The European Commission charges TikTok with failing to protect users' mental health, saying its feed leads young users down rabbit holes

27 stories 41 sources

Signals on this beat

Feeds pushing harmful posts High ↑

The EU says TikTok keeps feeding young users videos about sadness and body image. [3]
Facebook appeared to push an anti-vaccine parents' group into the feeds of people who never looked for it. [13]
Researchers following TikTok's picks kept landing on coded adverts for porn. [36]

Parents turning down shots High ↑

The US has counted 5,182 measles cases this year, the most since 1991. [10]
The share of US newborns not given a vitamin K shot rose from 3.1% to 6.8% in 8 years. [14]
A Facebook group of 490,000 members tells parents not to vaccinate. [13]

Health bills at the ballot box Building ↑

About 6 in 10 US midterm voters were very concerned about the cost of health care. [20]
Texas Democrats won power partly on anger over health costs. [21]
Four US states sued to delay Medicaid work rules due in January. [17]

Chemicals in daily life Building →

Air in New York nail salons peaked at 113 parts per million of chemical fumes. [28]
Women with the most PFOS, a 'forever chemical', in their blood had more of an aggressive breast cancer. [27]

The stories

27 on this beat today.

Every story told the same way: what happened, who is involved, why it matters, how it works, the truth and the good news.

01
The European Commission charges TikTok with failing to protect users' mental health, saying its feed leads young users down rabbit holes

189 million

TikTok users in the EU, the people the charge is about

the app is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company [2]

6%

of TikTok's worldwide yearly sales: the most the EU can fine

only if the preliminary finding is upheld [1]

79 million

EU users who used TikTok's 'not interested' or keyword filters

in the first six months of 2026, TikTok says [1]
What happened
- The European Commission charged TikTok on Friday with failing to protect its users' mental health. [1] The Commission acts as the EU's regulator for big tech firms. [2]
- It says TikTok's feed keeps serving young and vulnerable users video after video on one theme. [3]
- The themes it names include sadness, isolation and body image. [3]
- A single video may be harmless, but scores of them on one theme can damage mental health, officials said. [1]
- TikTok, a short-video app owned by China's ByteDance, has 189 million users in the EU. [1][2]
- A TikTok spokesperson called the Commission's statements "fundamentally inaccurate". [1]
- After a user pressed 'not interested' on a video about eating, the feed still offered diet videos, officials said. [1]
- Refreshing the feed gave only a short break from one topic, the Commission found. [1]
- TikTok says 79 million EU users used its 'not interested' or keyword filters in the first half of 2026. [1]
- Henna Virkkunen, the EU's tech chief, said the feed "serves more of the same" whenever a user scrolls or likes. [2]
- The Commission wants the feed to rely more on what users say they want. [2] It also suggested TikTok stop using viewing time to pick videos. [3]
- In a UK study, 17 young people with eating problems said one such video brought many more. [7]
- The study says TikTok's feed is tuned to how long a user watches each video. [7]
- A review of 57 studies found harm tracked problem use more closely than plain screen time. [8]
Who is involved

The Molly Rose Foundation, a UK charity, welcomed the findings. [1] It was set up after Molly Russell, 14, took her own life in 2017. [1]
Nearly half of UK girls saw self-harm, suicide or eating-disorder posts on social media in a week, its survey found. [1]
- European Commission the EU's tech regulator
- TikTok a short-video app owned by China's ByteDance; it rejects the findings
- Molly Rose Foundation a UK charity
- The European Commission the EU's executive and its regulator for big tech; it issued the charge
- Henna Virkkunen the EU's tech chief; she said the feed serves more of the same
- The Molly Rose Foundation a UK charity set up after a 14-year-old's death; it welcomed the findings
How it unfolded

The EU opened its TikTok investigation in February 2024, under a law called the Digital Services Act. [1]
The Act makes big platforms act against harms ranging from false news to damage to mental health. [1]
In February 2026 the Commission found TikTok's 'addictive design', such as endless scrolling, broke the same law. [4]
It told TikTok then to change its design or face fines, and TikTok said it would challenge the findings. [5]
In July it made a similar finding against Meta's Facebook and Instagram. [6]
In September Australia proposed letting users over 16 switch off feeds picked by an algorithm. [9]
Australia already bars children under 16 from accounts on the biggest platforms, including TikTok. [9]
1. Feb 2024 the EU opens its TikTok investigation [1]
2. Feb 2026 'addictive design' finding against TikTok [4]
3. 6 Nov 2026 the 'rabbit hole' charge [1]
4. Jul 2026 similar finding against Facebook and Instagram [6]
Why it matters

The case goes after how TikTok makes its money: keeping users scrolling as long as possible. [1]
A Commission official said the risk falls especially on children and vulnerable adults. [1]

How it works

Engineers call TikTok's feed a recommender system, software that picks each next video. [2]
The more a user interacts with one kind of video, the more of that kind it recommends, the Commission says. [3]

