On Monday, Politico ran a long <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2023/12/18/surgeon-general-tools-loneliness-00131734" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> with Surgeon General Vivek Murthy. Murthy is apparently “worried about our sad social lives.” 
According to Politico, “Americans are burned out, disconnected, isolated and starved for time. Maybe it’s post-pandemic blues. Maybe it’s our smartphone addiction. Whatever the cause, it’s serious enough that Murthy has issued a formal advisory to the nation calling for action to address this ‘epidemic.’”
What are Murthy’s solutions? He is hosting events trying to put people in proximity with one another and speaking about the “power of friendship.” At these events, as Politico describes, “People dressed as dancing unicorns handed out prescriptions for five minutes of social connection. (Quantity: Endless. Refills: Daily.)” Murthy then encouraged people to spend 45 seconds writing a text to a loved one. He asks people to engage in what he calls “the connection exercise.” He says that such exercises can be “supplemented by investments in social infrastructure, which is where policymakers come in.”
Or, alternatively, it’s precisely where policymakers should butt out.
There is a reason for our loneliness epidemic. Sure, it has to do with smartphones and the internet and the increasing atomization of our lives as we hunker down with our screens. But screens are just a tool to be used for good or ill. The real problem is that our social institutions have been summarily destroyed over the course of decades by government.
Those social institutions used to begin with and center around church.
<h4><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-1872-go-to-church-member-exclusive" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h4>
Historically, churches fulfilled three interwoven functions. First, they provided common orientation around a higher goal, complete with rules and regulations that required skin in the game in order to be accepted into the group. Second, they provided economic benefits and social reinforcement, ranging from charity to the helping hands of neighbors. Finally, emerging from the first two functions, they created a feeling of community. 
That feeling of community, as sociologist Émile Durkheim wrote, could only be attained with reference to the sacred: a series of beliefs so worthwhile that they were not to be questioned. As Robert Nisbet <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Quest-Community-Background-Essential-Conservative/dp/1935191500" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a>, “It is community that gives to the sacred its most vital expressions everywhere: birth, marriage, death, and other moments in the human drama.”
The sacred, then, undergirded the community.
And the community provided the support structure necessary for the flourishing of the family.
And then government tried to replace church and destroyed community.
The first step was the substitution of government benefits for the earned membership of a church. People no longer had to have skin in the game of a community in order to be given charity — now they had “entitlements” by dint of breathing. According to a National Bureau of Economic Research <a href="https://www.loc.gov/item/2005618486/#:~:text=Crowd%2Dout%20was%20small%20as,church%20activity%20observed%20between%201933" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a>, New Deal policies crowded out 30% of all charitable spending by churches. Government benefits were made exponentially greater. Family structure itself was dramatically undermined by government spending since you were no longer responsible for your kids or your parents. Government was. Your call on your neighbor no longer required you to sacrifice for the community. Instead, you could point the government gun at him and steal his wallet.
Able to reap the rewards without the costs, many people stopped going to church. And over the course of decades, churches began to adjust to that reality not by reinforcing common orientation around a higher goal — sanctity — but by trying to get rid of “judgment” so as to include more people. Churches began to try to mirror government: no skin in the game, plenty of benefits. As Gertrude Himmelfarb <a href="https://www.amazon.com/New-History-Old-Critical-Reappraisals/dp/0674013840/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2ETD1GRVXJLI2&amp;keywords=the+new+history+and+the+old&amp;qid=1703025694&amp;s=books&amp;sprefix=the+new+history+and+the+old%2Cstripbooks%2C87&amp;sr=1-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> two decades ago, “This process of [religious] accommodation has since gone on apace, so that today many mainline churches offer little or no resistance to the prevailing culture. On the contrary, some are very much part of it, priding themselves on being cosmopolitan and sophisticated, undogmatic and uncensorious.”
Thus the sacred has been wiped away, leaving us all alone with our subjective senses of self, catered to by a broad welfare state. Are we happier? Will that problem be cured by government?
Of course not.
It can only be cured by a return to community. Historically, that community means religious community, which is why it continues to be so sad to see religious leaders playing around the edges of conciliation with value systems that undermine sacredness at every turn.
On Monday, according to the vast majority of the legacy media, Pope Francis apparently decided that it was fine for priests to bless same-sex couples. The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/briefing/texas-border-law-vatican-same-sex-relationships.html#:~:text=The%20Vatican%20announced%20today%20that,pastoral%20and%20less%20rigid%20church." target="_blank" rel="noopener">New York Times</a> said this move was “his most definitive step yet to make the Roman Catholic Church more welcoming to LGBTQ Catholics and more reflective of his vision of a more pastoral and less rigid church.”
If true, of course, that would mark a massive shift for the Catholic Church, which has held fast to the traditional teaching that marriage is between one man and one woman and that sexual union within marriage is the only morally permissible form of sexual union. The Church has held fast for thousands of years not only to the sanctity of marriage but also to the natural law philosophy inherent in that sanctity — a philosophy that says the world of God’s creation carries within it certain obvious rights and wrongs, teleological ends. Man and woman were created to become one flesh, this philosophy says, and creation is designed to end in the creation of new human life. 
Catholic philosopher Robert George has <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/08/what-marriage-isand-what-it-isnt" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> this point further: “What is unique about marriage is that it truly is a comprehensive sharing of life, a sharing founded on the bodily union made uniquely possible by the sexual complementarity of man and woman— a complementarity that makes it possible for two human beings to become, in the language of the Bible, one flesh, and thus possible for this one-flesh union to be the foundation of a relationship in which it is intelligible for two persons to bind themselves to each other in pledges of permanence, monogamy, and fidelity.”
