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Utah on Thursday became the first state to bar minors from using social media without consent from a parent or guardian after Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed two bills aimed at regulating how minors interact online in the state — one requiring companies to verify the age of users before they can create accounts. Cox followed through on a promise to sign the two divisive bills: Utah Senate Bill 152, which requires users to be 18 or older to open a social media account without parental permission, and Utah House Bill 311, which prohibits social media companies from “using a design or feature that causes a minor to have an addiction” to the platform. (Mueller, 3/23)

Meta Platforms Inc. was sued by the school board in the company’s home county for allegedly addicting students to its social media platforms and contributing to a mental health crisis. (Rosenblatt, 3/24)

On gun violence and trauma —

Angela Brooks will never forget the FaceTime call from her 10-year-old granddaughter, Nie’Mae. “She said, ‘Granny, please help us. Mama’s dead,’” recalled Brooks, 58, a nurse in St. Louis. Brooks didn’t believe it. Then Nie’Mae turned the phone around to show her a body on the floor. It was Brooks’ daughter, Chasity Cooper, 40. She had been shot by her ex-boyfriend, Nie’Mae said. (Mascia, 3/23)

Denver Public Schools is canceling classes across the district Friday for its staff and students to focus on mental health after a 17-year-old student shot two administrators inside Denver East High School, a spokesman for the district said Thursday. Students will return to school in April, following spring break that begins next week. (Prentzel, 3/23)

In other news about mental health and suicide —

An effort to make more changes to Georgia’s mental health system could stall in the closing days of the 2023 legislative session even though a Senate committee on Wednesday unveiled a rewritten bill that House sponsors and advocates found broadly acceptable. That’s because the Senate Health and Human Services Committee didn’t take a vote on House Bill 520 and didn’t schedule another meeting before a Thursday deadline for bills to advance out of Senate committees. (Amy, 3/23)

For the first time in four years, Wyoming’s suicide rate fell pretty substantially.  In 2022, the number of suicides among Wyoming residents decreased by 21.6 percent from 2021. “We're definitely excited to see that drop. More than 20 percent drop is notable,” said Andi Summerville with the Wyoming Association of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers. She said a lot has changed in the past couple of years. (Kudelska, 3/23)

Hundreds of hospital beds for psychiatric patients will remain offline past Gov. Kathy Hochul’s April 1 deadline due to staffing shortages, inadequate funding and even suicide risks, according to records obtained by POLITICO. Details of hospitals’ reopening plans, obtained through a public records request, have not been previously reported. In several cases, hospitals told the state they need more time to reconfigure areas that were converted into medical and surgical units during the pandemic and would therefore present a “ligature risk” to psychiatric patients — meaning there are portions of the facility that a patient could use to hang or strangle themselves. (Kaufman, 3/23)

Rates of mental health emergencies are increasing among teenagers around the world, according to a new study from the University of Calgary. It found an increase in pediatric emergency room visits for suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, and self-harm during the first year of the pandemic. It’s a particular concern because for teenagers, suicide can be contagious. (Bakshi and Linendoll, 3/23)

Leaders of the newly formed “Student Solidarity” group rallied a crowd in front of the MD Anderson Library that alternated between reflective and angry. They held moments of silence. People booed university leaders in hoarse voices. And the sister of one of the deceased students wore a shirt broadcasting the National Suicide Hotline, 988, concluding through tears that she felt the university failed her brother. (Ketterer, 3/23)

Military veterans across the country are scrambling after more than a dozen clinics that had been providing them with free ketamine treatments for severe depression, chronic pain or post-traumatic stress disorder suddenly closed. (Chan, 3/23)

If you are in need of help —