Seen it before

A shop assistant who sees you pick up a red shirt keeps bringing you red shirts.
The truth
- What is really going on The European Commission says TikTok's feed keeps serving young users videos about sadness and body image, and that pressing 'not interested' does not stop it. [1][3]
- Why it works on people TikTok answers with a big number, 79 million users who used its filters, and a big number sounds like control even though it says nothing about whether the filters worked. [1]
- The findings are preliminary, and TikTok can now read the file and answer. [1]
- Most studies linking short videos to harm are single snapshots, mostly from China, so which comes first is unclear. [8]
- Who gains ByteDance, TikTok's owner — Its business rests on people scrolling as long as possible, and the feed runs unchanged until a final ruling. [1]
- Who pays Young and vulnerable TikTok users — They are the ones the Commission says get fed narrower and narrower streams on sadness and body image. [3]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether TikTok will change its feed or be fined.
  
  The finding is preliminary, TikTok can still answer the case file, and no date for a final decision has been given. [1]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether short videos cause harm, or troubled teenagers watch more of them.
  
  Most of the 57 studies in the review were single snapshots, mostly from China, so they cannot show which comes first. [8]
What comes next

If the finding is upheld, TikTok could be fined up to 6% of its worldwide yearly sales. [1]
TikTok could avoid a fine by agreeing to change how its feed picks videos. [1]

02
US measles cases pass 5,000 this year
What happened
- The CDC, the US public health agency, has counted 5,182 confirmed measles cases so far in 2026. [10]
- That is more than double the 2,289 cases in all of 2025. [10] It is the highest count since 1991. [10]
- State health officials have reported at least 8 measles deaths this year, including very young children. [10]
- Pennsylvania alone has more than 1,400 cases and 6 deaths, its worst outbreak in over 30 years. [11]
- Euronews says falling vaccination rates and distrust of health agencies drove the comeback. [10]
All of 20252,289 cases
2026 so far5,182 cases
US measles cases counted by the CDC
How it unfolded

In early October the national count stood at 3,869. [12]
The US declared measles eliminated in 2000, meaning it no longer spread all the time inside the country. [11]

Why it matters

A doctor told the AFP news agency the burden "will fall on children". [10]

How it works

Epidemiologists call it herd immunity: people without immunity are safer when the people around them are immune. [11]
For measles, about 95% of people must be immune. [11] One case can infect up to 18 people who are not. [11]

Seen it before

A fire cannot spread along a row of houses when most of them are built of stone.
The truth
- Robert Kennedy Jr, the US health secretary, is a vaccine sceptic criticised for feeding distrust of health agencies. [10]

03
A Facebook group spreads measles myths
What happened
- Crunchy Moms, a public Facebook group, now has more than 490,000 members. [13]
- In August a parent there asked about vaccinating a 3-year-old during a Pennsylvania measles outbreak. [13]
- Members replied that children cannot die of measles, and one wrote "Do not do it". [13]
- Pennsylvania has reported 6 measles deaths this year, including 2 babies in Lancaster County. [13]
- A Guardian reporter flagged more than 50 posts that seemed to break Meta's rules, and Facebook acted on none. [13]
- The Guardian found Facebook appeared to push the group into feeds of users who had not looked for it. [13]
How it unfolded

Early in 2025 Meta, Facebook's owner, ended US fact-checking and cut back its moderation. [13]

Why it matters

Experts fear children could be hurt as mothers are pulled into a group that rejects medical science. [13]
How it works
Why a worried mind gets shown more of what it fears

Clinical psychologists call it attentional bias: a worried or low mind's eye stays on what upsets it, and a feed that counts watching time reads that as wanting more.

The twist

Looking longer at something is not the same as wanting more of it. A feed that only measures looking cannot tell the two apart.

The picture

What the feed countsWatching time
What the user saysNot interested
The Commission asked TikTok to stop picking videos by viewing time and to rely more on what users say they want.
Step by step
1. A worried or low mind's attention is pulled towards what upsets it
2. So the eye stays longer on sad or body-image videos
3. A feed tuned to watching time reads that pause as interest
4. It serves more of the same, and the worry gets more to hold on to
5. One tap of 'not interested' is weak against hours of watching
The same force, elsewhere today

Where this chain is also running, in today's other stories.
- Nature videos and sad faces
  
  the same pull was measured directly: after nature videos, people's attention went less to negative faces, so the pull can move
- The Facebook group spreading measles myths
  
  Facebook appeared to push Crunchy Moms into the feeds of parents who never looked for it, so frightening posts about vaccines reached people who were not searching for them
- TikTok and OnlyFans stars
  
  researchers just followed what TikTok's feed picked next, and it kept leading from lifestyle videos to coded adverts for porn
- Anxious brains after danger passes
  
  people with anxiety disorders kept expecting harm from a signal after it was safe, so a threat keeps its hold on the mind long after it has passed
Where you've seen this

Road accidents

drivers slow down to stare at a crash, and the staring causes a jam behind them

Health worries

someone afraid of an illness keeps searching symptoms, and each frightening result keeps them searching

Television news

frightening stories hold viewers longer, and a channel that counts viewers puts on more of them

The catch

Attentional bias is measured in quick lab tests, and no study has yet shown it is what drives TikTok's spirals; the Commission's finding is also only preliminary.

