Mental Health Headlines — September 29, 2026

**Screen Time Tied to Poorer Grades, More Distress in Kids**

A large umbrella review of 23 meta-analyses covering more than 2.8 million children and teens across 64 countries found that more screen time was linked to lower academic achievement, weaker language development, and more emotional, peer, and behavioral problems, including anxiety and depression symptoms. The review, published September 28 in JAMA Pediatrics, also found associations with aggression and hyperactivity, though most of the underlying data were correlational.

Source: Medscape — https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/screen-time-linked-poorer-academic-performance-more-2026a10010co

**Weapons worsen psychological harm in survivors of intimate partner violence, study finds**

New UNSW Sydney research published in JAMA Network Open found that the use or threat of guns and other weapons in intimate partner violence was linked to higher panic disorder and PTSD symptoms in women, above and beyond other forms of abuse. Following more than 1,100 women over up to 10 years, the study showed the increase emerged as weapon-involved violence began, with effects large enough to disrupt daily life.

Source: MedicalXpress — https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-weapons-worsen-psychological-survivors-intimate.html

**Loneliness and a desire to be thinner may help explain higher rates of depressive symptoms in adolescent girls**

Analyzing data from more than 3,100 adolescents in Japan followed from ages 12 to 16, researchers found that loneliness and a desire to be thinner at age 14 accounted for a substantial share of the gap in depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts between girls and boys at age 16. The paper, published in Nature Human Behaviour, estimates these factors explain roughly a third of the difference in depressive symptoms and nearly half for suicidal ideation.

Source: MedicalXpress — https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-loneliness-desire-thinner-higher-depressive.html