It would certainly be a massive surrender for the Catholic Church to reject that teaching on behalf of a broader teaching that morality now encompasses sexual relationships of other sorts — particularly sexual relationships without any potential whatsoever for the creation of human life.
So, what did the Pope actually say?
His defenders say that he changed nothing. According to Catholic publication <a href="https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/did-the-pope-just-permit-gay-marriage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Pillar</a>, “Fiducia supplicans says clearly that that the Vatican does not intend to permit same-sex marriage, or anything that resembles it — and says that the Church does not actually have the power or authority to do that. While the text does create a framework for blessing gay couples, it says that those blessings should not be confused with marriage, or even with approval of same-sex unions, or homosexual activity.”
Fiducia suppplicans says blessings are a “pastoral resource to be valued rather than a risk or a problem” and they may be bestowed upon those persons who “although in a union that cannot be compared in any way to a marriage, desire to entrust themselves to the Lord and his mercy, to invoke his help, and to be guided to a greater understanding of his plan of love and truth.” Such blessings ought not be given in any circumstance resembling a sanctification of same-sex unions, says the Pope, and “there is no intention to legitimize anything.” Furthermore, says the document, the blessing ought to descend on those who “do not claim a legitimation of their own status, but who beg that all that is true, good, and humanly valid in their lives and their relationships be enriched, healed, and elevated by the presence of the Holy Spirit.”
But there is reason for the controversy. The document itself suggests that blessings should not be “subjected to too many moral prerequisites” and that priests ought not to “lose pastoral charity, which should permeate all our decisions and attitudes” and to avoid being “judges who only deny, reject, and exclude.” Furthermore, it is not clear whether the Church will crack down on liturgical blessings it does not approve in the document. 
The Pope, in other words, is being vague, and others are supposed to clean up for him. My friend Larry O’Connor has <a href="https://twitter.com/LarryOConnor/status/1736823331616121325" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a good rundown</a> of his interpretation of the latest missive. Here is what he writes: &#8220;I am not in full communion with the Church. As such, I am required to abstain from partaking in the Eucharist at Mass. I walk up to the altar with my arms crossed on my chest and the presiding priest offers me a blessing. He is not blessing the situation that I am in that keeps me from being in communion with the Church. He is offering me a priestly blessing so that I can continue my faith journey and move forward closer to Christ despite my situation. This is exactly what the Vatican has confirmed the pastors may do for individuals who have same sex attraction and are also not in full communion with the Church because of their situation.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Some thoughts on the hysteria and lies surrounding the Vatican&#39;s statement on blessings today. 
First&#8230; Read <a href="https://twitter.com/EdMorrissey?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EdMorrissey</a>.
Done? Good. Now&#8230;
If you are a Christian but not Catholic, then your religion might not have formal &quot;blessings&quot; as part of your rites, liturgy or faith…
&mdash; L A R R Y (@LarryOConnor) <a href="https://twitter.com/LarryOConnor/status/1736823331616121325?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 18, 2023</a></blockquote>
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But is that all the Pope is doing? Because Larry isn’t approaching the altar as a member of a same-sex couple. He is approaching individually. Of course religions should bless the sinner but hate the sin. But when a same-sex couple approaches a priest for a blessing as a same-sex couple, the distinction falls away. The Pope here is not allowing blessing for individuals who participate in same-sex unions — every traditional religion allows sinners to receive blessings individually, so far as I’m aware. He is apparently, instead, greenlighting blessing same-sex couples as couples, then pretending it doesn’t mean anything so long as the blessing isn’t an outright sanctification of the same-sex relationship.
Clearly that’s how the Left is reading it. Rep. James Martin, a radical Left-wing Catholic, <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1736752056688373983" target="_blank" rel="noopener">says</a>, “The new declaration opens the door to nonliturgical blessings for same-sex couples, something that had been previously off-limits for bishops, priests and deacons. Along with many priests, I will now <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesMartinSJ/status/1736752058055770141" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be delighted</a> to bless my friends in same-sex unions.”
So, why ought we to care? We ought to care because when historical pillars of Western tradition including natural law begin to carve away at those pillars in the name of tolerance and diversity, the entire edifice begins to crumble. That is a problem for religious believers of all traditional stripes.
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It’s not unique to Catholicism. On the same day the Pope issued his statement, celebrated by the New York Times, the Times issued a piece about the collapse of the United Methodist Church, riven by controversy over LGBTQ issues. As the Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/18/us/the-united-methodist-church-schism.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">describes</a>, “At issue for Methodists is the question of ordaining and marrying L.G.B.T.Q. people, a topic that has splintered many other Protestant denominations and which Methodists have been debating for years. … There were eight million Methodists in the United States in 2020, according to the U.S. Religion Census. Between large-scale departures and the broader trend of decline, Dr. Burge said, that number could drop by half in a decade. The exodus marks a calamitous decline for the broader tradition of mainline Protestantism, which once dominated the American religious, social and cultural landscape.”
And herein lies the problem: There is no substitute for traditional religion in the American landscape. And traditional religion requires skin in the game. The minute religion becomes merely a nonjudgmental “blessing” dumped on top of subjective self-glorification, religion loses its value.
And when religion loses its value, social society crumbles. We’re relegated to Vivek Murthy lecturing us with dancing unicorns who hand out prescriptions for social connection.