And the whole of it

Every feed learns from where people's eyes rest. A worried teenager, a nervous parent in a Facebook group and the reader of this page all send that signal every day, and none of them can see what the feed does with it.
The truth
- What is really going on The same week, a Guardian investigation found Facebook pushing a 490,000-member anti-vaccine parents' group into people's feeds while US measles cases passed 5,000. [13][10]
- Meta said it removes false posts likely to cause imminent physical harm, but did not answer questions about the group. [13]
- Nobody knows yet
  How many measles cases trace back to online groups like Crunchy Moms.
  
  No count links cases to the group, and Meta did not answer detailed questions about it. [13]

04
More US newborns miss a vitamin K shot
What happened
- Babies who missed a vitamin K shot at birth bled more often in their first 6 months, a study found. [14]
- Their risk of bleeding was 47% higher, and of brain bleeding 143% higher. [14]
- Their risk of dying while bleeding soon after birth was 169% higher. [14]
- The share of newborns not given the shot rose from 3.1% in 2017 to 6.8% in 2025. [14]
Who is involved

The study, published on Thursday in JAMA, a US medical journal, covered over 5 million babies born 2017 to 2025. [14]
How it unfolded

US paediatricians have advised a one-time shot at birth for more than 60 years. [14]

Why it matters

STAT says medical mistrust is leading more parents to turn the shot down. [14]

How it works

Blood doctors call it clotting: blood forms a plug that seals a leak. Vitamin K is needed to make that plug. [14]
Babies are born with little vitamin K, which is why a single shot is given at birth. [14]

Seen it before

A plaster only holds if it has glue on it, so without the glue the cut keeps bleeding.
The truth
- The researchers looked back at records rather than testing the shot in a new trial. [14]
- Who pays Newborns whose parents refuse the vitamin K shot — They carry the higher bleeding risk, though the choice was made for them. [14]
- Nobody knows yet
  How many overdoses and deaths 7-OH, the strong kratom product, causes.
  
  STAT reports the data on overdoses and deaths are still murky. [14]
05
Wales plans an energy drink ban for under-16s
What happened
- The Welsh government plans to ban selling high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16. [15]
- It covers drinks other than tea or coffee with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre. [15]
- A consultation will now ask how to enforce it, including age checks for online sales. [15]
- The British Soft Drinks Association called the ban "unnecessary" and said most children's caffeine comes from other drinks. [15]
Who is involved

Nerys Evans, Wales's public health minister, cited evidence linking the drinks to children's headaches, poor sleep and anxiety. [15]
- Nerys Evans Wales's public health minister
How it unfolded

England's ban on such sales to under-16s starts in April. [15] Red Bull, Monster and Prime are among the drinks covered. [15]
1. Now Wales consults on its ban
2. April England's ban begins
Why it matters

A Cardiff dietitian said she sees many young people drinking them instead of food. [15]

How it works

Caffeine limits are set as a daily dose: for most adults, up to 400mg a day is safe. [15]
Experts say children can be more sensitive to caffeine because their bodies are smaller and their brains still developing. [15]
Some energy drinks hold more caffeine than 2 cups of coffee or 4 cans of cola. [15]

Seen it before

One spoon of sugar makes a cup of tea far sweeter than it makes a whole jug.
The truth
- The ban rests on a link with harm, and the drinks industry says the evidence is not robust. [15]
06
Northern Ireland pauses cuts to a hospital phone line
What happened
- Northern Ireland's health minister told hospital trusts to pause plans to close Phone First, a phone advice line. [16]
- Patients call it before going to an emergency department, to check if they could be treated elsewhere. [16]
- Calls hit 18,263 in September, and 12,098 callers were sent on to emergency departments. [16] That is 66% of callers. [16]
How it unfolded

The Belfast Trust closed its line at the end of September, to save about £500,000. [16]
The Northern Trust's line was due to close on 27 November. [16]
Northern Ireland's health budget faces a projected £800m shortfall, so every trust must find savings. [16]

Why it matters

A committee chair said the line may have kept over 6,000 September callers out of emergency departments. [16]

How it works

Hospitals call this triage: sorting patients by how urgently they need care. [16]
On Phone First, each caller is checked to see if they could be treated somewhere other than an emergency department. [16]

