A new briefing note from The Iona Institute has found that over the past 10 years, the number of baptisms taking place annually has fallen by 30pc. The research finds that the two big drivers of the decline are falling births, and rising secularism. Falling births account for about 60pc of the decline with the rest accounted for by secularisation. (Iona Institute)
Read MoreGallup estimated that 45 percent of adults participated in at least one form of gambling in the previous 12 months, down from 64 percent in 2016. The estimates are based on telephone interviews with more than 2,000 participants. (Reynolds, The Washington Post)
Read MoreThe lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that get children addicted to its platforms. It also claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law. (Ortutay, AP News)
Read MoreOne recent survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 3 in 10 adults use digital tools for mental health, including chatbots. Another 2026 study in JAMA Pediatrics found that as many as 1 in 5 teens and young adults do the same. (Chaterjee, NPR)
Read MoreBritish children are “becoming intoxicated by extremism”, the children’s commissioner for England has warned, as she called on the government to introduce a range of curbs to social media use for under-18s. (Scott et al., The Times)
Read MoreMore than a third of adults have lived with two or more partners, according to Pew’s estimates. About two-thirds of couples who have lived together eventually marry, according to the report, which found that figure jumps to 77 percent for those with at least a bachelor’s degree. (Reynolds, The Washington Post)
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