TODAY – Season 72

The Government Wants You To Listen To Dancing Unicorns

Ben Shapiro

Christianity

Church

Federal Government

Readers Pass

Surgeon General

Synagogue

Welfare

U.S. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/surgeon-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Surgeon General</a> Vivek Murthy issued an <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advisory</a> on Tuesday warning that <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">social media</a> use among minors can severely damage <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mental-health" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mental health</a>.
The <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">advisory</a>, which noted that social media use is “nearly universal” for young people, noted that there has never been a robust safety analysis for the technology among minors, a reality which comes as mental health declines considerably among the demographic. Murthy prompted lawmakers, technology companies, and families to take action.
“The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids.’ The answer is that we don&#8217;t have enough evidence to say it&#8217;s safe, and in fact, there is growing evidence that social media use is associated with harm to young people’s mental health,” Murthy said in a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2023/05/23/surgeon-general-issues-new-advisory-about-effects-social-media-use-has-youth-mental-health.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment. And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends.”
Some 95% of minors between 13 years old and 17 years old report using social media, while 40% of children between 8 years old and 12 years old said the same despite the minimum age requirements for the platforms. The advisory added that frequent use of the technology is associated with changes in the development of the amygdala, the region of the brain responsible for emotional learning and behavior, as well as the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for impulse control and the moderation of social behavior.
Murthy said in an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-surgeon-general-warns-13-years-old-is-too-young-to-join-social-media" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview</a> earlier this year that children younger than 13 years old should not be able to join social media platforms. “You have some of the best designers and product developers in the world who have designed these products to make sure people are maximizing the amount of time they spend on these platforms,” he commented. “And if we tell a child, ‘Use the force of your willpower to control how much time you’re spending,’ you’re pitting a child against the world’s greatest product designers.”
Members of Congress have indeed noted the addictive properties of social media services and their deleterious effects on mental health. One lawmaker <a href="https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2022/12/rubio-gallagher-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-ban-tiktok" target="_blank" rel="noopener">described</a> TikTok, presently the most popular social media network for young people, as “digital fentanyl,” a reference to the addictive characteristics of the limitless stream of vertical videos offered by the platform.
Children and teenagers spent an average of 99 minutes per day on TikTok as of two years ago, far exceeding the amount of time spent on other rivals, according to <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2022/07/13/kids-and-teens-watch-more-tiktok-than-youtube-tiktok-91-minutes-in-2021-youtube-56/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from Qustodio.
TikTok, which currently faces additional regulatory <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/extraordinary-and-unprecedented-tiktok-sues-montana-over-statewide-ban" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pressure</a> due to the company’s ownership by a Chinese technology firm, recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tiktok-creates-new-default-time-limit-for-users-under-18" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> measures that will prompt young users to create a daily screen time limit if they spend more than 100 minutes on the platform each day. Parents and guardians will be permitted to more easily view screen time on a dashboard and customize limits for their children based on school schedules, holidays, and other commitments.
American officials have also noted that Chinese authorities seem to <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/zp43DhzwanDApoPCIgCvJQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">understand</a> the effects of TikTok: children under 14 years old who use Douyin, the version of TikTok available in China, are only permitted 40 minutes of screen time each day and cannot access the platform at night.

TikTok

U.S. Surgeon General Issues Advisory About Kids’ Use Of Social Media

U.S. Government Issues Advisory About Kids’ Use Of Social Media

Mental Health

Social Media

U.S.

U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy believes children 13 years old are too young to join social media platforms, citing kids are still &#8220;developing their identity,&#8221; and such engagement can create a distorted sense of themselves.
Murthy, who has served as surgeon general under the Obama and the Biden administrations, signaled the warning in an interview with <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/29/health/surgeon-general-social-media/index.html">CNN</a>, noting adolescents should only be allowed to access the platforms until they were 16 years old at the earliest.
&#8220;It&#8217;s a time, you know, early adolescence, where kids are developing their identity, their sense of self,&#8221; Murthy said. &#8220;It&#8217;s a time where it&#8217;s really important for us to be thoughtful about what&#8217;s going into how they think about their own self-worth and their relationships, and the skewed and often distorted environment of social media often does a disservice to many of those children.&#8221;
Social media giant platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter require a minimum age of 13 to join.
Murthy further noted the issue with addictive algorithms, which pits youth against Big Tech.
&#8220;You have some of the best designers and product developers in the world who have designed these products to make sure people are maximizing the amount of time they spend on these platforms,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And if we tell a child, use the force of your willpower to control how much time you&#8217;re spending, you&#8217;re pitting a child against the world&#8217;s greatest product designers.&#8221;
&#8220;And that&#8217;s just not a fair fight,&#8221; he added. &#8220;And so that&#8217;s why I think our kids need help.&#8221;
The Journal of the American Medical Association published a <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/2799812?guestAccessKey=7fedb432-3c46-496d-be6b-e9b7394a71f2&amp;utm_source=For_The_Media&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=ftm_links&amp;utm_content=tfl&amp;utm_term=010323">study</a> earlier this month which sampled 178 12-year-olds from three public middle schools in North Carolina and reviewed how often the minors check social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat.
Researchers found individuals with habitual checking behaviors showed initial hypoactivation but increasing sensitivity to potential social cues over time. Nonhabitual individuals, however, showed initial hyperactivation and decreasing sensitivity.
&#8220;Our findings suggest that checking behaviors on social media in early adolescence may tune the brain&#8217;s sensitivity to potential social rewards and punishments,&#8221; Dr. Eva Telzer, co-author of the study and a professor in developmental psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said.
Dr. Adriana Stacey told CNN using social media releases a &#8220;dopamine dump&#8221; and compared the addictiveness of smartphones to cocaine.
&#8220;It tells our brains to keep using that,&#8221; Stacey said. &#8220;For teenagers in particular, this part of their brain is actually hyperactive compared to adults. They can&#8217;t get motivated to do anything else.&#8221;
Surgeon General Murthy called on parents to band together to prevent their children from logging on to social media platforms until they&#8217;re at least 16 years old.
&#8220;That&#8217;s a much more effective strategy in making sure your kids don&#8217;t get exposed to harm early,&#8221; he said.
Seattle Public School District officials filed a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/seattle-public-school-district-sues-big-tech-over-mental-health-crisis-among-youth">lawsuit</a> earlier this month against several social media platform owners, including Facebook and TikTok, for allegedly intentionally cultivating and creating a mental health crisis among the youth and have caused a public nuisance affecting Seattle Public Schools.
President Joe Biden drew attention to social media platforms in his 2022 State of the Union Address, alleging the harm social media has wrought on American youth should implore all to &#8220;hold social media platforms accountable for the national experiment they&#8217;re conducting on our children for profit.&#8221;

