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☆ Why skinny soda cans are everywhere
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Drink manufacturers are aiming to distinguish their products on crowded shelves and save money on shipping and packaging with skinny cans, say analysts and drink makers. The can, presented at New York’s Fashion Week, had the tagline: “The New Skinny.” It was widely criticized as offensive and the National Eating Disorders Association said the company’s comments were both “thoughtless and irresponsible.”White Claw's skinny white cans have brought along copycats. Red Bull was one of the first brands to popularize slim cans, and White Claw saw success with its hard seltzer in thin white cans. skinny cans on store shelves, warehouse pallets and trucks than wider cans, said Dave Fedewa, a partner at McKinsey who consults for retail and consumer packaged goods companies. But the key, Fedewa said, is that skinny cans catch the eye: “It’s funny how much growth that can drive in retail.”

☆ Arkansas sues TikTok, ByteDance and Meta over mental health claims
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Washington CNN —The state of Arkansas has sued TikTok, its parent ByteDance, and Facebook-parent Meta over claims the companies’ products are harmful to users, in the latest effort by public officials to take social media companies to court over mental-health and privacy concerns. The complaints come amid mounting pressure in Washington on TikTok for its ties to China and as states have grown more aggressive in suing tech companies broadly, particularly on mental health claims. The suit further alleges that TikTok’s Chinese sister app, Douyin, does not make such content available within China. Adobe Stock“TikTok poses known risks to young teens that TikTok’s parent company itself finds inappropriate for Chinese users who are the same age,” the complaint said. TikTok has migrated US user data to servers operated by the American tech giant Oracle and has established organizational controls intended to prevent unauthorized data access.

☆ Noom quietly started writing prescriptions for trendy new weight-loss drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The popular weight-loss app Noom quietly launched a new program that offers some users access to prescription anti-obesity medications. Called Noom Clinical, the program is meant to "build additional support" for app users, a company spokesperson said in a statement to Insider. Startups like Noom want to capitalize on a surge in demand for new weight-loss drugsSaeju Jeong, Co-founder & CEO, Noom Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile for Web Summit via Getty Images)Noom's foray into prescribing medication comes as demand for weight-loss drugs surges. NoomNoom, which introduced its weight loss app in 2017, is backed by venture firm Oak HC/FT and private-equity giant Silver Lake. According to the spokesperson, Noom began rolling out the new prescription-drug program to a small number of users in the fall.

☆ Democratic Senators urge Meta to halt launch of Metaverse app for teens, citing company's 'failure to protect' young users
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Aidan Pollard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Meta is preparing to open its app 'Horizon Worlds' to teens as early as this month. "Meta's plan to target young people with offerings in the metaverse is particularly concerning in light of your consistent failures to protect young users," the Senators wrote. According to the Wall Street Journal, Meta plans to release the Horizon Worlds app to teens in order to expand its user base. "Any strategy to invite young users into a digital space rife with potential harms should not be driven by a goal to maximize profit," the Senators wrote. "We call on you to immediately halt Meta's plan to bring teen users onto Horizon Worlds."

☆ #DBT is trending on TikTok: 4 skills from the popular type of therapy that you can practice daily
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Renée Onque | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

#DBT has over 170 million views on TikTok, with users either explaining how they use the type of therapy in their own lives or providing advice for others. Dialectical behavior therapy — or DBT — is a three-pronged theoretical approach that aims for balance, says Laura Petracek, licensed psychologist and author of "The DBT Workbook for Alcohol and Drug Addiction." Now, it's also used as therapy for people living with mental health conditions like bipolar disorder, eating disorders and depression. "What I love about DBT is that there are probably 200 skills that you can teach clients," Petracek says. "There are so many skills for clients to learn to gain awareness about themselves and their interactions with people."

