Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10-34 years old as of 2024, according to a new report by the Michigan Suicide Prevention Council, made up of people from different sectors across the state. The recently established council joined together to make recommendations for the Michigan Suicide Prevention Plan.
State Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Lindsay DeCamp says that suicide rates are starting to decrease. “In 2024, our suicide rate was the lowest that it’s been since 2017, which is the first decrease that we’ve seen in recent years.”
But that doesn’t mean the work is over.
The council recommended two priorities for the next year: sustaining state funding for suicide prevention infrastructure and finding ways to educate and license professionals across sectors in risk assessment and prevention.
Identifying risk factors
DeCamp says increased access to lethal means like firearms is a factor that contributes to suicide.
“Research shows that states with higher rates of household gun ownership have significantly higher rates of suicide. Storing firearms securely and limiting access for those that are in heightened risk can help reduce suicide,” she says.
DeCamp says societal, community and individual-level factors such as unemployment, health issues and social isolation can leave people more vulnerable to mental health struggles.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or harm, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988 for confidential emotional support 24/7.
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MDHHS acting director Ashley Epkey says the money goes toward reducing firearm violence and adverse outcomes in communities.
MDHHS says community violence includes homicides and nonfatal shootings, which cause substantial harm and trauma to communities, especially in “racially segregated and historically disinvested neighborhoods.” Community violence is a public health problem, which can lead to people developing chronic diseases and avoiding resources such as recreational spaces and access to healthy food outlets.
The funding hopes to strengthen community violence intervention services for groups with a high likelihood of firearm violence. Proposals were accepted based on measurable efforts that integrate public health and safety. Each organization was awarded $300,000 for a 2 year project that spans Sep. 1, 2026 – Sept. 30, 2028.
Two organizations in Detroit were awarded funds. The first is Detroit Life is Valuable Everyday, or DLIVE. DLIVE will use a hospital-based violence intervention program model to help with post-injury recovery, retaliation, mortality risk and victim services.
The second one is Detroit Peoples Community. Detroit Peoples Community will implement five evidence-based community violence intervention strategies to serve people in the Detroit ZIP codes 48219 and 48235.
Additional headlines for Monday, Sept. 28, 2026
Local leaders agree: data center regulations are needed
Local government leaders across Michigan say they support state regulations for data centers. The University of Michigan’s Center for Local, State and Urban Policy interviewed village, township and county officials. Center director Stephanie Leiser says almost 60% of those who responded think setting rules should be a high priority for lawmakers. 55% expect strong opposition to data centers.
Speaking on those survey percentage points regarding data centers, Leiser notes, “It’s coming through loud and clear that they (local government officials) really think the state needs to step up and help with things like decommissioning plans, health and environmental impacts, water use and discharge.”
Leiser says the survey shows more opposition in rural communities, where 53% of local politicians say data centers’ costs outweigh their benefits.
Gun safety a necessary step in suicide prevention
Suicide deaths are the second leading cause of death for people aged 10-34 years old as of 2024. That’s according to a new report by the Michigan Suicide Prevention Council.
Lindsay DeCamp is the State Suicide Prevention Coordinator for the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. She says increased access to firearms contributes to suicide. “Research shows that states with higher rates of household gun ownership have significantly higher rates of suicide. Storing firearms securely and limiting access for those that are in heightened risk can help reduce suicide.”
DeCamp says societal, community and individual-level factors such as unemployment, feelings of despair and social isolation remove protective factors against suicide.
The council recommended two priorities: sustaining state funding for suicide prevention infrastructure and aligning policy and licensure to educate professionals across sectors in risk assessment and prevention.
If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or harm, please call or textthe Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988for confidential emotional support 24/7.
Spirit of Detroit given to immigrant business leader
Mohammed Abdul Muhit received a Spirit of Detroit award from the Detroit City Council last week, recognizing his service, leadership, and commitment to Detroit’s small business community. Muhit is the District 3 Business Liaison and the associate director at the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation.
Muhit, who immigrated to the Detroit area in 2016, says he’s grateful for the opportunity to give back. “It’s really a wholesome experience from day one that I started living here. From day one, I have had the opportunity and privilege to work in the city administration with a lot of great people every day.”
Muhit previously worked at Global Detroit as a community organizer and engagement specialist focusing on the Banglatown neighborhood before joining the DEGC.
Skilled Trades Task Force meeting
The City of Detroit is hosting a Skilled Trades Task Force Meeting. At this meeting, people can find out about tuition-free apprenticeship programs.
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Monday is World Alzheimer’s Day. More than 7 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Eli Lilly and Company and Planet Harvest are giving out more than 1,300 brain-healthy produce boxes to food insecure and underserved seniors in Metro Detroit.
Jennifer Oleksiw is the head of neuroscience and the chief commercial innovation officer at Lilly, a pharmaceutical company in Indiana. She says it is difficult for underserved communities to achieve healthy diets.
“We are constantly looking at what healthy habits people need to develop in order to live their best health potential. Diet is such an important part, and we know, especially in underserved communities, that can be difficult.”
The 12-15 lb. food boxes include apples, a cabbage, cucumbers and collard greens. Also, a lemon, oranges, corn and zucchinis to support healthy aging and cognitive awareness.
Seniors can pick up a box at the Rochester Christian University, Oakland Church, Next Steps for Seniors Foundation and the Webster Community Center.
There’s also door-to-door distributions at several senior living homes.
Additional headlines for Monday, Sept. 21, 2026
Mike Rogers’ plan to lower health care costs
Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers outlined his plan to lower health care costs in Metro Detroit. Much of it revolves around transparency.
Rogers, a Republican, says prices will come down if people could price shop for their medical care.
“We go to open books to make sure that the hospitals and insurance folks know and understand what the costs are, so that when a patient shows up, they understand what their costs are.”
Rogers also wants to expand the Trump Rx program to lower the cost of some prescriptions.
Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed favors Medicare for All, which would cover Americans without private insurance.
All Saints Literacy Center looks for English instructor volunteers
The nonprofit All Saints Literacy Center in Detroit is seeking volunteer English instructors.
Grace Irwin is the center’s executive director. She says there’s a waiting list of adult learners.“Adult literacy is a lot more than just learning to read or read a book. It affects employment, healthcare access, higher education, parenting, and an individual’s independence and their ability to navigate everyday life.”
Irwin says the center opened 11 years ago to serve a large population of Spanish-speaking immigrants and new Americans.