Internet Addiction

U.S. Surgeon General Warns 13-Years-Old Is Too Young To Join Social Media

13-Years-Old Is Too Young To Join Social Media, U.S. Surgeon General Warns

Biden Administration

Children's Health

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo was &#8220;peddling conspiracy theories&#8221; after the medical professional recommended against healthy children from getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Psaki was asked during the press briefing Monday if Ladapo&#8217;s recommendation was &#8220;good policy.&#8221;
&#8220;Absolutely not,&#8221; she answered. &#8220;Let me just note that we know the science, we know the data and what works and what is the most — what the most effective steps are in protecting people of a range of ages from hospitalization and even death.&#8221;
&#8220;The FDA and CDC have already weighed in in the safety — on the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines for those five and older,&#8221; she continued. &#8220;The recommendations are vetted transparently through a process for — with a purpose so that parents can have confidence, after consulting with their pediatricians or doctors if they would like, about the safety. But we also know through the data that unvaccinated teenagers are three times as likely to be hospitalized if they get COVID than vaccinated teenagers.&#8221;
&#8220;So, it’s deeply disturbing that there are politicians peddling conspiracy theories out there and casting doubt on vaccinations when it is our best tool against the virus and the best tool to prevent even teenagers from being hospitalized,&#8221; the press secretary slammed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Jen Psaki says that <a href="https://twitter.com/FLSurgeonGen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLSurgeonGen</a> is a politician who is &quot;peddling conspiracy theories.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/QKgUqAiO1U">pic.twitter.com/QKgUqAiO1U</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1500923894567510023?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Christina Pushaw, a spokeswoman for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), hit back at Psaki.
&#8220;She’s seriously so mean and petty,&#8221; Pushaw said of the press secretary. &#8220;Can’t refute Dr. Ladapo’s points? Call him names. Middle school BS.&#8221;
Gov. DeSantis appointed Lapado as Florida&#8217;s new surgeon general last year.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
She’s seriously so mean and petty. Can’t refute Dr. Ladapo’s points? Call him names. Middle school BS. <a href="https://t.co/IkZhazglBR">https://t.co/IkZhazglBR</a>
&mdash; Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1501007648338153472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;For information on vaccines, I would trust a Harvard MD/PhD [Joseph A. Ladapo] over Jen Psaki and Montel Williams,&#8221; Pushaw also posted to Twitter.
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For information on vaccines, I would trust a Harvard MD/PhD <a href="https://twitter.com/FLSurgeonGen?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FLSurgeonGen</a> over Jen Psaki and Montel Williams
&mdash; Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1500933819817410566?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Quote-tweeting Ladapo&#8217;s recommendation on Tuesday, Pushaw posted, &#8220;FLORIDA HAS THE BEST SURGEON GENERAL .&#8221;
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FLORIDA HAS THE BEST SURGEON GENERAL. <a href="https://t.co/YDRT0vrtft">https://t.co/YDRT0vrtft</a>
&mdash; Christina Pushaw 🇺🇸 (@ChristinaPushaw) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChristinaPushaw/status/1501352596660834306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;As Surgeon General, I cannot recommend that healthy children receive the COVID-19 vaccine,&#8221; Ladapo&#8217;s tweet said. &#8220;When their overall risk is low, &amp; there is a higher than anticipated rate of serious adverse events in clinical trials, it is unclear if benefits outweigh the risks [e]specially when the COVID-19 vaccine shows rapid decline in efficacy among children, and many already have natural immunity after two years.&#8221;
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Especially when the COVID-19 vaccine shows rapid decline in efficacy among children, and many already have natural immunity after two years.
Full release: <a href="https://t.co/ylktqwpnNM">https://t.co/ylktqwpnNM</a>
&mdash; Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD (@FLSurgeonGen) <a href="https://twitter.com/FLSurgeonGen/status/1501330125413138439?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The surgeon general&#8217;s recommendation does not align with the current <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/children-teens.html">recommendation</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that “everyone ages 5 years and older get a COVID-19 vaccine.”
Notably, Sweden is also not recommending the COVID vax for children ages 5-11, due to children&#8217;s general low risk for the virus.
“With the knowledge we have today, with a low risk for serious disease for kids, we don’t see any clear benefit with vaccinating them,” Health Agency official Britta Bjorkholm <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/sweden-decides-against-recommending-covid-vaccines-kids-aged-5-12-2022-01-27/">said</a>, The Daily Wire reported.
“As before during the pandemic, children are at a significantly lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 disease compared with adults,” the nation&#8217;s government <a href="https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/nyheter-och-press/nyhetsarkiv/2022/januari/ingen-allman-vaccination-mot-covid-19-bland-barn-5-11-ar/">added</a> in a press release. “In general, the younger the child, the lower the risk. Since the end of October 2021, the Swedish Public Health Agency has been recommending general vaccination against covid-19 from the age of 12 in Sweden. This is based on the benefit to the individual child.”
“Discussions about the decision have been held with the Pediatricians’ Association, the School Medical Association, the National Association of School Nurses, the Child Psychiatric Association, the Swedish Society for Infectious Diseases, vaccine coordinators within the regions, Swedish Municipalities and Regions (SKR), the Medical Products Agency and the Swedish Medical Council (Smer),” the government said.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sweden-decides-not-to-recommend-covid-19-vax-for-kids-ages-5-11">Sweden Decides Not To Recommend COVID-19 Vax For Kids Ages 5-11</a>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/florida-becomes-first-state-to-recommend-against-covid-vax-for-healthy-kids-psaki-accuses-of-conspiracy-theories">Florida Becomes First State To Recommend Against COVID Vax For Healthy Kids. Psaki Accuses Of ‘Conspiracy Theories.’</a>