Seen it before

A receptionist asks what you need before sending you to the right desk.
The truth
- Belfast's chief executive said use was low, but calls across Northern Ireland have risen for 6 years. [16]
- Who pays Callers in Belfast — Their trust already closed its advice line before the minister's pause came. [16]
07
Four US states sue over Medicaid work rules
What happened
- Oregon, Minnesota, New Mexico and Washington sued the Trump administration on Thursday over Medicaid work rules. [17]
- The rules would make many recipients work, volunteer or study 80 hours a month to keep their cover. [17]
- People now only need a condition in 1 of 5 listed groups to be excused from the rules. [18]
Who is involved

Medicaid is US public health cover that, in 41 states, reaches adults earning up to 138% of the poverty line. [22]
How it unfolded

On 29 October a federal judge ruled the Trump administration had defined 'medical frailty' too narrowly. [18]

Why it matters

The states say the rules will cause "irreparable" harm to public health and to their budgets. [17]

How it works

In law this is a question of authority: an agency may act only within the powers a law gives it. [18]
The judge found the Trump administration exceeded its authority by narrowing who counts as too sick to work. [18]

Seen it before

A class monitor can hand out the teacher's rules, but cannot add rules of their own.
The truth
- The US health department has not said whether it will appeal the October ruling. [18]
- Who pays Low-income Americans on Medicaid — From January many could lose their health cover unless they can show monthly hours of work, volunteering or study. [17]
What comes next

They are due to start on 1 January, under a 2025 budget law. [17]
08
Midterm winners revive Medicare for All
What happened
- Abdul El-Sayed won a US Senate seat in Michigan after making Medicare for All his signature issue. [19]
- About 6 in 10 midterm voters said they want the US government to play a bigger role in health care. [20]
- In Maine 65% said so, and in Michigan 57%, a KFF poll of voters found. [20]
- KFF, which studies US health policy, added questions to a national voter poll. [20] Of voters blaming Trump policies for higher health costs, 83% backed Democrats for the House. [20]
Who is involved

Medicare for All means a government health plan replacing most or all private insurance. [19]
Michigan nurse Kim Bogan campaigned for El-Sayed between 12-hour hospital shifts. [19]
- Abdul El-Sayed Michigan senator-elect
- Kim Bogan a Michigan nurse
How it unfolded
1. This week midterm wins
2. 2028 presidential primaries
Why it matters

55% of midterm voters said Trump administration policies had made their own health costs worse. [20]

How it works

Health policy experts call it a single-payer system: one public insurer pays for everyone's care. [19]
Past plans meant millions giving up their current cover, which a Cato Institute economist says drew huge industry opposition. [19]

Seen it before

A school where one canteen feeds every pupil, instead of each family packing its own lunch.
The truth
- Support falls when voters hear it could bring higher taxes or treatment delays, a KFF poll found. [19]
- The loudest champions won by smaller margins than moderate Democrats, critics point out. [19]
- Who gains Democrats who ran on health costs — Voters who blamed the Trump administration for their rising health bills mostly voted for them. [20]
What comes next

Supporters expect the idea to grow in the 2028 Democratic presidential primaries. [19]
09
Texas Democrats inherit the most uninsured state
What happened
- Texas Democrats won the governor's office and the state House on 3 November, partly on anger over health costs. [21]
- About 5 million of Texas's nearly 32 million people have no health cover, including 1 million children. [21]
- Texas is one of 10 states that did not expand Medicaid to more low-income adults. [21]
- About 1 million Texans would become eligible if it did. [21]
Who is involved

Gina Hinojosa, who beat Greg Abbott, will be the first Democratic governor there since 1995. [21]
Why it matters

Republicans still hold the state Senate, so any health plan must get past them. [21]

How it works

Political scientists call it divided government: rival parties control different parts of law-making.
A Democratic governor's health bill still needs votes in a Republican-run state Senate to pass. [21]

Seen it before

Two captains who must both agree before the team can change its plan.
The truth
- It is too early to tell whom the new leaders will appoint or what they will pass, Austin lobbyists say. [21]
What comes next

The new leaders have a 140-day law-making session from 12 January to act. [21]
10
US health aid moves to country-by-country deals
What happened
- The US has signed health deals with 36 countries under its America First Global Health Strategy, KFF counts. [23]
- The deals promise $15.9 billion of US money over 2026 to 2030, a 34% fall in US funding. [23]
- Countries pledge to raise their own health spending as US aid shrinks. [23]
- In Zambia, the US will pay $1.5 billion over 5 years, and Zambia will add $975 million. [24]
How it unfolded

The strategy came in September 2025. [23] It followed the shutting of USAID, the US aid agency, early that year. [24]
1. Early 2025 USAID shut down
2. Sep 2025 new strategy
3. 2026 36 country deals
Why it matters

When USAID closed, clinics shut and patients ran out of HIV medicines, NPR reports. [24]

How it works

KFF calls it co-investment: each country pays a share, from 3% to 79% across the deals. [23]
Overall the countries put in 39%, and their share is meant to grow as US money falls. [23]