Volunteer instructors and learners are paired once a week for a two-hour commitment, which can entail learning reading, writing and math. While services are free, volunteers and learners are asked to commit for at least six months but can stay as long as they need.
The center is located off of Vernor Highway in Southwest Detroit. Visitallsaintsliteracy.org to volunteer or sign up.
MDHHS warns residents about harmful nitrous oxide health risks
Inhaling recreational laughing gas is no laughing matter. Michigan’s health department is warning residents about serious health risks of using recreational nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, whippets, galaxy gas or N.O.S. Nitrous oxide is usually used in medical settings at the dentist or doctor’s office.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says health risks from improper use can lead to anxiety, depression and mood changes. It can also lead to memory problems, anemia, paranoia or loss of consciousness.
Products that have nitrous oxide can be found in grocery stores, smoke shops and vape stores.
The Michigan Poison and Drug Information Center says there’s been an increase in health emergencies from 2019 to 2023, with 144 poison center cases, 132 emergency room visits and nearly 200 emergency medical response services related to nitrous oxide.
In 2024, 34% of cases required hospital admission and about 7% required intensive care. People experienced numbness, tingling of limbs, trouble walking or passing out.
People who are experiencing symptoms should call 911. Visit michigan.gov/sudfor resources.
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Detroit’s Inspector General is opening an investigation into Police Chief Todd Bettison over his personal intervention in a case involving Mayor Mary Sheffield.
In July, activist Jahdante Smith posted photos of Mayor Sheffield and an ex-boyfriend on social media. Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison called Smith on Aug. 5 to request he take the photos down. He refused.
Two weeks later, Smith was approached by officers on the street and handcuffed allegedly for unrelated reasons. He was released, but the officers obtained a warrant for alleged unrelated charges to seize his phone. Now, the Detroit Free Press reports that the city’s Inspector General is looking into Bettison’s actions. The inspector general handles public corruption cases.
Additional headlines for Thursday, Sept. 17, 2026
Citizen Detroit DPSCD Meet Your Candidates
The group Citizen Detroit is hosting a Meet Your Candidates events on Oct. 1. Candidates for the Detroit Public School Community District School Board will participate in a speed-dating dinner and dialogue event. There are more than 30 candidates and only 5 open seats for the board.
The event will take place at IBEW Local 58 on 1358 Abbot Street in Detroit from 5-8:30 p.m. To RSVP, search “Citizen Detroit DPSCD Meet Your Candidates” on Eventbrite. Admission is free, but registration is required. RSVP by Sept. 28.
Citizen Detroit is also posting candidate interviews on their YouTube Channel and on citizendetroit.org. Videos will go live on Friday.
Harris visits Michigan, supporting El-Sayed
Former Vice President Kamala Harris plans to visit Michigan next week to campaign with Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Harris endorsed El-Sayed after his primary win in August, but this will be her first public appearance with him.
During her visit Tuesday, they’ll attend a roundtable on Black maternal health.
During the primary campaign, El-Sayed faced criticism for urging Democrats to vote uncommitted in Michigan’s presidential primary in 2024. He eventually endorsed Harris for president.
Whistle kit crafting
The nonprofits Rising Voices and Detroit Asian Collective are hosting the Warning Whistle Kit Making Night. Participants will assemble multilingual warning whistle kits while learning how to protect residents rights and how to document interactions with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The event will be held tonight from 6 – 7 p.m. Address will be given upon registration.
Gas prices
Gasoline prices have risen more than 70 cents a gallon in the last 10 days. AAA says Michigan drivers are paying an average of $4.75 cents a gallon for regular unleaded this morning. It was $4.02 on Sept. 7.and $4.54 a gallon yesterday.
The average price of diesel fuel statewide is 20 cents higher than it was yesterday, rising to a record of $6.54 cents a gallon.
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Despite that guidance, a growing number of parents in Michigan are deciding not to vaccinate their kids against preventable diseases.
Rates have declined since COVID
MDHHS grants waivers to parents who object to vaccines for religious, medical, or philosophical reasons. In the 2025-26 school year, more than 24,000 students received waivers, a rate of almost 7%. That’s the highest number in 12 years.
Ryan Malosh runs the department’s immunizations division. He says routine vaccinations have dropped since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think what we’re seeing is that that more people are probably wanting to maybe delay some of the vaccines that they’re getting,” he says. “It’s not that they’re necessarily opposed to vaccination, but they’re just maybe concerned about all of the shots at once.”
“A single dose is 93% effective at preventing measles,” Malosh says. “Two doses, which is the recommended schedule for children once they age four to six years old, is 97% effective at preventing a case of measles.”
The guidance comes amid a 35-year high in the number of measles cases nationally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 94% of those cases were either unvaccinated or their status was unknown.
Michigan requires students to have at least six vaccinations against communicable diseases. Malosh says that includes influenza.
“That’s for everybody that’s six months of age and older,” he says. “They’re recommended to get a flu shot every year.”
Malosh says if parents have questions about vaccines, they should ask the experts—their doctors.
“They understand the science, and they’re trained in looking at these things,” he says.
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A new cell phone policy in schools takes affect this year.
Detroit Public Schools Community District Superintendent Nikolai Vitti in a recent letter sent to parents this week announced cell phone use is not allowed from the entry bell to the dismissal bell. Individual schools will communicate their policy for phones, whether it is to collect and return devices daily or instruct students to turn them off and put them away. The letter says parents who want to reach out to their children during the day should call the school directly.
Governor Gretchen Whitmer earlier this year signed a law banning the use of cell phones during instructional time. The law addresses research that shows phones are the biggest sources of distraction in classrooms and when student put their phones down, their grades improve.
There are also concerns about the effects of constant phone use on students’ attention spans, mental health, and social relationships.
Additional headlines for Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2026
Survey finds kids eat unhealthy breakfasts
A survey by the University of Michigan’s C.S Mott Children’s Hospital finds most kids eat breakfast before school. But as it may not be a nutritious meal. The hospital says a healthy breakfast consists of a lean protein, high fiber content and a healthy source of fat.
Mott’s Poll Co-Director and pediatrician Susan Woolford says parents report three top barriers to healthy eating they face daily.
“First of all, 44% said that their child is a picky eater, and then just over a third mentioned that their child is a little bit grumpy or slow in the morning, and then about a third said that time was a barrier.”
Woolford suggests preparing breakfast ahead of time to ensure the meal is nutritious and there is time to eat it.
She also suggests parents with picky eaters let the children help choose healthy options for their meal.