About 1 in 8 adults over 50 showed signs of food addiction, according to the survey. “We think this is also true in younger populations.”Gearhardt and her team used questions from the Yale Food Addiction Scale to measure whether older adults were experiencing core indicators of addiction. If I had emotional problems because I hadn’t eaten certain foods, I would eat them (17%, once a week). Gearhardt was a member of the group that devised the Yale Food Addiction Scale. The difference is you can’t stop eating food.”Gearhardt said that the survey results should encourage health providers to ask patients about dietary habits.

☆ Ketamine is being sold as a depression wonder drug. For some, it's making everything worse.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Anna Silman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +42 min

The infusions at the ketamine clinic in his West Texas hometown were a Christmas gift from his grandmother. About five years ago, more and more of my friends started using ketamine recreationally. IV ketamine treatment centers charging $400 to $2,000 an infusion popped up all over the country. "Ketamine used as directed in an appropriate clinical setting very rarely leads to any dependence," Mindbloom says on its website. Like Nadia, most of the people I interviewed said when they started using ketamine, they didn't think it was possible to become dependent on it.

☆ Supreme Court punts on Texas and Florida social media cases that could upend platform moderation
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Lauren Feiner | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Supreme Court of the United States building are seen in Washington D.C., United States on December 28, 2022. The Supreme Court delayed a decision on whether to take up a pair of cases challenging social media laws in Texas and Florida that could upend the way platforms decide which posts they remove and which ones they promote. Republican leaders in Texas and Florida have promoted the legislation as a way to counteract what they call unjust censorship of conservative viewpoints on social media. The Supreme Court had ruled in favor of the temporary block on the Texas law, without ruling on the merits of the case. "It is crucial that the Supreme Court ultimately resolve this matter," Schruers said.

☆ Can Intermittent Fasting Help Combat Childhood Obesity?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Sumathi Reddy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Parents and doctors are looking for new strategies to help adolescents with obesity. One controversial approach drawing the interest of some families is intermittent fasting, which limits people to eating for just a part of the day or week. Intermittent fasting has gained traction among adults who use it to try to manage weight and improve health. Doctors have largely avoided trying it with adolescents out of concern that introducing a fasting period to their schedules might result in nutritional gaps or trigger eating disorders when teens are rapidly growing and developing.

☆ Can Intermittent Fasting Help Combat Youth Obesity?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Sumathi Reddy | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ How January 2023 top diet trends can enable eating disorders
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Erin Harrop | Dr. Erin Harrop Is An Assistant Professor At The University Of Denver Graduate School Of Social Work. Their Research | Teaching | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Many fad diets are not actually sustainable or healthy — and some can lead to unhealthy obsessions and dangerous eating disorders. And critically, the majority of people living with eating disorders today do not fit the cookie-cutter stereotype of people with eating disorders. Among adults, people previously thought to be the least at risk for eating disorders — such as men, people over 45 years old and lower-income individuals, have demonstrated the most significant increases in eating disorders. As an eating disorder survivor, many parts of my story fit the eating disorder stereotypes. My journey with my eating disorder was long, and I struggled to get treatment during a time when eating disorder treatment programs were few and far between, and health care lacked mental health parity.

☆ Millennials are living with their parents at higher rates than past generations, and they're not ashamed
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-17 | by ( Zoe Rosenberg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Since 2020 adults aged 25 to 34 are living at home at higher rates than past generations, said the Census Bureau. According to the US Census Bureau, about 18% of men and 12% of women ages 25 to 34 were living with their parents in 2022. Barwig estimates she's saving about $30,000 a year. "I don't really spend a lot of money," she said. She's been able to maintain the job as a mostly remote employee at the Jersey Shore, where her parents live.

☆ Sex, art theft, and privacy: Lensa exploded overnight — and now the avatar app is dealing with public backlash. Here's what you should know.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Bethany Biron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Lensa is facing criticism since the AI app exploded in popularity at the end of 2022. The Lensa app is behind those avatars. LensaAllegations of stealing from artistsJust as quickly as Lensa avatars became ubiquitous online, allegations of theft and warnings from artists also emerged. The law community "would welcome additional guidance from policymakers and courts when it comes to protecting consumers in connection with AI," Torres said. "The flood of Lensa avatars feel cheap and overwhelming," Pilat said in a statement shared with Insider.