Seen it before

Parents who pay a teenager's phone bill, but ask them to pay a bigger part each year.
The truth
- Activists showed Zambia's draft tied US health money to access to its copper and rare minerals. [24] That part was later split off. [24]
- Who pays Patients in countries that relied on USAID — When the agency closed, clinics shut and some ran out of HIV medicines. [24]
What comes next

Democrats, who are returning to the majority in Congress, could question the deals, NPR reports. [24]
11
Half of long Covid patients improve within 3 years
What happened
- About 50% of people with long Covid improved within 3 years of their infection, a US study found. [25]
- Published on 3 November in the Annals of Internal Medicine, it found 36% had improved after 2 years. [25]
- About 26% had no symptoms at all after 3 years. [25]
- About 60% whose main problem was taste or smell had improved. [25] Of those with symptoms across many body systems, only 19% had. [25]
Who is involved

It tracked about 1,020 adults in RECOVER, a long-term study funded by the US National Institutes of Health. [25]
Why it matters

Experts said the groups could shape how future treatment trials are designed. [25]

How it works

Researchers sort long Covid into subtypes: groups of patients with the same main symptoms. [25]
Because each subtype improved at its own pace, the overall 50% hides a range from 19% to 60%. [25]

Seen it before

A class's average mark can look fine while some pupils fail and others score top marks.
The truth
- The team avoided the word 'recovered', because long Covid symptoms can come and go. [25]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether long Covid patients who improved stay better.
  
  The study did not capture whether people who improved later relapsed. [25]
Good news
- Half of the long Covid patients followed for 3 years in a large US study had improved, and about 1 in 4 had no symptoms left at all.
12
Short bursts of hard effort, and less dementia
What happened
- About 3.7 minutes a day of hard everyday effort was linked to a 48% lower dementia risk. [26]
- Hard everyday effort means things like climbing stairs, carrying heavy shopping or rushing for a bus. [26]
- Researchers studied 22,618 UK adults who wore wrist trackers for a week between 2013 and 2015. [26]
- Over about 8 years, 2.5% of people who did no exercise developed dementia, against 0.71% of those with daily bursts. [26]
Who is involved

Nicholas Koemel of the University of Sydney is one of the researchers. [26]
- Nicholas Koemel University of Sydney
Why it matters

Many people struggle to fit in the advised 150 minutes of exercise a week. [26]

How it works

Epidemiologists call this an observational study: it watches what people do, so it cannot prove cause. [26]
People whose dementia had not yet been found may already have moved less, Koemel says. [26]

Seen it before

Children who sleep with a night-light may be the ones already scared of the dark.
The truth
- The study is a preprint, a paper not yet checked by outside scientists. [26]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether short bursts of hard effort protect the brain at all.
  
  The study only watched people, is not yet checked by outside scientists, and early hidden dementia may itself cut movement. [26]
13
Two forever chemicals linked to an aggressive breast cancer
What happened
- Women with the most PFOS in their blood had a 93% higher rate of ER-negative breast cancer, a study found. [27]
- For PFOA, the rate was 67% higher. [27]
- US National Institutes of Health researchers measured 17 such chemicals in blood taken years before diagnosis. [27]
- They compared 1,609 women who got breast cancer with a comparison group of 2,269, from the Sister Study. [27]
Who is involved

PFOA and PFOS are 'forever chemicals' that barely break down and stay in the body for years. [27]
ER-negative tumours lack the receptors that let the hormone oestrogen help them grow. [27] They are more aggressive and have few known causes. [27]
It was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. [27]
Why it matters

Most people have measurable PFOA and PFOS in their bodies, though both have largely been phased out. [27]

How it works

Researchers call these relative differences: a 93% higher rate compares groups, not one woman's chance. [27]
A higher rate in a group says little about any one woman's own risk, the report notes. [27]

Seen it before

One road can have twice the crashes of another and still be a safe drive almost every time.
The truth
- The study found no clear link between the 2 chemicals and breast cancer overall. [27]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether the newer chemicals replacing PFOA and PFOS carry the same risk.
  
  The study's authors say those replacements remain poorly studied. [27]
14
Nail salon air spikes during the working day
What happened
- Fumes in 5 New York nail salons sometimes spiked to levels the lead researcher compares to chemical factories. [28]
- Typical air held 15.1 parts per million of these chemicals, but one salon peaked at 113. [28]
- The median peak over 15 minutes was 31.4 parts per million. [28]
- The team logged the air every minute for about a week in each salon, from April 2023 to March 2024. [28]
Who is involved

Anthony Ierardi, a workplace health researcher at CUNY in New York, led it, in the journal Risk Analysis. [28]
Why it matters

Nail technicians breathe this all day, every day, while customers breathe it only during a visit. [28]

How it works

Workplace health experts usually measure exposure as an average across the whole day. [28]
An average hides short peaks, so workers can breathe far more at times than the daily figure shows. [28]

Seen it before

A day's average temperature can feel mild even if noon was baking hot.
The truth
- The cancer risk is a calculated estimate, not evidence that workers are getting cancer, Ierardi said. [28]
- Who pays Nail technicians — They breathe the salon's peaks all day without the ventilation and checks that factory workers usually get. [28]
- Nobody knows yet
  Whether nail technicians are actually getting cancer from salon air.
  
