago. Health officials subsequently recommended a third dose of MMR for 18-year-olds, further increasing the number of vaccines administered per individual. Another study published in Current Opinion in Virology showed similar findings. According to the authors:¹⁰

“Vaccine-preventable diseases (VPD) including measles and mumps have been re-emerging in countries with sustained high vaccine coverage. For mumps, waning immunity has been recognized as a major contributor to recent outbreaks … Accumulating serological and epidemiological evidence suggests that natural immunity induced by infection may be more durable compared to vaccine-induced immunity.”

When it comes to DTaP vaccines, previous research has also raised concerns regarding their long-term effectiveness and safety profile. For example, a 2021 study published in the journal Vaccine¹¹ found that its effectiveness against pertussis (whooping cough) declines rapidly over time. This finding corroborates earlier studies that similarly indicated waning immunity associated with the DTaP vaccine.^12,13,14

Vaccines Have a History of Causing Adverse Events

If a vaccine is highly effective and the risk of the disease is significant, parents would likely feel that the vaccine’s benefits outweigh its side effects. They might even support getting an extra dose.

However, if the vaccine is ineffective or if the disease is not a serious threat, the risks do not seem justified, especially if it’s been associated with serious side effects. Unfortunately, that’s the case with many of the scheduled vaccines, which have been associated with thousands of serious adverse events and hundreds of deaths.

Unofficial surveys^15,16 suggest that highly vaccinated children have more chronic health problems than unvaccinated children, and that unvaccinated children have a far lower incidence rate of autism. There’s also a growing body of research suggesting that vaccines are associated with a variety of brain and immune system disorders, including an increased risk for:

• Learning and developmental disabilities
• Brain damage
• Allergies, asthma and gut problems
• Autoimmune diseases
• Chronic infections

A study published in the Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology¹⁷ examined the correlation between autism and three specific vaccines — MMR, varicella (chickenpox) and hepatitis-A vaccines. The authors of the study suggest that the introduction of vaccines derived from human fetal cell lines, specifically the WI-38 cell line, which may harbor fetal and retroviral contaminants, could be linked to rising autism rates.

They noted a sharp increase in autism prevalence coinciding with the release of these vaccines. While this hypothesis provides one avenue for exploring the rising incidence of autism among children, it highlights a broader issue — there are many questions about vaccine science and policy that must be answered quickly before more are added to the government-recommended and mandated list for children and adults. As noted by Children’s Health Defense:¹⁸

“The truth is none of those vaccines have ever been studied or considered for their relationship to autism, so no one has any idea. This would be like trying to identify the source of a plane crash, suspecting mechanical failure, solely analyzing one of the wings, and then declaring the entire airplane free of culpability.”

What Parents Need to Know About Aluminum in Vaccines

One important aspect of vaccine safety is the presence of aluminum, a neurotoxic substance linked to increasing rates of autism and Alzheimer’s disease. For years, I have cautioned that vaccines are a significant source of aluminum exposure.

Vaccines contain a variety of components, each playing a specific role in the product’s intended function. The primary ingredient is the antigen, typically a weakened or inactivated form of the target pathogen. Adjuvants are included to supposedly enhance the immune response, with aluminum being one of the most common. Preservatives, stabilizers and residual components from the manufacturing process may also be present in the final product.¹⁹

Aluminum adjuvants have been used in vaccines for nearly a century, and were approved based on their efficacy rather than safety data. The assumption of safety, rather than rigorous testing, has led to growing concerns about long-term effects. This is particularly worrisome given that injected aluminum bypasses the body’s natural filtration systems, making it more bioavailable than ingested aluminum.^20,21

The presence of aluminum in vaccines is especially concerning for infants and young children who receive multiple doses according to recommended schedules. Studies have shown that when adjusted for body weight, the current CDC childhood vaccine schedule exposes children to aluminum levels far exceeding estimated safe limits. This raises questions about aluminum accumulation in various organs, including the brain.

