Teen Health News

July 6, 2025

Top Headlines

Pregnancy’s 100-Million-Year Secret: Inside the Placenta’s Evolutionary Power Play

July 6, 2025 — A group of scientists studying pregnancy across six different mammals—from humans to marsupials—uncovered how certain cells at the mother-baby boundary have been working together for over 100 ...

Researchers Tested 200 Toddlers — 96 Chemicals Were Lurking in Their Bodies

July 2, 2025 — Researchers testing urine from 2- to 4-year-olds in four U.S. states uncovered 96 different chemicals, many of them unmonitored and linked to hormone and brain disruption. Legacy toxins like ...

Synthetic Storm: What’s Really in Your Teen’s Vape — and Why Scientists Are Alarmed

July 1, 2025 — Teen vaping is changing fast — and not in a good way. A large national study found that more adolescents are vaping THC, CBD, and especially synthetic cannabinoids, which are often unregulated and ...

Candy Colors, THC Inside: How Cannabis Edibles Are Tricking Teen Brains

June 28, 2025 — Teens are being misled by cannabis edibles dressed up like health foods. Bright colors, fruit imagery, and words like vegan make these products look fun, natural, and safe even when they re not. A WSU study warns that this could increase the risk of ...

Burning for Beauty: How TikTok Skin Trends Are Harming Young Girls

June 9, 2025 — Teens are diving into intense skincare routines inspired by TikTok, often slathering on six or more products daily, sometimes over ten in just minutes, chasing beauty ideals that favor lighter, flawless skin. But new research warns this digital ...

Student Discovers Long-Awaited Mystery Fungus Sought by LSD's Inventor

June 2, 2025 — Making a discovery with the potential for innovative applications in pharmaceutical development, a microbiology student has found a long sought-after fungus that produces effects similar to the semisynthetic drug LSD, which is used to treat ...

Significant Declines in Maternal Mental Health Across US

May 30, 2025 — A new study reveals a concerning decline in self-reported mental health among mothers in the United States between 2016 and 2023. The study also found modest but measurable declines in self-reported physical health during the same ...

Study Quantifies the Sleep Loss and Disruption Experienced by New Mothers

May 29, 2025 — Becoming a new mother brings more than just joyful chaos it delivers a profound and persistent sleep shock. A new study reveals that first-time moms lose not just total sleep, but crucial uninterrupted sleep, especially in the first week postpartum. ...

Boys Who Are Overweight in Their Early Teens Risk Passing on Harmful Epigenetic Traits to Future Children

May 27, 2025 — A new study suggests that boys who become overweight in their early teens risk damaging the genes of their future children, increasing their chances of developing asthma, obesity and low lung ...

Biological Markers for Teen Depression

May 23, 2025 — Using a novel lab method they developed, researchers have identified nine molecules in the blood that were elevated in teens diagnosed with depression. These molecules also predicted how symptoms might progress over time. The findings of the ...

Researchers Identify a Dual Origin of Cells Controlling Puberty and Reproduction

May 22, 2025 — Researchers have shown that gonadotrophs, cells in the pituitary gland with a key role in puberty and reproduction, come from two different populations, with the majority produced after birth rather ...

Good News for People With Migraine Who Take Drugs Before or During Pregnancy

May 21, 2025 — There's good news for people with migraine who take common drugs before or during pregnancy -- a new study found no increase in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and ADHD in their children. ...

Latest Headlines

updated 11:22am EDT

Sleep-in Science: How 2 Extra Weekend Hours Can Calm Teen Anxiety

June 13, 2025 — Teens might finally have a good reason to sleep in on weekends within limits. A new study reveals that teenagers who get up to two extra hours of sleep on weekends show fewer anxiety symptoms than ...

Timing, Consistency of Activity Linked to Better Fitness

May 28, 2025 — The timing and consistency of your daily activity might be associated with improved cardiorespiratory fitness and walking ...

Clinical Trial Shows Improvements for Spinal Cord Injuries

May 21, 2025 — Researchers demonstrated unprecedented rates of recovery for spinal cord injuries. Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury safely received a combination of stimulation of a nerve in the neck ...

Thinking Peers Drink More Drives Risky Behavior

May 21, 2025 — The study explores how social influences, particularly peer pressure, impact substance use -- and misuse -- among young adults. A confidential online survey on alcohol use was given to 524 students ...

Early Puberty Increases Risk of Overweight Later in Life for Girls

May 21, 2025 — Unique Danish longitudinal study with over 136,000 measurements reveals the connection between pubertal development and weight throughout ...

Landmark Report Reveals Key Challenges Facing Adolescents

May 20, 2025 — Poor mental health, rising obesity rates, exposure to violence and climate change are among the key challenges facing our adolescents today, according to a global ...

Selenium Exposure During Pregnancy May Reduce Childhood Streptococcal Infections

May 20, 2025 — Higher maternal selenium levels during pregnancy were associated with a lower risk of streptococcal infections in children, suggesting a potential ...

New Study Raises Concerns About the Safety of Long-Term ADHD Medication Treatment in Children

May 15, 2025 — A recent study reveals that the average duration of ADHD medication for children and adolescents is more than three years. However, reliable, ...