  The study calculated a risk from air readings; nobody has yet tracked the workers' health. [28]
15
Exam stress shows up in campus sewage
What happened
- Sewage from an Australian university campus showed a rise in stress markers during exam weeks, a study found. [29]
- Two markers of oxidative stress, a kind of chemical wear on cells, rose during exams. [29]
- Signs of 4 antidepressants also rose, though only the rise in 1, amitriptyline, was clear. [29]
- Alcohol markers fell during exams and rose again afterwards. [29] The study is in Nature Water, a science journal. [29]
Who is involved

University of Queensland researchers compared the campus, which serves 30,000 people, with a nearby community. [29]
Why it matters

Sewage offers a way to track a whole community's health without testing any one person. [29]

How it works

Scientists call it wastewater surveillance: reading a community's health from what it flushes away. [29]
Bodies pass these markers into the sewage, so a campus-wide rise shows up in the pipes. [29]

Seen it before

You can tell a party happened next door from the pile of bottles in their recycling bin.
The truth
- Staff, contractors and visitors use the campus toilets too, so not every marker came from students. [29]
16
Most Americans have never heard of kratom
What happened
- About 66% of Americans have never heard of kratom, a survey of nearly 2,000 people found. [30]
- Its main chemical, mitragynine, acts on the brain's opioid receptors, but more weakly than drugs like fentanyl. [30]
- Stronger semi-synthetic versions, like 7-OH, are now sold in US smoke shops and petrol stations. [30]
- Several US states and towns have issued emergency bans on 7-OH, while national limits are pending. [30]
Who is involved

The Annenberg Public Policy Center, a US research body, ran the survey. [30]
Kratom is a Southeast Asian leaf, chewed or brewed for centuries for a coffee-like lift. [30]
- Annenberg Public Policy Center ran the survey
Why it matters

66% were also unsure whether kratom products pose a serious safety risk. [30]

How it works

Pharmacologists call mitragynine a partial agonist: it switches a receptor on, but only part of the way. [30]
In higher doses, some people use kratom for chronic pain or to ease opioid withdrawal, STAT reports. [30]

Seen it before

A dimmer switch turned halfway lights a room, but never as brightly as full power.
The truth
- Research is limited, but up to about 38% of kratom users may develop a use disorder. [30]
- Who gains Sellers of 7-OH kratom products — The products largely skirt regulation while national limits are still pending. [30]
17
Why conspiracy beliefs cluster, tested again
What happened
- A study of nearly 30,000 people in 17 national samples tested why conspiracy beliefs come in clusters. [31]
- Psychologists have long assumed a general suspicious mindset, called conspiracy mentality, drives belief in specific theories. [31]
- The study found that mindset did not consistently sit at the centre of people's beliefs. [31]
Who is involved

Arturo Bertero of the University of Milan led it, in the European Journal of Social Psychology. [31]
- Arturo Bertero University of Milan
How it unfolded

Earlier work by co-author Matt Williams found believing one theory slightly raises belief in others over time. [31]

Why it matters

One example psychologists give of a specific theory is that health agencies hide deadly vaccine side effects. [31]

How it works

Psychologists call the other view a belief network: beliefs linked to each other, not to one root. [31]
In such a web, accepting one theory makes the theories linked to it seem more plausible. [31]

Seen it before

Believing one rumour about a teacher makes the next rumour about them easier to swallow.
The truth
- The analysis was not planned before the data were collected, though the team posted all data and code. [31]
18
A hard day can dull feelings of love
What happened
- On days with more outside stress than usual, people felt less love and closeness to their partner, a study found. [32]
- Researchers followed 100 UK couples, who answered short surveys every evening for 14 days. [32]
- Outside stress meant hassles like chores, transport trouble, illness or rows with friends or co-workers. [32]
Who is involved

Ece Yilmaz of the University of Ottawa led it, with Sarah Stanton of the University of Edinburgh. [32]
It was published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. [32]
- Ece Yilmaz
- Sarah Stanton
Why it matters

Strain that starts at work or with family can carry home into a couple's evening. [32]

How it works

Relationship scientists call it non-relationship stress: strain that starts outside the couple. [32]
On a day when that strain rose above a person's usual level, their feelings that evening dropped. [32]

Seen it before

After a bad day at school, even a favourite dinner can taste of nothing.
The truth
- About 70% of the people studied were students, with an average age of about 24. [32]
19
Nature videos eased a pull towards sad faces
What happened
- Watching nature videos lowered people's attentional bias towards negative faces, a study in China found. [33]
- In the survey, people who saw more nature, in life or on screens, reported fewer bad feelings. [33]
- After nature videos, neutral and happy faces were also rated more positively. [33]
Who is involved