US-BRIEFING-PSAKI

‘Mean And Petty’: Psaki Says FL Surgeon General ‘Peddling Conspiracy Theories.’ DeSantis Spox Hits Back

COVID-19 Vaccine

Florida

Jen Psaki

Ron DeSantis

According to the dating app Hinge, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy spoke with the company to discuss “COVID and cuffing season.”
“Relationships are as important as ever, and that includes our romantic relationships,” tweeted Dr. Murthy. “Grateful to [Hinge] for this conversation on how we can make dating safer during the pandemic.”
“Worried about COVID and cuffing season?” tweeted Hinge. “We asked the [Surgeon General] how to navigate everything from the first kiss to the real talk.”
&#8220;Cuffing season&#8221; refers to the period between October and March when singles ramp up their search for a significant other in order to increase their chances of spending the end of the year holidays, like Thanksgiving, New Year&#8217;s Eve, and Valentine&#8217;s Day, with a partner. <a href="https://www.esquire.com/lifestyle/sex/a25620571/cuffing-season-relationship-explainer/">Esquire magazine designates</a> &#8220;cuffing season,&#8221; &#8220;as the time of year when people couple off to combat the cold and loneliness. When parsed down, it is simply a social construct, partly manufactured from holiday stress and partly biological, that pushes single people into relationships for the winter months.&#8221;
The use of the word &#8220;cuff&#8221; references handcuffs, but is slang in the same vein as ‘hooking up’ or ‘getting hitched.’”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Relationships are as important as ever, and that includes our romantic relationships. Grateful to <a href="https://twitter.com/hinge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@hinge</a> for this conversation on how we can make dating safer during the pandemic. <a href="https://t.co/mlAcUj9zzO">https://t.co/mlAcUj9zzO</a>
&mdash; Dr. Vivek Murthy, U.S. Surgeon General (@Surgeon_General) <a href="https://twitter.com/Surgeon_General/status/1450520400182579206?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
“Hinge and the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, have teamed up to help singles date this fall,” announced Hinge on their website. “From pandemic-friendly dates to navigating the first kiss, Dr. Murthy answered the biggest questions around pandemic dating.”
“With his advice in mind, Hinge also unveiled the 10 tips to have your best cuffing season this year,” Hinge added.
These tips are as follows:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Get On The App: Dating apps are the most common way to meet someone. And with the rise of pandemic-driven loneliness, they’ve become even more useful. 55% of people on Hinge say talking with people outside of their usual community helps them fight feelings of isolation.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Establish The Connection: Your best chance at hearing back from a match on Hinge is by chatting in the first 24 hours. To get past the small talk, you can ask questions like “What’s something that makes you lose track of time?” or, “What’s your go-to, pump-up song?”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Upload Your Vax Status: We all appreciate transparency. Plus, Hinge daters who have “vaccinated” displayed on their profile receive 30% more matches.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Get To The Date: At Hinge, we’ve found the messaging sweet spot is four to five days of chatting before you initiate the date. This gives you enough time to build trust, but not so long that the momentum drops off. A good transition from texting to a date is “I’m really enjoying this conversation. Want to continue it on a date Sunday afternoon?”</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Set Expectations: You should never feel pressured to do anything you’re not comfortable with, and COVID-19 consent is no different. Use COVID-19 safety as an opportunity to make your expectations and boundaries clear from the start. Be respectful in the conversation and ask open-ended questions to hear their thoughts.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Try a Video Date First: When in-person feels like too much, video dates can be a safe, low-pressure way to get a compatibility gut check. You can always mix it up by doing something new, like a virtual cocktail (or mocktail) class or trying Hinge’s in-app Video Prompts to explore topics you might not have on your own.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Take Things Outdoors: Once you’ve had a couple of video dates, set up a date outside after confirming you’re both comfortable with meeting in person. Whenever possible, being in outdoor settings reduces the risk of transmission. Look into activities that you can do outside such as hikes or restaurants with heated patios.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tell First, Kiss Second: Not knowing someone’s COVID-19 status can make opening up physically stressful. Getting tested as close as possible to the time you meet up and sharing the results frees up that emotional space and keeps everyone safer — a win-win.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Temperature Check: You should make sure you’re feeling your best before going on a date in person. If you’re feeling sick before a date, postpone it. Even though your date may be disappointed, they’ll appreciate you taking steps to protect their health.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Ignore the pressure: Everyone’s comfort levels will be different — they may even change day to day. Before you do anything, check in with yourself (and the World Health Organization guidelines!) to make sure you’re making the right decision for yourself.</li>
</ol>
Health departments have given advice on &#8220;hooking up&#8221; with COVID-19 in mind throughout the pandemic, but this marks the first time the Biden administration has weighed in so heavily on the subject.
“