The Effect of Physical Fitness on Mortality Is Overestimated

May 15, 2025 — That fit people have a reduced risk of premature death from various diseases is a recurring result in many studies. New research shows that people with high fitness levels in their late teens also ...

Cyberbullying in Any Form Can Be Traumatizing for Kids

May 15, 2025 — New research shows that cyberbullying should be classified as an adverse childhood experience due to its strong link to trauma. Even subtle forms -- like exclusion from group chats -- can trigger ...

Got Data? Breastfeeding Device Measures Babies' Milk Intake in Real Time

May 14, 2025 — New device can give peace of mind and reduce anxiety for breastfeeding moms. It uses bioimpedance, which is currently used to measure body fat, and streams clinical-grade data to a smartphone or ...

Postpartum Depression and Bonding: Long-Term Effects on School-Age Children

May 14, 2025 — Postpartum maternal mental health and mother-to-infant bonding are well-established as critical factors in a child's psychosocial development. However, few studies have explored the combined ...

Lower Tackle Height Changing Face of Women's Rugby, Study Says

May 12, 2025 — Lowering the legal tackle height in women's rugby is proving effective in reducing head contacts between players, a new study suggests. Changes to the tackle height law in women's community ...

Fatty Liver in Pregnancy May Increase Risk of Preterm Birth

May 9, 2025 — Pregnant women with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) have an increased risk of giving birth prematurely and the risk increase cannot be explained by obesity, according ...

Incidence of Several Early-Onset Cancers Increased Between 2010 and 2019

May 8, 2025 — In the United States, breast, colorectal, endometrial, pancreatic, and kidney cancers are becoming increasingly common among people under age 50, according to a new ...

Removing Ovaries and Fallopian Tubes Linked to Lower Risk of Early Death Among Breast Cancer Patients With BRCA Cancer Genes

May 7, 2025 — Women diagnosed with breast cancer who carry particular BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants are offered surgery to remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes as this dramatically reduces their risk of ...

Groundbreaking Device Instantly Detects Dangerous Street Drugs, Offering Hope for Harm Reduction

May 7, 2025 — Groundbreaking device instantly detects dangerous street drugs, offering hope for harm reduction A portable device that instantly detects illicit street drugs at very low concentrations, thereby ...

Losing a Parent May Increase Children's Risk of Being Bullied

May 7, 2025 — A new study surveyed 21,000 children in China and found that the association between parental bereavement and school bullying varied by sex of the child and deceased parent, age when the death ...

Teens Driving Older Vehicles Have Increased Risk for Fatal Crashes

May 7, 2025 — Researchers reviewed US national fatal crash data (2016-2021) and examined the vehicle age and driver assistance technologies of vehicles driven by teen and middle-aged drivers, and their ...

A Culturally Adapted Obesity Prevention for Latino Families

May 7, 2025 — A research team has adapted an intervention for childhood obesity prevention to better serve Latina mothers, non-maternal caregivers, and families of low-income backgrounds in Inland Southern ...

A Healthy Diet in Childhood Is Linked to Starting Menstrual Periods Later, Regardless of BMI or Height

May 6, 2025 — Eating a healthy diet as a child is linked to girls having their first menstrual period at an older age than those who consumed a less healthy diet, according to a new study. The findings remained ...

Evidence Review Raises Concern About Cannabis Use in Pregnancy

May 5, 2025 — A systematic evidence review finds that consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight and infant ...

Teens With Mental Health Conditions Use Social Media Differently Than Their Peers, Study Suggests

May 5, 2025 — One of the first studies in this area to use clinical-level diagnoses reveals a range of differences between young people with and without mental health conditions when it comes to social media -- ...

The All-Female Korean Haenyeo Divers Show Genetic Adaptions to Cold Water Diving

May 2, 2025 — The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, are renowned for their ability to dive in frigid waters without the aid of breathing equipment -- even while pregnant. A ...

Study of Facial Bacteria Could Lead to Probiotics That Promote Healthy Skin

May 1, 2025 — A study sheds light on when and how bacterial strains emerge on facial skin. The findings could lead to new treatments for acne and other conditions, and may also help optimize the timing of such ...

Study Links Childhood Trauma to Increased Substance Use and Unexpected Effects on Heart Rate and Blood Pressure in Adolescents

Apr. 30, 2025 — Childhood trauma significantly increases the likelihood of engaging in harmful alcohol consumption, smoking and illicit drug use, by the age of ...

New Drug Shows Promise for Treating Bronchiectasis

Apr. 30, 2025 — Results of a large, global clinical trial spanning five continents with over 1,700 patients with bronchiectasis has demonstrated benefits of an investigational, once-a-day pill called brenso catib as ...

Breast Cancer Mortality in Women Ages 20-49 Significantly Dropped Between 2010 and 2020

Apr. 30, 2025 — Breast cancer deaths among women ages 20-49 declined significantly between 2010 and 2020, according to a new ...

Age, Previous Sports Experience, Stronger Predictors of Performance in Children Than Previous Concussions

Apr. 29, 2025 — A new study may offer reassuring news for parents whose children have a history of concussion, but want to get back to playing sports. Researchers spent more than a decade scouting fields, rinks and ...

Teenage Years Crucial for Depression Intervention

Apr. 29, 2025 — Depression in young teens could be easier to treat than in adulthood due to the symptoms being more flexible and not yet ingrained, a study ...