Mayor Sheffield announces plan to bring rentable housing into compliance
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield wants to bring thousands more rental units up to code. The goal is to increase the compliance rate for single- and double-family units from 14% to 25% within a year.
Most of Detroit’s rental properties are 1 or 2 family units. Sheffield says the city will help small-scale landlords get their compliance certificates.
Six months ago, the mayor launched an effort to bring 65 senior apartment buildings up to code by now. The city has surpassed that goal, issuing 88 compliance certificates.
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Overdoses are down across the country and in particular here in Michigan.
Oakland County saw a 37% decrease in overdose deaths from 2023 to 2024. The county also reports the distribution of more than 2,300 Narcan kits to harm reduction clients. So far, its resulted in 430 overdose Narcan rescues between January 2023 and June 2025.
The 25th annual International Overdose Awareness Day is Aug. 31. This year’s theme is “25 Years On. Still Needed.”
Although numbers are trending down in Michigan, education, the distribution of Narcan kits and peer recovery groups remain top priority for local organizations.
The Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities launched in 2003 with support of Oakland Counties Office of Substance Abuse Services. Since its inception, the Alliance for Coalition of Healthy Communities has grown to include over 20 community prevention coalitions. They are currently serving more than 55 local communities.
The organization has a drive-up Naloxone training resource fair planned for Aug. 31. It’ll take place at 5505 Corporate Drive in Troy from 9 a.m. to 5p.m.
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McMorrow spoke with The Metro‘s Robyn Vincent about the clinics that have closed in her district and across Michigan, what the state did and didn’t do to stop it, and the U.S. Senate campaign she walked away from.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on-demand. Never miss an episode — subscribe to The Metro onApple Podcasts,Spotify,YouTube, orNPR, or wherever you get your podcasts. Have thoughts? Email the show at metro@wdet.org.
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The state health department says it will not be changing its recommendations for childhood vaccinations – despite an executive order signed by President Trump last week.
Chief Medical Executive Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian says she wants to provide clarity for parents and physicians. Michigan’s Standing Recommendations were issued in 2025 and, the state says, based on rigorous scientific evidence and transparent decision-making.
Bagdasarian urges parents to get children vaccinated as they prepare to return to school, noting vaccine-preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough are on the rise in Michigan and across the country.
Source Booksellers is inviting customers and community to join their Bibliophile’s Journey visiting Alabama Legacy sites this fall. The trip is inspired by the tenth anniversary of the book “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption” by Bryan Stevenson—and by the Equal Justice Initiative’s work to end mass incarceration.
Travelers will explore sites in Montgomery and Birmingham, including the Legacy Museum, the Peace and Justice Memorial Center and the Rosa Parks Museum.
The travel package includes hotel, airfare, entrance to legacy sites in Montgomery and more. For more information, contact Source Booksellers at 313-832-1155 or alyson.sourcebooksellers@gmail.com.
Detroit Women’s Commission hosts resource fair
The Detroit Women’s Commission is hosting it’s second (now annual) Resource Fair & Networking Event Saturday Sept. 19. Organizers have billed it as a day for a wholistic approach to total wellness—spiritual, physical, financial and mental.
Little Liberia has new plans to make itself a mid-week hotspot. The eastside restaurant now has happy hour from 4:30-7:30 p.m. every Wednesday, featuring cocktails like its Liberian Girl and Sasstown Margarita.
Its weekly trivia night starts at 6 p.m. and runs til 7:30 p.m. – a family-friendly alternative to bar trivia. Until August 25, artists can also submit to Little Liberia’s rotating art exhibition. Selected work will be featured in the restaurant for 90 days and available to patrons to purchase.
Detroit joins Bagelfest
Detroit’s Bev’s Bagels will compete at the New York Bagelfest this year. This year’s competitors represent 10 states and five countries. Fewer than 10% of applicants were chosen to compete.
Bagelfest is Nov. 15 at Citifield in New York.
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Measles had been virtually eliminated in America by the year 2000. The anti-vaccine movement has gained strength in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Health experts say social media has allowed vaccine misinformation to spread. Self-styled wellness “influencers” have built large followings online, pushing unscientific claims and promoting unregulated health products.
Mariah Wellman is studying this trend. She’s an assistant professor of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University. She says many people turn to the internet because they might not have access to health care.
“They may not see their doctor on a consistent basis,” Wellman says. “They may not have a doctor they necessarily trust.”
(Un)healthy skepticism?
Wellman says many people no longer trust the medical establishment. And they feel like they can get answers online faster than they can from a doctor or health care provider. She says wellness gurus take advantage of that.
“Wellness influencers do a great job of building relationships that make the viewer feel like the influencer really sees them, hears them, knows them, and values them,” she says.
Mariah Wellman, Ph. D., is an assistant professor at of advertising and public relations at Michigan State University
Once people accept misinformation as truth, Wellman says it’s difficult to convince them otherwise.
“It’s incredibly hard to change their minds,” she says.
What’s good for the goose…
But some health experts are turning that around. Wellman says many qualified people in their fields are learning how to use social media to turn the tide.
“We’re seeing some evidence that these expert influencers are growing in their popularity online,” she says. “People are reaching out to them, saying, ‘yes, actually this content has changed my mind.'”
Wellman is writing a book on the strategies wellness influencers use to make people believe they’re authority figures. The book comes out in 2027.
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The survey found 31%of older adults never heard of the mental health crisis helpline.
“Another 38% had not heard of 988, but had heard of other mental health crisis lines, things like the Trevor Project or the Veterans Crisis Line,” says Kevin Saulnier, a clinical psychologist and assistant professor with the University of Michigan.
Saulnier says the survey also found that men were less aware and less likely to use 9-8-8 for mental health crises.
Saulnier says many adults 50 and up depend on other sources of assistance.
“So the majority of people said that in the case of a mental health crisis, they would reach out to family or friends, with 83% of people. Saying that they would be likely to take that approach, 82% said they would be likely to contact their regular healthcare provider,” he shares.
Another 73% say they would reach out to a mental health care professional directly, rather than using the helpline.
Saulnier says the helpline can fill a gap in service by providing counselors on call 24/7, all year long.
While the helpline can be an effective resource for people going through a mental health crisis, people can face barriers to access.
“Barriers to 988 awareness and 988 use might be greater in places with less access to mental health professionals, or limited internet, transportation challenges, or fewer trusted points of access to care,” says Saulnier.