Research has demonstrated aluminum’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue.²² Studies have found significant amounts of aluminum in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, often co-located with amyloid-beta protein plaques. Some researchers have even suggested that without aluminum exposure, Alzheimer’s disease might not occur within the normal human lifespan.²³

The biological effects of aluminum are wide-ranging and impact multiple bodily systems. Aluminum has been shown to adversely affect neuronal function, disrupt cellular signaling, worsen the effects of other heavy metals and influence gene expression. It also causes mitochondrial dysfunction and ATP depletion, setting the stage for various chronic diseases.²⁴

Why Protecting Vaccine Exemptions Is Important

These known side effects of vaccines remind us why it’s so important to protect our right to make informed choices about vaccinations and to obtain vaccine exemptions in the U.S. Every individual needs to have the freedom to choose what’s best for themselves and their children, including the option to decline certain vaccines if they believe the risks are too high.

Voluntary consent is a foundation of ethical health care. It allows families to consider the risks and benefits of vaccines based on their unique health conditions. Given the lack of the science behind vaccine safety, maintaining vaccine exemption is a necessary protective measure. This is not anti-science, but a call for more thorough, independent research and greater transparency.

When it comes to protecting your family’s health, staying informed is your best strategy. Take the time to do your own research, ask questions and trust your instincts instead of simply following mandates or giving in to societal pressure. By actively seeking out information, you’re ensuring that your family’s health is in your own hands — not dictated by fear or powers that be.

VAERS — An Important Resource for Vaccine Safety Monitoring

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) serves as an important tool for monitoring the safety of vaccines in the U.S. Established in 1990, VAERS is a national early warning system, co-managed by the CDC and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to detect possible safety issues with vaccines.²⁵

The system allows healthcare providers, vaccine manufacturers and the general public to submit reports of adverse events that occur after vaccination. Anyone can access and search the VAERS database, which includes information such as the type of vaccine administered, the timing of the adverse event and a description of the reported symptoms.

For parents considering whether to vaccinate their child, reviewing VAERS data can be part of the process of making an informed decision. For easy access, see OpenVaers.com.²⁶

• ^{1, 2, 4, 5, 6} CDC, New Findings on Vaccination Coverage and Exemptions Among Kindergartners (2023-2024 School Year)
• ³ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Healthy People 2030 – Vaccination Objectives
• ⁷ AP News, October 3, 2024
• ⁸ Sci Transl Med. 2018 Mar 21;10(433):eaao5945
• ⁹ Science, March 21, 2018
• ¹⁰ Current Opinion in Virology Volume 40, February 2020, Pages 48-54
• ¹¹ Vaccine. 2021 May 27;39(23):3120-3130
• ¹² American Academy of Pediatrics, June 10, 2019
• ¹³ Pediatrics (2016) 137 (3): e20153326
• ¹⁴ CMAJ November 01, 2016 188 (16) E399-E406
• ¹⁵ SAGE Open Med. 2020 May 27;8:2050312120925344
• ¹⁶ NewportRI.com March 21, 2019
• ¹⁷ Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology September 2014: 6(9); 271-286 (PDF)
• ¹⁸ Children’s Health Defense, August 11, 2020
• ¹⁹ Australian Academy of Science, What Is in a Vaccine?
• ²⁰ Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2017 Sep 29;114(39):653–659
• ²¹ EFSA J. 2008 Jul 15;6(7):754
• ²² Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(8), 7228
• ²³ SciTechDaily.com, January 21, 2020
• ²⁴ Toxics. 2021 Jun 17;9(6):142
• ²⁵ CDC, August 7, 2024
• ²⁶ OpenVaers

(Mercola)—COVID-19 lockdowns accelerated brain aging in adolescents, according to a recent study.¹ The pandemic drastically changed daily routines, leaving many young people struggling with their mental and physical health. You might have noticed how isolation affected teens, especially girls, more than boys. Increased feelings of anxiety and depression became common as social interactions dwindled.²

As the lockdowns wore on, physical fitness levels among young adults began to decline sharply. Reduced opportunities for exercise and more time spent sedentary led to significant drops in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness.³ This decline isn’t just about physical health; it’s closely tied to mental well-being as well.

We’re only now beginning to see the many ways COVID-19 lockdowns impacted adolescent brain development and physical fitness; the full effects likely won’t be apparent for years or decades to come.

The Impact of Lockdowns on Adolescent Brain Development

Adolescence is a critical period for brain maturation, where emotional and social development take center stage. During this time, your brain undergoes significant changes, including synaptic pruning and myelination, which are essential for cognitive and emotional growth. However, the COVID-19 lockdowns disrupted these typical developmental trajectories, particularly in girls.⁴

Researchers used MRI scans to compare brain structures before and after the lockdowns, revealing that young girls experienced more rapid cortical thinning than boys did. Cortical thinning is a natural part of brain development during adolescence, where your brain’s outer layer, the cortex, becomes thinner as it matures.