Hinge

‘Upload Your Vax Status’: U.S. Surgeon General Partners With Hinge To List 10 Tips For ‘COVID And Cuffing Season’

Big Tech

The Biden administration is anxious to see their new vaccine regulations, enforced through the Occupational Health and Safety Agency (OSHA), take effect, and they&#8217;re pledging to monitor whether those who claim to be exempt from receiving a COVID-19 vaccination are &#8220;not abusing&#8221; the system, according to Biden administration Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy.
Speaking to CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; Sunday, Murthy suggested that businesses have welcomed President Joe Biden&#8217;s vaccine &#8220;mandate,&#8221; which uses OSHA&#8217;s power to force businesses to take measures to protect the health and safety of employees in &#8220;emergency&#8221; situations to force businesses with more than 100 employees to mandate their workers receive the COVID-19 vaccine or face rigorous testing.
&#8220;A lot of businesses are actually relieved that these are going into place,&#8221; Murthy told CNN. &#8220;And we&#8217;ve heard a lot of feedback from the Business Roundtable and others that this will help create safer workplaces. This is what we&#8217;ve got to do to get to the next phase of this pandemic response so that we can get through this and get back to normal once and for all.&#8221;
Murthy also suggested that the Biden administration would be keeping close tabs on companies and workers who claimed an exemption from the mandate.
&#8220;Unfortunately, as a country, we have experience in dealing with exemptions, but we&#8217;ve got to be vigilant there and make sure that people are using them, you know, in the spirit that they&#8217;re intended and not abusing them or asking for exemptions when they don&#8217;t apply,&#8221; Murthy said. &#8220;That&#8217;s an area that we continue to monitor in the days and weeks ahead.&#8221;
Some businesses, particularly those with employees who have religious objections to vaccination, have said they may claim an &#8220;exemption&#8221; to the administration&#8217;s mandate, <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-religious-exemption/">according to CBS News</a>, though it is not yet clear whether there are legal grounds for such exemptions.
&#8220;Many large corporations already require COVID-19 vaccination to keep employees safe from the virus,&#8221; CBS said, but noted that &#8220;under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, offer exemptions to individuals with either a disability or &#8216;sincerely held&#8217; religious belief that prevents them from getting the vaccine. &#8221;
&#8220;No major religious denomination in the U.S. opposes vaccination outright,&#8221; the outlet continued. &#8220;But an individual&#8217;s &#8216;sincerely held&#8217; religious belief does not have to be part of an organized-religion mandate to be considered a valid reason for exemption from getting the vaccine.&#8221;
Religious exemptions to vaccination mandates have previously held.
Biden claimed, when he announced his new COVID-19 demands on Thursday, that the six-point plan was designed to protect vaccinated workers from the unvaccinated. Biden, who had, earlier, unofficially conceded that vaccine madates were likely unconstitutional, utilized OSHA&#8217;s emergency management regulations to institute their &#8220;mandate&#8221; instead of doing so by executive order.
&#8220;The new mandate would affect about 80 million Americans, with about 17 million workers at health facilities also required to get vaccinated,&#8221; <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/surgeon-general-monitor-vaccine-exemptions">Fox News estimated</a>.
The mandate, though, is already subject to legal threats and will likely come under legal challenge when OSHA drafts its emergency measure &#8212; as it has been directed &#8212; sometime this September. Many Republican governors have already told the Biden administration that the intend to file suit against the mandate, and companies &#8212; including the Daily Wire &#8212; have suggested they will file their own legal challenges.
A <a href="https://www.axios.com/new-york-hospital-vaccine-mandate-60142847-0866-43ba-af9c-eaa6f10461d0.html">New York hospital told Axios earlier this weekend</a> that they intend to &#8220;pause&#8221; certain procedures, including delivering babies, after staffers resigned over news of the mandate.
&#8220;At least six unvaccinated maternity staffers at Lewis County General Hospital have quit. While 165 staffers, or about 27% of the hospital&#8217;s workforce, is unvaccinated, CEO Gerald Cayer said at a news briefing,&#8221; Axios reported. &#8220;The Sept. 25 pause will take place two days before the state&#8217;s deadline for health care workers to get the shot.&#8221;
&#8220;The number of resignations received leaves us no choice but to pause delivering babies at Lewis County General Hospital,&#8221; the hospital said.

