Social Media News and Research

Latest Social Media News and Research

AI helps identify childhood cancer survivors needing extra support

Artificial intelligence (AI) could help physicians determine if survivors of childhood cancer need extra support - and the more information included in AI prompting, the better its performance.

27 Mar 2026

New tool identifies harmful nutrition misinformation and evaluates potential risk

A new tool that not only identifies diet and nutrition misinformation online but also evaluates the content's risk for potential harm has been developed by a team of UCL researchers.

27 Mar 2026

Attachment anxiety linked to higher risk of short video addiction

No matter where we turn on social media, short videos are everywhere. Repeated exposure to this brief, information-dense, and rewarding content stimulates the brain in a way that tells us the experience is pleasurable or satisfying.

26 Mar 2026

Study links social media addiction to worse student mental health and points to family as a key buffer

A study of 627 Saudi university students found that higher social media addiction was associated with more anxiety and depression, while family environment fully mediated those links in the statistical model. The findings suggest that supportive family relationships may help buffer the mental health burden associated with problematic social media use, although the cross-sectional design does not establish causation.

25 Mar 2026

TikTok favors non-experts even when doctors post better sudden cardiac death content

Healthcare professionals made higher-quality and more credible TikTok videos about sudden cardiac death, but non-healthcare creators attracted more reshares, favourites, and overall engagement. Sentiment did not differ significantly between groups, suggesting that better information quality does not automatically translate into wider reach.

24 Mar 2026

CREB5 drives stem cell-like transcriptional programs in aggressive prostate cancer

A new research paper was published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on March 17, 2026, titled "CREB5 regulates stem cell-like transcriptional programs to enhance tumor progression in prostate cancer."

24 Mar 2026

Excessive screen time linked to worse cardiovascular risk factors

People who reported spending six or more hours on screens outside of school or work had worse blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index (BMI) compared with those with more limited screen time, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26).

24 Mar 2026

New models predict biological age using blood and microbiome

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on March 12, 2026, titled "Blood biochemical and gut microbiotic neural network models forecasting human biological age."

23 Mar 2026

New protein atlas identifies distinct subtypes of neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases form a tangled biological web with overlapping molecular signatures and symptoms. To decode this complexity, a multi-institute collaboration led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists developed the pan-neurodegeneration atlas (PanNDA).

23 Mar 2026

Oz escalates Medicaid fraud claims against states after focus on Minnesota

The Trump administration has signaled a willingness to halt billions of dollars in federal health payments to multiple states, mirroring moves they made against Minnesota.

20 Mar 2026

Study explores post-game depression and emotional impact on players

Experiencing a sense of loss and sadness after dozens of hours spent on a video game? Researchers from SWPS University and the Stefan Batory Academy of Applied Sciences examined the feeling of emptiness that accompanies completing an engaging computer game.

19 Mar 2026

Oz says California’s not fighting health care fraud, but data shows it’s part of a larger battle

For weeks, Mehmet Oz has been waging a public feud with California leaders over health care fraud, accusing the blue state of failing to adequately combat such abuse.

19 Mar 2026

Researchers develop targeted delivery system for poorly soluble cancer drugs

Recent advances in drug discovery research have led to the development of numerous drug candidate compounds with high therapeutic efficacy.

16 Mar 2026

Study links excessive smartphone use with poor body image and disordered eating

New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London has found that excessive smartphone use is closely associated with disordered eating, including uncontrolled eating and emotional overeating, as well greater symptoms of food addiction in young people with no diagnosis of an eating disorder.

13 Mar 2026

Updated guideline emphasizes earlier treatment for high cholesterol

The American College of Cardiology (ACC), the American Heart Association and nine other leading medical associations, today issued an updated guideline for the management of dyslipidemia-abnormal levels of one or more types of lipids or lipoproteins in the blood, including cholesterol and triglycerides.

13 Mar 2026

BSO mimics anti-obesity effects without causing bone loss in mice

A new research paper was published in Volume 18 of Aging-US on March 2, 2026, titled "D, L-Buthionine-(S, R)-sulfoximine recapitulates the anti-obesity effects of sulfur amino acid restriction without the associated deleterious effects on bone in male mice."

13 Mar 2026

Teens check their phones up to 144 times during school; and it may affect cognitive control

The study finds that high smartphone use in school affects cognitive control in youths, indicating a need for policies to manage digital engagement effectively.

13 Mar 2026

Medicare Advantage ‘dark money’ group attempts to win higher payments for insurance companies

Judging by more than 16,400 comments recently posted on a federal government website, you'd think there was a groundswell of older Americans demanding that federal officials hike payments to their Medicare Advantage health insurance plans.

13 Mar 2026

Study reveals high burnout among doctors treating sickle cell disease

Hematology-oncology trained physicians who treat sickle cell disease reported higher rates of burnout (60%) than their counterparts who do not provide sickle cell care (43%) despite no differences in grit and resilience between the two groups.

12 Mar 2026

Republicans fret over RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine policies while MAHA moms stew

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is fielding pressure from the White House to relax his controversial approach to vaccine policies as the midterms near, but his most steadfast supporters are pressing for more aggressive action — like restricting covid-19 vaccines and pesticide use — to carry out the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

12 Mar 2026