This process is essential for improving cognitive functions like thinking, memory and emotional regulation. However, the study showed that the lockdowns caused this thinning to happen much faster than usual, especially in female adolescents. Girls experienced a mean brain age acceleration of 4.2 years compared to 1.4 years in boys.

The acceleration in brain maturation is linked to increased stress caused by the pandemic restrictions. Prolonged social isolation and the disruption of daily routines led to higher levels of stress hormones like cortisol. These hormones affect brain development, leading to the accelerated thinning observed in the study.

Moreover, the faster brain maturation in females is concerning because it’s associated with a higher risk of developing mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. The rapid changes in brain structure may interfere with the normal development of emotional and social skills, making adolescents more vulnerable to neuropsychiatric disorders.

The study highlights the critical need for ongoing support and monitoring of adolescents who experienced the lockdowns. Providing mental health resources and promoting healthy lifestyles may help mitigate the negative impacts of accelerated brain aging, but early intervention is essential to address the long-term consequences on young minds.

Autobiographical Memories Impact Mental Health in Lockdown

Another study found that as lockdowns continued, children’s memories of that time became less detailed and more negative over time. Initially, kids could recall specific events and feelings from the lockdown, but as months passed, their memories lost some of that detail and leaned more toward negative emotions.⁵

Psychological well-being among children and adolescents also took a hit during the lockdowns, with girls showing the most significant decline. While all young people experienced increased anxiety and depression, female adolescents were particularly hard-hit, reporting the lowest levels of happiness and the highest levels of depressive symptoms.⁶

The content of these memories played a crucial role in mental health outcomes. Memories that were filled with negative emotions and detailed factual information about COVID-19 and the restrictions predicted poorer psychological well-being over time. Not surprisingly, kids who focused more on the negative aspects and the hard facts about the pandemic struggled more with their mental health.⁷

Overall, the findings suggest that the way children and adolescents remember and narrate their experiences during challenging times significantly influences their mental health. Negative memory narratives lead to worse psychological outcomes, highlighting the need for supportive interventions that help young people process their experiences in healthier ways.⁸

Long-Term Impact of COVID-19 Lockdowns on Physical Fitness in Young Adults

COVID-19 lockdowns also had a significant long-term impact on the physical fitness of young adults.⁹ Researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis involving over 5,300 university freshmen, comparing their physical fitness levels before and after the pandemic lockdowns. Again, not surprisingly, the lockdowns led to notable declines in both aerobic and anaerobic fitness compared to previous years.

The study showed that anaerobic fitness, which is essential for short bursts of intense activity like sprinting, decreased by an average of 0.84 points. More strikingly, aerobic fitness, crucial for sustained activities such as running or cycling, dropped by 2.25 points in males and a more substantial 4.28 points in females. This indicates that young adults became significantly less capable of performing endurance-based activities post-lockdown.

With gyms, parks and sports facilities closed, many young adults found themselves spending more time sitting or engaging in less physically demanding activities like video games or desk work.

Curiously, females experienced greater declines in aerobic fitness compared to their male counterparts. This gender disparity suggests that lockdown measures may have disproportionately affected girls in maintaining their cardiovascular endurance. Possible reasons include differences in how males and females engaged in physical activities during the lockdown or varying access to exercise resources and support systems.

The decline in physical fitness may lead to long-term health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic disorders. The study underscores the urgent need to promote physical activity among young adults, especially in the aftermath of lockdowns or similar restrictions. Encouraging regular exercise and reducing sedentary time are essential steps in preventing these negative health outcomes and ensuring that fitness levels recover post-pandemic.

Furthermore, the research highlights that addressing fitness declines is important for supporting the overall health of young adults. Promoting accessible and enjoyable forms of exercise may help mitigate the long-term consequences of the pandemic on youth fitness and well-being.

Lockdowns Led to Vitamin D Deficiency, Worse Birth Outcomes in Pregnant Women

In related news, a team of Spanish researchers looked into the effects of strict lockdown on the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women, noting, “In Spain, a strict lockdown (SL) was declared, with the population being confined at home, therefore influencing their exposition to sunlight.”¹⁰

For this study, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) was defined as a vitamin D level below 20 ng/mL, and vitamin D insufficiency as a level between 20 and 30 ng/mL. This is notable, since it represents an extremely low level of vitamin D. While sufficiency begins around 40 ng/mL (100 nmol/L in European measurements), the target range for optimal health is 60 to 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L).