According to Saulnier, the free confidential helpline works with trained mental health professionals to provide mostly talk therapy. However, they do work with crisis intervention teams or emergency responders in the case of suicide or serious concerns.
He also says people can call anonymously for themselves or others by calling or texting 9-8-8 or using the chat feature on the website 988lifeline.org.
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The city of Detroit and the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation celebrated the third Green Grocer ribbon cutting in the Motor City. This is part of the effort to have more fresh and healthy food available at retail food locations in the city.
The Counter Detroit is a 400-square-foot grocery store anchoring community marketplace, Shops on Six, in the Bagley neighborhood.
Owner Karlyta Williams says that her store is meant to bring people together and to represent the diversity of the neighborhood. “That is what the Counter stands for. It is for every neighbor. Every piece that goes onto their shelves, every neighbor is thought of. There is something magical that happens when the business that shows up in your neighborhood feed you.”
Mayor Sheffield says that the goal is to have six Green Grocer stores by the end of the year.
Additional headlines for Friday, Aug. 7, 2026
Gas prices on the rise
As the summer comes to close…are you trying to go on a last-minute summer trip?
Well if you plan on going on one this week, you might need to budget some more for gas. According to AAA gas prices in Michigan have risen to 13 cents from a week ago. Michigan drivers are now paying an average $4.36 per gallon for regular unleaded gas.
Fuel prices have increased in large part due to the continuing war in Iran that has caused the blocking of about 20% of the world’s supply of oil and gas from the Stait of Hormuz. Another reason is that gas prices typically peak during the late spring/early summer when refineries switch to a more expensive summer blend of gasoline.
AAA says while the market conditions remain unpredictable, drivers may continue to see the prices go up and down.
Sports
MLB
The Tigers laid a beat down against the Seattle Mariners yesterday with the score of 11-0. They now face the San Francisco Giants this weekend as they continue to claw and climb from the bottom of the American League Central division.
First pitch for today’s game is at 10:15 p.m. EST.
Soccer
Detroit City FC faces off against FC Tulsa tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Drillers Baseball Team Stadium in Tulsa Oklahoma.
Football
And with the Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs agree to 3-year, $67.5 million extension. The three-time Pro Bowler is now the highest-paid running back in NFL history. The record deal surpasses the extension Bijan Robinson signed with the Atlanta Falcons earlier this week—which is a reminder that anything can happen in football.
Cyclosporiasis cases slow
The state health department says the number of new cyclosporiasis infections is slowing down, and fewer people are showing up at the hospital with diarrhea-related emergencies.
The agency is lifting its recommendation to avoid bagged salad mixes, one of the possible sources of the outbreak. It says people may also resume their usual food handling practices, but should still avoid recalled lettuce.
Michigan has had more than 12,000 confirmed and suspected cases of cyclosporiasis since late June. So far, 279 people reported going to the hospital. Two people with significant health problems died after getting the disease.
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Michigan health officials reported two deaths linked to cyclosporiasis, marking the first fatalities in the U.S.’ largest outbreak of intestinal illness
Since the pandemic, overdose deaths are continuing to decline in Michigan. The number is dropping quickly in Metro Detroit.
There are a lot of possible explanations for the decline. Narcan is more readily available, the state has turned toward a harm-reduction approach, and the pandemic, when people were cooped up inside, is further in the rearview mirror.
Peer recovery coaches are also a big reason for the reduction. That work received significantly more money from the state in recent years.
What does it look like to create intimacy with someone struggling with addiction, and to help them recover?
Pepper Catt is a peer recovery coach with the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities. That’s a Troy nonprofit. She spoke about all this with The Metro’s Sam Corey.
Hear the full conversation using the media player above.
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Cradling his newborn daughter in his lap in their Indianapolis home, JaKobi Burton’s love for the new lady in his life is evident with each caress.
The first-time dad’s commitment started months earlier. Burton attended every medical appointment and took classes with Dads to Doulas, a program created by the organization Dear Fathers that teaches Black fathers-to-be how to provide physical, mental and spiritual support up to and after childbirth.
He and his wife, Crystal Wilmot-Burton, understood that the pregnancy came with immense risk, not just because they were in their 40s but also because they are Black. Federal health data shows Black women are almost 3.5 times more likely than white women to die around the time of childbirth.
Health professionals and advocates hope that by giving Black fathers-to-be the tools to be more hands-on — through government-funded programs and nonprofit center resources — they can cut into those odds. Organizers say there has been a noticeable shift in the attitudes of some Black men who now openly discuss their pregnancy fears and insecurities.
“I want you to know that I was involved and that I was looking out for you from the very beginning, and I’m always going to be your biggest protector,” Burton tells his 1-month-old daughter. “That’s what I did from the beginning of this experience, trying to learn as much as I could.”
Paternal involvement is ‘directly correlated with better outcomes’
Health disparities, racism and equal access to prenatal care are among the contributing factors for the disparities in mortality rates among women of different races, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Two recent viral cellphone videos — including one in Indiana — show hospital staff dismissing the concerns of Black women in labor.
The maternal mortality rate for Black women soars above that of other racial groups. They suffered 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White women experienced 14.5. Hispanic and Asian women faced 12.4 and 10.7, respectively.
The National Healthy Start Association, which was created in 1998 to help improve infant and maternal mortality rates, has “fatherhood practitioners” at its 116 project sites. They, along with case managers, offer men assistance including webinars, a texting service and even cooking lessons.
Kenneth Scarborough, who has been the NHSA’s fatherhood and men’s health consultant for 10 years, has noticed a shift toward including male partners in the efforts to preserve the health of pregnant women.
“There’s more research that is being done to be able to change those narratives, without a shadow of a doubt,” Scarborough said. “The challenge with that is still getting these institutions to understand the value of making sure that Dad is there and he is at the table.”
Doctors still leave Black fathers “on the fringes of the conversation” while society often codifies them as “scary and rough,” said Dr. Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha, founder and director of the Center of Black Maternal Health and Reproductive Justice at Tufts University.
She said she has heard countless anecdotes of fathers being ignored in the exam room, even though paternal involvement is “directly correlated with better outcomes.”
JaKobi Burton assembles a baby crib at his home in Indianapolis, Oct. 17, 2025, three days before the birth of his daughter, Phoenix RyZen Reign Burton. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
Mothers- and fathers-to-be face racism in medical institutions
Black patients are frequently advised to seek out an OB-GYN who looks like them, and Wilmot-Burton did just that.