Researchers at Sichuan Normal University ran 1 survey and 2 experiments. [33]
It was published on 7 November in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. [33]
Why it matters

It suggests what people watch on a screen can shift where their attention goes, at least briefly. [33]

How it works

Psychologists call it attentional bias: attention pulled towards some things, such as upsetting faces, more than others. [33]
They test it with a dot-probe task, a quick reaction test using pictures of faces. [33]

Seen it before

In a class photo, your eye can land on the one frowning face first.

the same pull was measured directly: after nature videos, people's attention went less to negative faces, so the pull can move
The idea, in story 03: Why a worried mind gets shown more of what it fears →
The truth
- The authors call the evidence preliminary, and the video sessions were brief. [33]
Good news
- After watching short nature videos, people in a study in China were drawn less towards negative faces.
20
Anxious brains keep reacting after danger passes
What happened
- Anxious patients' brain responses to a once-scary signal faded less than healthy people's, a scan study found. [34]
- It compared 280 patients with panic, phobias or social anxiety against 103 healthy people. [34]
- The patients also kept expecting harm and felt more stirred up afterwards. [34]
- The clearest difference showed in a brain area called the left anterior insula. [34]
Who is involved

It was published on 7 November in Translational Psychiatry. [34]
Why it matters

This learning is the core of exposure therapy, a common treatment for anxiety. [34]

How it works

Psychologists call it extinction learning: learning that a signal which once meant danger is now safe. [34]
When that learning is slow, the old alarm keeps sounding after the danger has gone. [34]

Seen it before

A dog once stung by a bee can keep jumping at every buzz for weeks.

people with anxiety disorders kept expecting harm from a signal after it was safe, so a threat keeps its hold on the mind long after it has passed
The idea, in story 03: Why a worried mind gets shown more of what it fears →
The truth
- The study did not test whether any treatment changes this pattern. [34]
21
Few US women are ever asked to join a trial
What happened
- Only 11% of US women surveyed had ever been invited to join a clinical trial, and 7% had enrolled. [35]
- Yet 23% said they would definitely take part, and 60% said maybe. [35]
- Black women were less willing to take part than white women, after adjusting for other factors. [35]
- 88% backed including women in research and reporting results by sex. [35]
Who is involved

Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston surveyed 5,301 women aged 18 to 70. [35]
Why it matters

Women, especially from minority groups, are still underrepresented in clinical research, the authors write. [35]

How it works

Trial researchers call it recruitment: finding and inviting the people a study needs.
With so few invitations, low enrolment comes partly from not being asked, the authors suggest. [35]

Seen it before

A club cannot say nobody wants to join if it never hands out an invitation.
The truth
- Preferred help and worries differed by race, so one way of asking may not reach every woman. [35]
22
Report says TikTok steers girls to OnlyFans stars
What happened
- A report accuses TikTok of helping OnlyFans performers promote their sex work to teenage girls. [36]
- Researchers scrolled performers' posts for months and followed the videos TikTok's feed recommended next. [36]
- The posts show shopping, baking or skincare, with coded hints, like a corn emoji, pointing to porn. [36]
- OnlyFans' top 5,000 creators have each made over $1 million, but its 5 million performers average about $1,000 a year. [36]
Who is involved

The report is by 2 campaign groups, Cease in the UK and Collective Shout in Australia. [36]
- Cease UK
- Collective Shout Australia
Why it matters

Many teenage girls follow OnlyFans stars like Sophie Rain on TikTok, which is why the groups ordered the research. [36]

How it works

The report calls it a pipeline: free TikTok videos draw followers towards paid content on another site. [36]
Mentioning OnlyFans is banned on TikTok, so the hints are coded to avoid being blocked. [36]

Seen it before

A free sample at a shop door is there to get you inside to buy.

researchers just followed what TikTok's feed picked next, and it kept leading from lifestyle videos to coded adverts for porn
The idea, in story 03: Why a worried mind gets shown more of what it fears →
The truth
- TikTok says its systems are designed to stop age-inappropriate content reaching teens. [36] OnlyFans says it is for people aged 18 and over. [36]
- Who gains OnlyFans' biggest performers — They build followers on TikTok for free and point them to paid content elsewhere. [36]
23
A series follows the 'looksmaxxing' scene
What happened
- A 3-part documentary, Get Huge: Looksmaxxing to Death, follows the online scene behind extreme male body changes. [37]
- Even slightly too much DNP can destroy internal organs, the Guardian notes. [37]
Who is involved

Looksmaxxing is the online pursuit of male good looks through steroids, cosmetic surgery and worse. [37]
Its best-known face, a 20-year-old streamer called Clavicular, has more than 2 million followers. [37]
The series centres on 'biohacker' Tony Huge, who tried the dangerous diet drug DNP on camera. [37]
- Tony Huge a 'biohacker'
How it unfolded