Surgeon General: Biden Admin To ‘Monitor’ Vaccine Exemptions To Ensure They’re Used Properly

Vaccine Mandate

President Joe Biden&#8217;s Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy doubled down on the administration&#8217;s claims that Facebook and other social media outlets are driving vaccine skepticism, claiming on Fox News Sunday that social media sites are &#8220;aiding and abetting&#8221; the spread of misinformation.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not enough,&#8221; Murthy said of Facebook&#8217;s efforts to combat vaccine misinformation on its platform. &#8220;We are still, despite some of the actions that they have taken, seeing significant spread of misinformation.&#8221;
&#8220;There have been some positive steps taken by these technology companies. Some of them have worked to try to promote accurate sources like the CDC and other medical sources,&#8221; Murthy told Fox News Sunday, &#8220;but what I&#8217;ve also said to them, publicly and privately, is that it&#8217;s not enough. We are still seeing a proliferation of misinformation online.&#8221;
&#8220;And we know that health misinformation harms people&#8217;s health, it costs them their lives&#8221;, he continued, &#8220;and the platforms have to recognize that they&#8217;ve played a major role in the increase, speed, and scale with which misinformation is spreading.&#8221;
&#8220;And we know that health misinformation harms people&#8217;s health, it costs them their lives &#8230; and the platforms have to recognize that they&#8217;ve played a major role in the increase, speed, and scale with which misinformation is spreading,&#8221; Murthy concluded.
The Biden administration appears to be pressing social media sites, like Facebook, to acquiesce to White House demands to further police platforms for what the administration considers &#8220;misinformation.&#8221; Biden himself said last week that &#8220;they’re killing people,” in reference to social media, and Press Secretary Jen Psaki claimed that it is &#8220;clear there are more that can be taken.&#8221; (Biden has since clarified his language, saying it&#8217;s the people who are spreading misinformation on Facebook that are killing people, not Facebook itself.)
The White House also suggested that they are working with Facebook to police posts.
“We are regularly making sure social media platforms are aware of the latest narratives dangerous to public health that we and many other Americans are seeing across all of social and traditional media,” Psaki said, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/16/white-house-says-facebook-needs-to-do-more-to-fight-vaccine-misinformation.html">according to CNBC</a>. “We work to engage with them to better understand the enforcement of social media platform policy.”
Facebook, however, pushed back aggressively on the White House&#8217;s suggestion that social media outlets are responsible for the spread of vaccine misinformation, blasting the Biden administration for seeking a &#8220;scapegoat&#8221; in their attempts to explain how they fell short of their 70% vaccination goal.
“We will not be distracted by accusations which aren’t supported by the facts,” a spokesperson for Facebook said in a statement Friday. “The fact is that more than 2 billion people have viewed authoritative information about COVID-19 and vaccines on Facebook, which is more than any other place on the internet. More than 3.3 million Americans have also used our vaccine finder tool to find out where and how to get a vaccine. The facts show that Facebook is helping save lives. Period.”
They also fired back at Murthy, specifically.
&#8220;In private exchanges, the Surgeon General has praised our work, including our efforts to inform people about COVID-19. They knew what they were doing,&#8221; Facebook said. &#8220;The White House is looking for scapegoats for missing their vaccine goals.&#8221;

White House Holds Daily Press Briefing

Biden Surgeon General Doubles Down On Facebook Claims: Social Media ‘Aiding And Abetting’ Misinformation Spread

Facebook

Joe Biden

Social Media Censorship

In a new report titled, “Confronting Health Misinformation,” President Biden’s U.S. Surgeon General has recommended that Big Tech companies — such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube — impose consequences for accounts that violate the private companies’ own policies. 
In a <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-misinformation-advisory.pdf">section</a> titled “What Technology Platforms Can Do,” Surgeon General Vivek Murthy outlined a list of suggested “product design and policy changes” technology platforms should focus upon to “slow the spread of misinformation.” According to the office of the surgeon general, health misinformation can be <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2021/07/15/us-surgeon-general-issues-advisory-during-covid-19-vaccination-push-warning-american.html">defined</a> as &#8220;information that is false, inaccurate, or misleading according to the best available evidence.&#8221;
&#8220;Health misinformation is an urgent threat to public health. It can cause confusion, sow mistrust, and undermine public health efforts, including our ongoing work to end the COVID-19 pandemic,&#8221; said Murthy in a statement Thursday. &#8220;As Surgeon General, my job is to help people stay safe and healthy, and without limiting the spread of health misinformation, American lives are at risk. From the tech and social media companies who must do more to address the spread on their platforms, to all of us identifying and avoiding sharing misinformation, tackling this challenge will require an all-of-society approach, but it is critical for the long-term health of our nation.&#8221;
One item in this list is to “Prioritize early detection of misinformation ‘super-spreaders’ and repeat offenders,” with Big Tech giants directed to “[i]mpose clear consequences for accounts that repeatedly violate platform policies.”
The U.S. Surgeon General then called for these platforms to “proactively” provide information to users from “trusted and credible sources” to counter supposed misinformation.
Other controversial items include the redesign of algorithms to “avoid amplifying misinformation,” the inclusion of “suggestions and warnings,” and providing researchers with “access to useful data” so they can “analyze the spread and impact of misinformation.”
Murthy also called on Big Tech companies to increase content moderation staffing, to “address misinformation in live streams,” and for platforms to “publish standardized measures” of misinformation data.
The full list of “suggestions” are as follows:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Assess the benefits and harms of products and platforms and take responsibility for addressing the harms. In particular, make meaningful long-term investments to address misinformation, including product changes. Redesign recommendation algorithms to avoid amplifying misinformation, build in “frictions”— such as suggestions and warnings—to reduce the sharing of misinformation, and make it easier for users to report misinformation. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Give researchers access to useful data to properly analyze the spread and impact of misinformation. Researchers need data on what people see and hear, not just what they engage with, and what content is moderated (e.g., labeled, removed, downranked), including data on automated accounts that spread misinformation. To protect user privacy, data can be anonymized and provided with user consent.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Strengthen the monitoring of misinformation. Platforms should increase staffing of multilingual content moderation teams and improve the effectiveness of machine learning algorithms in languages other than English since non-English-language misinformation continues to proliferate. Platforms should also address misinformation in live streams, which are more difficult to moderate due to their temporary nature and use of audio and video. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Prioritize early detection of misinformation &#8220;super-spreaders&#8221; and repeat offenders. Impose clear consequences for accounts that repeatedly violate platform policies.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Evaluate the effectiveness of internal policies and practices in addressing misinformation and be transparent with findings. Publish standardized measures of how often users are exposed to misinformation and through what channels, what kinds of misinformation are most prevalent, and what share of misinformation is addressed in a timely manner. Communicate why certain content is flagged, removed, downranked, or left alone. Work to understand potential unintended consequences of content moderation, such as migration of users to less-moderated platforms.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Proactively address information deficits. An information deficit occurs when there is high public interest in a topic but limited quality information available. Provide information from trusted and credible sources to prevent misconceptions from taking hold.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Amplify communications from trusted messengers and subject matter experts. For example, work with health and medical professionals to reach target audiences. Direct users to a broader range of credible sources, including community organizations. It can be particularly helpful to connect people to local trusted leaders who provide accurate information.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Prioritize protecting health professionals, journalists, and others from online harassment, including harassment resulting from people believing in misinformation.</li>
</ul>