“I thought maybe she would be more caring, be more willing to listen to my issues, which she was,” she said.
But Black doctors make up a tiny share of OB-GYNs nationwide. Of the estimated 43,700 practicing OB-GYNs, 7.5% are Black women, according to 2023 data from the American Medical Association and the Association of American Medical Colleges. Even fewer — 2.3% — are Black men.
JaKobi Burton looks at his pregnant wife, Crystal Wilmot-Burton, during a prenatal appointment in Indianapolis, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
Deborah Frazier, the CEO of National Healthy Start, said medical organizations must let go of any stigma about paternal involvement. Black and brown fathers still face stereotypes of absenteeism.
“We have data and interviews with fathers, and those fathers have told us that they wanted to be there with their partners, and they wanted be present for their births,” Frazier said.
Charles Johnson IV founded 4Kira4Moms in 2017 after his wife, Kira, bled to death during a cesarean section at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. Johnson sued the hospital in 2022, saying she died because of a culture of racism.
Fathers should be able to walk the line between assertive and aggressive while still being a “force in the room,” the group’s executive director Gabrielle Albert said.
“What if you happen to be 6-foot-5 and 200-something pounds? If you speak up, what’s gonna happen?” Albert said. “Let’s role-play conversations. How do you push back against the doctor?”
Crystal Wilmot-Burton holds their sleeping newborn daughter, Phoenix RyZen Reign Burton, as her husband, JaKobi Burton, kneels next to her at their home in Indianapolis, Dec. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
From dad to doula
In August — two months before Wilmot-Burton gave birth — Burton was one of a dozen prospective dads holding a Black baby doll at a Dads to Doulas workshop. Facilitator Kyra Betts Patton tells them studies show present fathers-to-be can lower the chances of premature births.
“The largest time frame for maternal mortality, you’re looking at 43 to 100 days after you’ve had a baby. No one’s there but the partner,” Patton said.
Burton said the classes gave him the courage to advocate throughout the pregnancy, and that he took a checklist of questions from the class to every appointment.
JaKobi Burton cradles his newborn daughter, Phoenix RyZen Reign Burton, on his shoulder at his home in Indianapolis, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
“I pushed hard prior to the delivery to make sure that our birth plan was followed, even though it wasn’t completely. But she (Phoenix) still turned out great and was delivered successfully,” said Burton. He also took classes with the Indiana Breastfeeding Coalition.
Wilmot-Burton gives her husband credit for taking these workshops while also working and attending grad school. His presence was vital, especially when she felt unwell or was nervous.
“I would encourage other Black women to make sure their partners are on board to attend some classes or read books,” she said, “and definitely go to as many appointments as they can.”
Tang reported from Phoenix.
First-time dad JaKobi Burton holds his newborn daughter, Phoenix RyZen Reign Burton, at their home in Indianapolis, Nov. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Obed Lamy)
Children living through the latest war in the Middle East or seeing images of the conflict may need help making sense of events that many adults find unnerving. Exposure to war, even if it is indirect, can affect how kids think, feel and behave, according to mental health experts.
Child psychologists and development specialists encourage parents to check in with their children, make time for age-appropriate conversations and to correct misinformation without going into excessive detail.
“Sometimes adults think if they don’t talk about something that is difficult, than it doesn’t exist. But we know that’s not the reality in children’s lives,” said Rebecca Smith, the global head of child protection at Save the Children, an international aid and advocacy organization. “Ignoring or avoiding the topic of conflict can lead to children feeling lost, alone and scared. … It is essential to have open and honest conversations with children to help them process what is happening.”
Below are suggestions for having conversations with children about war and its impacts.
Create a safe space, then listen and validate feelings
Experts recommend starting with what a child might know about what is happening in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, Israel, Sudan or other parts of the world before attempting to address any feelings of fear, sadness, anger or anxiety.
Some children may not know that fighting has escalated between the United States and Israel on one side and Iran and its proxies on the other. Other kids may be more aware than their families realize and suppress their emotions. Children visiting or living in Middle Eastern countries directly impacted will have seen weapons light up the sky and may know people killed or have to leave their homes.
“For some children where missiles are now visible in the skies, this might be an entirely new and terrifying experience,” Smith said. “When events like this happen, they disrupt a child and family’s sense of safety. What once felt stable and secure may suddenly feel uncertain.”
To help children work through their emotions, the trusted adults in their lives also need to take care of themselves, according to experts. Guidance from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network says adults sharing their own feelings with children can be an opportunity to convey personal beliefs and values about how to treat others. The key is to not assume what children might be thinking or feeling.
If children do not want to talk or are not ready, experts suggest adults remain patient and tell children they are there for them.
“It is necessary to respect child’s ability to refuse communication, their ability not to talk or not to tell about something. Because they can have their own feelings, their own states, which they might not want to share,” child psychologist Nataliia Sosnovenko said, speaking in Ukrainian. Sosnovenko works with Voices of Children, a Ukrainian organization that provides psychological support and documents children’s experiences in the country during the yearslong war with Russia.
Some children might share what they have seen or heard, how they feel or ask questions when given an opportunity. Experts say this is when adults should validate their feelings and address what’s happening honestly while taking their ages and maturity levels into account.
Let their age guide the conversation
The American Psychological Association recommends giving kids basic, age-appropriate information about war and conflict, and addressing any upsetting images, headlines or conversations they were exposed to without going into details that might make them unnecessarily anxious. But ultimately, parents know their children best, experts say.
Families who have loved ones in the region may need to take the extra time to discuss the safety of their relatives and friends, and the difficulty of uncertainty. Families in the region themselves may need to have a plan in place for what to do if they become separated. Experts with Save the Children say to keep it simple and to practice the plan calmly.
Depending on how young, some children can understand the idea that two countries are fighting. But young children living abroad may not be able to distinguish between what they see on screens and what is happening nearby. For children in the U.S., the Iran war can seem much closer than it is if they are frequently seeing images on TV or social media, meaning they may need additional reassurance they are safe from danger.
Older children are likely to understand war and its consequences, which means they might be more concerned and have more questions, the American Psychological Association says. Adults may want to consider focusing on what is within their control and giving children some agency, such as supporting humanitarian efforts, staying informed and addressing misinformation.
UNICEF, the United Nations agency that provides humanitarian aid and long-term support to children worldwide, says it is OK to not have all the answers.
In Lebanon, some families have sought refuge since Saturday in a brick school building. Nora Ingdal, Save the Children’s Lebanon Country Director, says children there are asking several questions about the reason for conflict and when things might return to normal.