His associate Leo Longevity was found dead in their shared house in January 2023. [37] The cause was blunt force trauma from an unknown source. [37]

Why it matters

Director Stacey Lee says of the young men watching: "These kids are growing up on that." [37]
The truth
- The men present 'radical transparency' online, but Lee says they are performers playing characters. [37]
24
Isle of Man to give free period products
What happened
- The Isle of Man's law to give free period products to those who need them has been given Royal Assent. [38]
- Schools, libraries and the island's foodbank are among places that may hand them out, the public health director said. [38]
Who is involved

Member Joney Faragher brought it as a private member's bill in 2024. [38]
How it unfolded

Scotland and Northern Ireland already run similar schemes. [38]
1. 2023 the campaign begins
2. 2024 the bill is brought
3. Oct 2027 the law comes into force
Why it matters

Free products mean women and girls need not miss school or work, public health director Matt Tyrer said. [38]

How it works

Making the products free means households on low incomes can get them, Tyrer said. [38]

Seen it before

A free water fountain at school means nobody goes thirsty for want of coins.
The truth
- Exactly where the products will be available has not yet been decided. [38]
Good news
- Campaigners who started their movement in 2023 called the law "a long time coming". [38]
What comes next

It will not come into force until October 2027. [38]
25
A grief group for young adults meets in Belfast
What happened
- Too Young to Grieve, a group for bereaved young adults, now has a branch in Belfast. [39]
- It meets in more than 20 places, including London, Manchester, the US and Australia. [39]
- Members meet for walks, hikes, pottery painting and football. [39]
Who is involved

Luke Alfano founded it 5 years after his dad died of cancer when Luke was 21. [39]
- Luke Alfano founder
How it unfolded

England's schools should teach about loss and grief from September 2026, but Northern Ireland has no such guidance. [39]

Why it matters

Grieving people often stay at home, so the group builds friendships to fall back on, its Belfast organiser said. [39]

How it works

Psychologists call it peer support: help from people who have been through the same thing. [39]
Hearing that others feel the same tells a grieving person their feelings are normal, members said. [39]

Seen it before

A new pupil settles faster once they find another new pupil at lunch.
The truth
- Northern Ireland's education department says schools have pastoral care policies for bereaved pupils. [39]
Good news
- A grief group started by a man whose father died when he was 21 now meets in more than 20 places, Belfast among them.
26
Swedish midwives rate a quick pain block in labour
What happened
- Of 943 Swedish midwives surveyed, 96% of those who had used a spinal pain block in labour found it effective. [40]
- The survey went to 1,756 midwives across Sweden. [40]
- Midwives often used it for women with previous fast labours or pain that was hard to manage. [40]
- Their main worry was that it would wear off before the birth. [40]
- Midwives in university regions were less likely to have used it. [40]
Who is involved

Labour spinal analgesia is a pain block given at the spine, much less studied than the familiar epidural. [40]
Why it matters

Pain is a central symptom of childbirth, yet this option has had little research. [40]
The truth
- This was a survey of midwives' views, not a trial of how well the block works. [40]
27
An anaesthetic cut drinking in mice for 6 days
What happened
- A single dose of propofol, an anaesthetic, cut alcohol drinking in mice for about 6 days, a study found. [41]
- It worked through the lateral habenula, a brain region that helps control drinking. [41]
- Propofol switched on a group of nerve cells there that stayed overactive. [41]
- The team found the exact spot on a serotonin receptor where propofol binds. [41]
Who is involved

Researchers in Xuzhou, China, published it in Nature Communications. [41]
- Researchers in Xuzhou China
Why it matters

It points to a brain target that future ways of reducing drinking could aim at. [41]

How it works

Neuroscientists test a cause by blocking it: if the effect disappears, the link is real. [41]
Here, blocking that binding spot stopped both the cell activity and the drop in drinking. [41]

Seen it before

Unplug a lamp and it goes dark, so you know the plug was feeding it.
The truth
- The study was in mice only. [41]

More Mind & body editions

Reports of heart attacks came 4.5 times more often for energy drinks and stimulant supplements, a US study of 28,345 reports finds, and it cannot yet show the risk One in four of the world's adolescents reported no active day in the previous week, and 15 years have brought no progress, WHO finds 85 health and environment groups ask the WHO to lower its drinking-water nitrate limit, set in 1958 to prevent blue baby syndrome

Across the beats

A booking app says US Thanksgiving flights average $402, up 31% on last year, and a 15% sale on a Christmas hotel would only match last year's rate UK councils, MPs' staff and tribunals report a surge of complaints they believe chatbots wrote, and some ombudsmen now limit their length Sega's ALL.Net arcade network stays down a week after unauthorised access, while Bandai Namco's games come back on trial

The European Commission charges TikTok with failing to protect users' mental health, saying its feed leads young users down rabbit holes

27 on this beat today.

Why a worried mind gets shown more of what it fears