AND SUGAR TOO? –
April 24, 2025 – Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suggested Thursday banning cellphones in schools as a remedy for the nation’s addiction crisis. Citing an epidemic of hopelessness and isolation among children. “These little devices that we have are taking us away from each other,” Kennedy said. “That feeds the addiction crisis.”
Overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18 to 44, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From October 2023 to September 2024, 87,000 people died from overdoses in the United States. Multiple studies have connected cellphone use and screen time with increased feelings of loneliness and depression.
During his confirmation hearing in January, Kennedy said he was a heroin addict for 14 years before becoming sober. On Thursday, he drew a line between isolation and addiction in a remarkably personal speech in which he spoke at length about his faith and involvement with the 12-step program to support his recovery.
“Even when I was surrounded by people, which was the truth for much of my life, I was all alone because I was looking at life and relationships through this mesh of dishonesty and vanity, of arrogance and a complete lack of intimacy, a complete lack of real, authentic connection to the community,” Kennedy said.