☆ Why experts worry TikTok could add to mental health crisis among US teens
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Vanessa Yurkevich | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

TikTok is far from the only social platform to be scrutinized by lawmakers and mental health experts for its impact on teens. That’s problematic because the more time a teen spends on social media, the more likely he or she is to be depressed. Psychologists say as smartphones and social media grew around 2012, so did the rate of depression among teens. But teens say it’s not the most egregious videos that keep them engaged. The majority of teens say social media can be a space for connection and creativity, according to Pew Research.

☆ FDA warns Japan's Olympus units over testing violations
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 10 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday said it has issued warning letters to manufacturers of medical scopes used in surgical procedures, citing violations found during inspections of facilities in Japan. Warning letters pertain to a category of devices known as endoscopes, which allow doctors to see and access the urinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, and respiratory tract, during diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The health regulator released the letters on Monday, which were sent to units of Japan's Olympus Corp (7733.T) - Olympus Medical System Corp and Aizu Olympus Co -in December and November, respectively. The agency added that Olympus Medical did not develop medical device reporting procedures as mandated and did not submit them to the regulator in the required timeframes. These warning letters add to a history of the U.S. FDA's compliance actions against Olympus related to testing and manufacturing requirements.

So if workplace weight loss programs don’t actually improve employee health — what is it they are attempting to do? And yet, workplace wellness programs that focus on weight loss and other fatphobic-related measures like BMI and fat percentage persist. There’s not much evidence to suggest these workplace weight loss programs even reduce costs. So we’re shaming fat folks, excluding people with disabilities and triggering those of us recovering from eating disorders for ... absolutely no reason at all. And any workplace wellness program that specifically incentivizes weight loss should be acknowledged as harmful and ended immediately.

☆ 'The music stopped': 6 founders tell how they survived this year's bursting VC funding bubble, customers unwilling to spend, and a graveyard of fallen startup peers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( April Joyner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

This year's economic caution marked a huge contrast to 2021's exuberance and record VC funding. Insider spoke with six founders about how they've handled the abrupt switch from market exuberance to economic caution. But at the same time, they said, they've sought to pounce on new opportunities created by the economic downturn. ElektraShifting landscapes, changing prioritiesAfter a year of record venture capital funding, the abrupt shift in investor sentiment hit hard in 2022, founders told Insider. Artificial intelligence startups are the latest beneficiary of VC hype, buoyed by breakthrough software tools such as DALL-E and ChatGPT.

☆ Some universities are now restricting TikTok access on campus
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A small but growing number of universities are now blocking access to TikTok on school-owned devices or WiFi networks, in the latest sign of a widening crackdown on the popular short-form video app. The 26 universities and colleges in the University System of Georgia are also reportedly taking a similar step. Auburn University in Alabama started restricting access to TikTok on school-owned devices or Wi-Fi networks last week, in accordance with Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey’s recent executive order for state-owned networks and devices to block access to and from the TikTok social media application. But an Auburn University spokesperson told CNN the decision is “not a ban on campus.” TikTok users will still be able to access the app on personal devices via their own mobile data.

☆ TikTok is removing some of the mystery behind how it recommends videos to users
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Catherine Thorbecke | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —If you’ve ever wondered why TikTok suggested a certain video in your feed, you may start to get a little more clarity. TikTok on Tuesday said it is beginning to roll out a new feature to add more context about how the platform’s algorithms recommend videos in your “For You” feed. But TikTok said that it has plans to build up this feature with more details in the future. “Looking ahead, we’ll continue to expand this feature to bring more granularity and transparency to content recommendations,” the company said in a blog post. TikTok has also taken steps to isolate US user data from other parts of its business.