Biden Surgeon General Calls On Big Tech To Impose ‘Consequences’ For Violating ‘Platform Policies,’ ‘Proactively’ Provide Info From ‘Credible Sources’ To Fight ‘Health Misinformation’

As millennials and young Americans continue to defy federal guidelines on social distancing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams has called upon celebrities and social media influencers to instruct their followers to take the virus seriously.
Speaking on &#8220;Good Morning America,&#8221; Adams called on celebrities like NBA players Kevin Durant and Donovan Mitchell, as well as influencers like Kylie Jenner, to educate people about the need to social distance.
“What I really think we need to do … [is] get our influencers — [NBA players] Kevin Durant, Donovan Mitchell, we need to get Kylie Jenner, we need to get our social media influencers out there and helping folks understand that look, this is serious,” Adams said, as reported by The <a href="https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2020/mar/19/jerome-adams-us-surgeon-general-calls-celebrities-/">Washington Times</a>.
To those young people nonchalantly assuming that they will be unaffected by COVID-19, Adams said that new data suggests otherwise.
“This is absolutely serious. People are dying. We again are seeing new data emerging from Italy that suggests that young people may be at higher risk in different situations than what we previously thought,” he said. &#8220;Stay off the beaches.&#8221;
Adams was undoubtedly referring to the Spring Breakers in Florida who were shown partying on the beaches as if no pandemic were happening. In one <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2020/03/19/spring-break-beaches-florida-look-packed-despite-coronavirus-spread/2873248001/">terrifying video</a>, many of those interviewed expressed flippancy in regard to the situation.
&#8220;If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I&#8217;m not going to let it stop me from partying,&#8221; one spring breaker said. &#8220;You know, we&#8217;ve been waiting, I&#8217;ve been waiting, for Miami spring break for a while, about two months we&#8217;ve had this trip planned. And we&#8217;re just out here having a good time. Whatever happens, happens.&#8221;
Another spring breaker said: &#8220;It&#8217;s really messing up my spring break. What is there to do here other than go to bars or the beach? And they&#8217;re closing all of it. I think they&#8217;re blowing it out of proportion. I think it&#8217;s doing way too much.&#8221;
Another said: &#8220;What they&#8217;re doing is bad. We need a refund. This virus ain&#8217;t that serious. There are more serious things out there like hunger and poverty, and we need to address that.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
“If I get corona, I get corona. At the end of the day, I&#39;m not gonna let it stop me from partying”: Spring breakers are still flocking to Miami, despite coronavirus warnings. <a href="https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH">https://t.co/KoYKI8zNDH</a> <a href="https://t.co/rfPfea1LrC">pic.twitter.com/rfPfea1LrC</a>
&mdash; CBS News (@CBSNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/CBSNews/status/1240371160078000128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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In response to the lack of seriousness, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered all beaches in the state closed, allowing groups of up to just 10 people who must practice social distancing.
“The message I think for spring breakers is that the party’s over in Florida, you’re not going to be able to congregate on any beach in the state,” DeSantis <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/ron-desantis-florida-spring-breakers-party-over">told Fox News</a>. “Many of the hot spots that people like to go to, whether it’s Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Clearwater Beach, are closed entirely for the time being.”
“The bars are closed so you’re not going to have a place to congregate there, so we would just tell those folks maybe come back next year when things are better, but that is not what we’re looking for here in the state of Florida,” DeSantis added. “Every single beach will have to abide by the CDC guidelines, no more than 10 people, you have to be socially distant, not every beach is going to remain open, but some will.”

President Trump Says He’s Been Tested for Coronavirus After Exposure

Surgeon General Calls On Celebrities To Instruct Millennials On Social Distancing

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