“This one daughter was clinging to her mother and looking up to her mom and asking, ‘Mom, why are they fighting? Why are they attacking us?’ The mother looks at me, but has no answer. Then she’s asking, ‘When are we gonna go home?’ Again, the mom looked at me,” Ingdal said. “I said to her, ‘It’s all right to say that you don’t know, you cannot guarantee anything, but I’m here with you.’”
Limit unnecessary exposure and use this as a teaching opportunity
While some global agencies say children should be aware of what is happening in the world, experts say adults still have a responsibility to keep youngsters safe and limit unnecessary exposure.
Parents are encouraged to pay attention to how exposed children are to the news. The younger the child, the less exposure they should have, according to the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
Some agencies recommend switching off the news entirely or limiting conversations about distressing events with other adults if children can hear. Others recommend using the opportunity to educate children on the importance of news, understanding where to find accurate facts and how to identify when something is not true or deceiving.
Save the Children says caregivers can model responsible digital behavior, encourage kids not to spread harmful or graphic information and remind them to think twice before sharing content that is possibly inaccurate or emotionally triggering.
It is important for caregivers of children living in conflict zones to remember that some kids do not know a time before war and do not have the ability to disconnect from what is happening around them, Sosnovenko said. That’s where professional help might support conversations and education.
“During the war, the types of people who come to us have changed,” she said. “Thanks to the fact that the psychological culture of the population is improving, people began to understand that therapy is important. These days, help of a psychologist is needed by most people and children as well.”
AP journalist Illia Novikov in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this story.
Children hold a sign protesting war against Iran during an antiwar demonstration at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
It’s the rare policy question that unites Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and the Democratic-led Maryland government against President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California: How should health insurers use AI?
Regulating artificial intelligence, especially its use by health insurers, is becoming a politically divisive topic, and it’s scrambling traditional partisan lines.
Boosters, led by Trump, are not only pushing its integration into government, as in Medicare’s experiment using AI in prior authorization, but also trying to stop others from building curbs and guardrails. A December executive order seeks to preempt most state efforts to govern AI, describing “a race with adversaries for supremacy” in a new “technological revolution.”
“To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation,” Trump’s order said. “But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative.”
Across the nation, states are in revolt. At least four — Arizona, Maryland, Nebraska, and Texas — enacted legislation last year reining in the use of AI in health insurance. Two others, Illinois and California, enacted bills the year before.
Legislators in Rhode Island plan to try again this year after a bill requiring regulators to collect data on technology use failed to clear both chambers last year. A bill in North Carolina requiring insurers not to use AI as the sole basis of a coverage decision attracted significant interest from Republican legislators last year.
DeSantis, a former GOP presidential candidate, has rolled out an “AI Bill of Rights,” whose provisions include restrictions on its use in processing insurance claims and a requirement allowing a state regulatory body to inspect algorithms.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that new technologies develop in ways that are moral and ethical, in ways that reinforce our American values, not in ways that erode them,” DeSantis said during his State of the State address in January.
Ripe for Regulation
Polling shows Americans are skeptical of AI. A December poll from Fox News found 63% of voters describe themselves as “very” or “extremely” concerned about artificial intelligence, including majorities across the political spectrum. Nearly two-thirds of Democrats and just over 3 in 5 Republicans said they had qualms about AI.
Health insurers’ tactics to hold down costs also trouble the public; a January poll from KFF found widespread discontent over issues like prior authorization. (KFF is a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News.) Reporting from ProPublica and other news outlets in recent years has highlighted the use of algorithms to rapidly deny insurance claims or prior authorization requests, apparently with little review by a doctor.
Last month, the House Ways and Means Committee hauled in executives from Cigna, UnitedHealth Group, and other major health insurers to address concerns about affordability. When pressed, the executives either denied or avoided talking about using the most advanced technology to reject authorization requests or toss out claims.
AI is “never used for a denial,” Cigna CEO David Cordani told lawmakers. Like others in the health insurance industry, the company is being sued for its methods of denying claims, as spotlighted by ProPublica. Cigna spokesperson Justine Sessions said the company’s claims-denial process “is not powered by AI.”
Indeed, companies are at pains to frame AI as a loyal servant. Optum, part of health giant UnitedHealth Group, announced Feb. 4 that it was rolling out tech-powered prior authorization, with plenty of mentions of speedier approvals.
“We’re transforming the prior authorization process to address the friction it causes,” John Kontor, a senior vice president at Optum, said in a press release.
Still, Alex Bores, a computer scientist and New York Assembly member prominent in the state’s legislative debate over AI, which culminated in a comprehensive bill governing the technology, said AI is a natural field to regulate.
“So many people already find the answers that they’re getting from their insurance companies to be inscrutable,” said Bores, a Democrat who is running for Congress. “Adding in a layer that cannot by its nature explain itself doesn’t seem like it’ll be helpful there.”
At least some people in medicine — doctors, for example — are cheering legislators and regulators on. The American Medical Association “supports state regulations seeking greater accountability and transparency from commercial health insurers that use AI and machine learning tools to review prior authorization requests,” said John Whyte, the organization’s CEO.
Whyte said insurers already use AI and “doctors still face delayed patient care, opaque insurer decisions, inconsistent authorization rules, and crushing administrative work.”
Insurers Push Back
With legislation approved or pending in at least nine states, it’s unclear how much of an effect the state laws will have, said University of Minnesota law professor Daniel Schwarcz. States can’t regulate “self-insured” plans, which are used by many employers; only the federal government has that power.
But there are deeper issues, Schwarcz said: Most of the state legislation he’s seen would require a human to sign off on any decision proposed by AI but doesn’t specify what that means.
The laws don’t offer a clear framework for understanding how much review is enough, and over time humans tend to become a little lazy and simply sign off on any suggestions by a computer, he said.
Still, insurers view the spate of bills as a problem. “Broadly speaking, regulatory burden is real,” said Dan Jones, senior vice president for federal affairs at the Alliance of Community Health Plans, a trade group for some nonprofit health insurers. If insurers spend more time working through a patchwork of state and federal laws, he continued, that means “less time that can be spent and invested into what we’re intended to be doing, which is focusing on making sure that patients are getting the right access to care.”
Linda Ujifusa, a Democratic state senator in Rhode Island, said insurers came out last year against the bill she sponsored to restrict AI use in coverage denials. It passed in one chamber, though not the other.