☆ TikTok executive refuses Jake Tapper’s multiple requests to acknowledge China’s Uyghur genocide
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( David Goldman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Critics argue China’s national security laws could force TikTok — or its parent, ByteDance — to hand over the personal data of customers in the United States. “I’m just not an expert on what’s happening in China,” Beckerman said. He again refused to acknowledge it, saying only that China is among many bad actors around the world. “Look, I think there are many human rights violations that are happening in China and around the world,” Beckerman said. I’m not here to be the expert on human rights violations around the world.”A TikTok spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

☆ TikTok may push potentially harmful content to teens within minutes, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —TikTok may surface potentially harmful content related to suicide and eating disorders to teenagers within minutes of them creating an account, a new study suggests, likely adding to growing scrutiny of the app’s impact on its youngest users. The CCDH said the app recommended videos about body image and mental health about every 39 seconds within a 30-minute period. TikTok said it continues to roll out new safeguards for its users, including ways to filter out mature or “potentially problematic” videos. TikTok said it does not allow content depicting, promoting, normalizing, or glorifying activities that could lead to suicide or self-harm. Still, the CCDH says more needs to be done to restrict specific content on TikTok and bolster protections for young users.

On the agenda today:But first: Jordan Parker Erb, the author of Insider's 10 Things in Tech newsletter, is taking us behind the scenes of Elon Musk's feud with Apple. Tim Cook and Elon Musk Justin Sullivan/Getty Images and Philip Pacheco/AFP via Getty ImagesThis week, Elon Musk, the world's richest man and new Twitter owner, declared "war" with the world's biggest tech company: Apple. At the heart of the issue was Apple's 30% App Store fee, our associate editor Jordan Parker Erb writes. Here's what went down:Sign up for 10 Things in Tech to get stories like these right in your inbox. Edited by Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, and Lisa Ryan.

☆ Noom sells psychology-driven weight loss — but former employees say they were unprepared for and overwhelmed by users' eating disorders, depression, and trauma
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +31 min

Before joining Noom, users fill out a questionnaire asking about what diet programs or mental health apps they've used in the past. Very overly optimistic and happy, doesn't acknowledge what I'm really saying," one Noom user wrote on Reddit. Some of the coaches Insider interviewed said they were interacting with Noom users within two weeks of starting. Emotional bandwidthRachel Clair was hired as a Noom coach in 2018, at a time when the coaching staff grew from 60 to about 200. Annette Riedl/picture alliance via Getty ImagesIn October, 500 more Noom coaches were abruptly called into a virtual meeting and laid off.

☆ Buzzy startups failed to fix mental-health care. Now their mistakes are fueling the space's next generation.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Blake Dodge | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

In the past two years, highly funded startups have tried to disrupt mental-health care. The startups said they wanted to help solve the industry's biggest problems: Mental-health care is too expensive, and there isn't enough of it to go around. Talkspace's priority is now its division that sells mental-health care to employers, which pay recurring fees for employee access. Startups tackling more serious mental-health conditions are working with health plansThere's also a rising crop of mental-health companies tackling the costliest mental-health conditions, something the direct-to-consumer firms tend to shy away from. About half of Bicycle's patients pay with their insurance, a number he's looking to increase.

☆ UK ditches ban on 'legal but harmful' online content in favour of free speech
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Paul Sandle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain will not force tech giants to remove content that is "legal but harmful" from their platforms after campaigners and lawmakers raised concerns that the move could curtail free speech, the government said on Monday. Digital Secretary Michelle Donelan said she aimed to stop unregulated social media platforms damaging children. Britain, like the European Union and other countries, has been grappling with the problem of legislating to protect users, and in particular children, from harmful user-generated content on social media platforms without damaging free speech. Only if platforms failed to uphold their own rules or remove criminal content could a fine of up to 10% of annual turnover apply. Britain said late on Saturday that a new criminal offence of assisting or encouraging self-harm online would be included in the bill.

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