If higher levels were used to define vitamin D deficiency in the study, even more women would have been deemed deficient. Still, even using 20 ng/mL as the deficiency cutoff, 55.5% of pregnant women in the region were vitamin D deficient. Among those on strict lockdown (SL), the prevalence was 77.8%.¹¹

While the study stopped short of examining the pregnancy outcomes of lockdown-driven vitamin D deficiency, past research has linked VDD with adverse effects in pregnancy, including pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth and caesarean delivery.¹²

COVID-19 lockdown was also associated with an increased risk of gestational diabetes, with risk increasing the longer the lockdown continued,¹³ as well as an increased risk of preterm birth.¹⁴

Other studies also suggest that lockdowns negatively affected pregnant women in other ways. For example, in a study comparing women who experienced a Level I lockdown in China during the pandemic with women who did not, the lockdown group had shorter gestational length and a higher risk of preterm birth.¹⁵

Brain Development and Fitness Are Suffering After Pandemic Lockdowns

To conclude, the COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on adolescent brain development and physical fitness, particularly in young girls. These effects, coupled with increased stress and prolonged social isolation, have heightened the risk of mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression.

Physical fitness has also taken a significant hit, with both aerobic and anaerobic capacities declining, especially among young women. The shift toward sedentary lifestyles and reduced opportunities for physical activity has had lasting effects on health and well-being, with implications for long-term health outcomes.

To mitigate these impacts, it’s essential to promote regular physical activity, provide mental health support and encourage healthy lifestyle habits. By understanding the unique challenges faced by adolescents during the pandemic, we can develop targeted interventions to support their recovery and ensure a healthier future for our youth.

Early intervention, consistent support and fostering resilience are crucial steps toward helping adolescents navigate these challenging times and safeguarding their mental and physical health.

• ^1, 4 PNAS September 9, 2024, 121(38)
• ^{2, 5, 6, 7, 8} Child Development August 14, 2024
• ^3, 9 Scientific Reports September 18, 2023, volume 13, Article number: 15430 (2023)
• ¹⁰ Nutrients 2023, 15(8), 1972
• ¹¹ Nutrients 2023, 15(8), 1972, Discussion
• ¹² Nutrients 2023, 15(8), 1972, Introduction
• ¹³ Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2022; 13: 824245
• ¹⁴ Front Med (Lausanne). 2021; 8: 705943
• ¹⁵ BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2021; 21: 795

At least according to one registered dietitian nutritionist in Los Angeles, who recently took to Fox News to lay out the risks from ultra-processed foods in the American diet.

Ilana Muhlstein said on Fox news that America’s diet is 60% ultra-processed, but that kids consume even more than that.

“With children, it’s actually over 70%. That is really wild when you think about it,” she said. “What we eat defines how our cells work, how our organs work, and we’re seeing a strong decline in mental health and well-being.”

And a recent BMJ study found that 60% of Americans’ daily calories come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which are linked to 32 poor health outcomes, including mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic issues like cancer, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, according to Fox.

Muhlstein added: “We’re actually seeing that this next generation might be the first generation to … have a shorter lifespan than their parents due to nutrition and lifestyle factors.”

A nutritious diet boosts children’s mental well-being, behavior, and academic performance, says Muhlstein, a nutritionist and instructor of “Raising Balanced Eaters.”

While cutting ultra-processed foods entirely is unrealistic, Muhlstein advocates for reversing the typical 70/30 ratio of processed to whole foods, recommending an “80/20 rule”—80% whole foods like eggs, fish, and vegetables, and 20% indulgent foods like chips and ice cream.

For healthier options, Muhlstein suggests swapping ketchup for marinara sauce on chicken nuggets and fries, opting for chicken strips over mechanically processed nuggets, and choosing hamburgers over nitrite-laden hot dogs. Each small change reduces the overall level of food processing.

The nutritionist warns that poor eating habits won’t resolve on their own and encourages exposing kids to diverse flavors and textures early on.

The Fox News report says that sitting down for family meals—without screens—can reduce the risk of eating disorders and promote a healthy relationship with food. Just three to five family meals a week can make a positive difference, fostering better eating habits and family connection.