“There’s tremendous opposition” to anything that regulates tactics such as prior authorization, she said, and “tremendous opposition” to identifying intermediaries such as private insurers or pharmacy benefit managers “as a problem.”
In a letter criticizing the bill, AHIP, an insurer trade group, advocated for “balanced policies that promote innovation while protecting patients.”
“Health plans recognize that AI has the potential to drive better health care outcomes — enhancing patient experience, closing gaps in care, accelerating innovation, and reducing administrative burden and costs to improve the focus on patient care,” Chris Bond, an AHIP spokesperson, told KFF Health News. And, he continued, they need a “consistent, national approach anchored in a comprehensive federal AI policy framework.”
Seeking Balance
In California, Newsom has signed some laws regulating AI, including one requiring health insurers to ensure their algorithms are fairly and equitably applied. But the Democratic governor has vetoed others with a broader approach, such as a bill including more mandates about how the technology must work and requirements to disclose its use to regulators, clinicians, and patients upon request.
Chris Micheli, a Sacramento-based lobbyist, said the governor likely wants to ensure the state budget — consistently powered by outsize stock market gains, especially from tech companies — stays flush. That necessitates balance.
Newsom is trying to “ensure that financial spigot continues, and at the same time ensure that there are some protections for California consumers,” he said. He added insurers believe they’re subject to a welter of regulations already.
The Trump administration seems persuaded. The president’s recent executive order proposed to sue and restrict certain federal funding for any state that enacts what it characterized as “excessive” state regulation — with some exceptions, including for policies that protect children.
That order is possibly unconstitutional, said Carmel Shachar, a health policy scholar at Harvard Law School. The source of preemption authority is generally Congress, she said, and federal lawmakers twice took up, but ultimately declined to pass, a provision barring states from regulating AI.
“Based on our previous understanding of federalism and the balance of powers between Congress and the executive, a challenge here would be very likely to succeed,” Shachar said.
Some lawmakers view Trump’s order skeptically at best, noting the administration has been removing guardrails, and preventing others from erecting them, to an extreme degree.
“There isn’t really a question of, should it be federal or should it be state right now?” Bores said. “The question is, should it be state or not at all?”
From left to right: White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US President Donald Trump and Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz participate in an event on “Making Health Technology Great Again,” in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on July 30, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS)
Republicans think patients should be shopping for better health care prices. The party has long pushed to give patients money and let consumers do the work of reducing costs. After some GOP lawmakers closed out 2025 advocating to fund health savings accounts, President Donald Trump introduced his Great Healthcare Plan, which calls for, among other policies, requiring providers and insurers to post their prices “in their place of business.”
The idea echoes a policy implemented during his first term, when Trump suggested that requiring hospitals to post their charges online could ease one of the most common gripes about the health care system — the lack of upfront prices. To anyone who’s gotten a bill three months after treatment only to find mysterious charges, the idea seemed intuitive.
“You’re able to go online and compare all of the hospitals and the doctors and the prices,” Trump said in 2019 at an event unveiling the price transparency policy.
But amid low compliance and other struggles in implementing the policy since it took effect in 2021, the available price data is sparse and often confusing. And instead of patients shopping for medical services, it’s mostly health systems and insurers using the little data there is, turning it into fodder for negotiations that determine what medical professionals and facilities get paid for what services.
“We use the transparency data,” said Eric Hoag, an executive at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, noting that the insurer wants to make sure providers aren’t being paid substantially different rates. It’s “to make sure that we are competitive, or, you know, more than competitive against other health plans.”
Not all hospitals have fallen in line with the price transparency rules, and many were slow to do so. A study conducted in the policy’s first 10 months found only about a third of facilities had complied with the regulations. The federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services notified 27 hospitals from June 2022 to May 2025 that they would be fined for lack of compliance with the rules.
The struggles to make health care prices available have prompted more federal action since Trump’s first effort. President Joe Biden took his own thwack at the dilemma, by requiring increased data standardization and toughening compliance criteria. And in early 2025, working to fulfill his promises to lower health costs, Trump tried again, signing a new executive order urging his administration to fine hospitals and doctors for failing to post their prices. CMS followed up with a regulation intended to up the fines and increase the level of detail required within the pricing data.
So far, “there’s no evidence that patients use this information,” said Zack Cooper, a health economist at Yale University.
In 2021, Cooper co-authored a paper based on data from a large commercial insurer. The researchers found that, on average, patients who need an MRI pass six lower-priced imaging providers on the way from their homes to an appointment for a scan. That’s because they follow their physician’s advice about where to receive care, the study showed.
Executives and researchers interviewed by KFF Health News also didn’t think opening the data would change prices in a big way. Research shows that transparency policies can have mixed effects on prices, with one 2024 study of a New York initiative finding a marginal increase in billed charges.
The policy results thus far seem to put a damper on long-held hopes, particularly from the GOP, that providing more price transparency would incentivize patients to find the best deal on their imaging or knee replacements.
These aspirations have been unfulfilled for a few reasons, researchers and industry insiders say. Some patients simply don’t compare services. But unlike with apples — a Honeycrisp and a Red Delicious are easy to line up side by side — medical services are hard to compare.
For one thing, it’s not as simple as one price for one medical stay. Two babies might be delivered by the same obstetrician, for example, but the mothers could be charged very different amounts. One patient might be given medications to speed up contractions; another might not. Or one might need an emergency cesarean section — one of many cases in medicine in which obtaining the service simply isn’t a choice.
And the data often is presented in a way that’s not useful for patients, sometimes buried in spreadsheets and requiring a deep knowledge of billing codes. In computing these costs, hospitals make “detailed assumptions about how to apply complex contracting terms and assess historic data to create a reasonable value for an expected allowed amount,” the American Hospital Association told the Trump administration in July 2025 amid efforts to boost transparency.
Costs vary because hospitals’ contracts with insurers vary, said Jamie Cleverley, president of Cleverley and Associates, which works with health care providers to help them understand the financial impacts of changing contract terms. The cost for a patient with one health plan may be very different than the cost for the next patient with another plan.
The fact that hospital prices might be confusing for patients is a consequence of the lack of standardization in contracts and presentation, Cleverley said. “They’re not being nefarious.”
“Until we kind of align as an industry, there’s going to continue to be this variation in terms of how people look at the data and the utility of it,” he said.
Instead of aiding shoppers, the federally mandated data has become the foundation for negotiations — or sometimes lawsuits — over the proper level of compensation.
The top use for the pricing data for health care providers and payers, such as insurers, is “to use that in their contract negotiations,” said Marcus Dorstel, an executive at price transparency startup Turquoise Health.
Turquoise Health assembles price data by grouping codes for services together using machine learning, a type of artificial intelligence. It is just one example in a cottage industry of startups offering insights into prices. And, online, the startups’ advertisements hawking their wares often focus on hospitals and their periodic jousts with insurers. Turquoise has payers and providers as clients, Dorstel said.
“I think nine times out of 10 you will hear them say that the price transparency data is a vital piece of the contract negotiation now,” he said.
Of course, prices aren’t the only variable that negotiations hinge on. Hoag said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota also considers quality of care, rates of unnecessary treatments, and other factors. And sometimes negotiators feel as if they have to keep up with their peers — claiming a need for more revenue to match competitors’ salaries, for example.
Hoag said doctors and other providers often look at the data from comparable health systems and say, “‘I need to be paid more.’”
By KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A young woman who is battling against social media giants took the stand Thursday to testify about her experience using the platforms as she was growing up, saying she was on social media “all day long” as a child.
The now 20-year-old, who has been identified in court documents as KGM, says her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta and YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled.
The case, along with two others, has been selected as a bellwether trial, meaning its outcome could impact how thousands of similar lawsuits against social media companies are likely to play out.
KGM, or Kaley, as her lawyers have called her during the trial, started using YouTube at age 6 and Instagram at age 9.
A turbulent home life
Kaley took the stand wearing a pink floral dress and a beige cardigan and said she was “very nervous” after her attorney, Mark Lanier, asked how she was doing Thursday morning.
Lanier displayed childhood photos of Kaley and her family and asked about positive memories from her upbringing in a quiet cul-de-sac in Chico, California. She spoke of themed birthday parties, trips to Six Flags and her mom’s consistent efforts to make her childhood special.
Still, Kaley’s relationship with her mother was challenging at times. Kaley said most of their arguments were over the use of her phone.
Both the defendants and the plaintiff have pointed to a turbulent home life for Kaley. Her attorneys say she was preyed upon as a vulnerable user, but attorneys representing Meta and Google-owned YouTube have argued Kaley turned to their platforms as a coping mechanism or a means of escaping her mental health struggles.
When asked about claims that her mother had hit her, abused her and neglected her, Kaley said “she wasn’t perfect, but she was trying her best,” and clarified that she doesn’t think she would label her mother’s past actions as abuse or neglect today.
But later Thursday, during her cross-examination, Kaley did agree that her mother was being physically and emotionally abusive during the time that she was self-harming around when she was in the 6th grade.
Kaley, who works as a personal shopper at Walmart, lives with her mother in the home she grew up in.
Notifications gave her a ‘rush’
As a child, Kaley set up multiple accounts on both Instagram and YouTube so she could like and comment on her posts. She said she would also “buy” likes through a platform where she could like other people’s photos and get a slew of likes in return. “It made me look popular,” she said.
Kaley was asked specifically about the features the plaintiffs argue are deliberately designed to be addictive, including notifications. Those notifications on both Instagram and YouTube gave her a “rush,” she said. She would receive them throughout the day and would go to the bathroom during school to check them — something she still does.
Kaley said while she uses YouTube less often now, she believes she was previously addicted to it. “Anytime I tried to set limits for myself, it wouldn’t work and I just couldn’t get off,” she said.
Filters on Instagram, specifically those that could change a person’s cosmetic appearance, have also loomed large in the case and were also a constant fixture of Kaley’s use. Lanier and his colleagues unfurled a nearly 35-foot-long canvas banner with photos Kaley has posted on Instagram. She said “almost all” of the photos had a filter on them.
The jury was also shown Instagram posts and YouTube videos Kaley posted as a child and young teen. One video showed her saying she was “crying tears of joy” after surpassing 100 YouTube subscribers — but then she quickly turned to her looks, apologizing for her “ugly appearance.”
“I look so fat in this shirt,” the young Kaley says in the video.
Kaley said she did not experience the negative feelings associated with her body dysmorphia diagnosis before she began using social media and filters.
Meta focuses on plaintiff’s home life, contradicting statements
Meta has argued that Kaley faced significant challenges before she ever used social media. The company’s lawyer, Paul Schmidt, said earlier this month that the core question in the case is whether the platforms were a substantial factor in Kayley’s mental health struggles.
Meta attorney Phyllis Jones took a polite, respectful tone in her cross-examination Thursday, acknowledging that it could be uncomfortable for her to speak about her private life in front of a room of strangers. Jones proceeded to zero in on Kaley’s home life and did not ask her any questions about social media addiction within the first hour and a half of the cross-examination.
Jones pulled up text exchanges and posts Kaley had made on Instagram about her mental health and her relationship with her mother and played videos Kaley took of her mother yelling at her.
On nearly 20 occasions during the Meta cross-examination, Jones asked Kaley to look at the transcript from her 2025 deposition, which contradicted some of the responses she gave during her testimony. Many of those questions were about how a specific action by her family members or a specific experience impacted her mental health, with Kaley saying on Thursday they either didn’t have an impact or didn’t significantly contribute to anxiety and depression. Her deposition from about a year ago often said the opposite.
“I tried to answer the questions to the best of my ability, but I may have misspoke at times,” Kaley said of her deposition.
This time, Kaley did agree that her mother was being physically and emotionally abusive during the time that she was self-harming around when she was in the 6th grade. She testified earlier in the day that she doesn’t think she would label her mother’s past actions as abuse or neglect today.
Therapist: Social media and sense of self ‘were closely related’
Victoria Burke, a former therapist Kaley worked with in 2019, testified on Wednesday, and Burke said her social media and her sense of self “were closely related,” adding that what was happening on the platforms could “make or break her mood.”
An attorney for Meta parsed through Burke’s notes from her sessions with Kaley extensively in a cross examination that lasted about three hours. He highlighted Kaley’s negative experiences with in-person bullying, other school-based sources of stress and anxiety and issues with her family. Mentions of social media in the notes were mostly limited to Kaley saying she didn’t feel she had a place at home, at school or among her peers, but did feel she had a place to be seen on social media.
Burke’s treatment of Kaley lasted about six months and that period took place seven years ago.
The case is expected to continue for several weeks, and the outcome the jury reaches could shape the outcome of a slew of similar lawsuits against social media companies. Meta is also facing a separate trial in New Mexico.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
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