Devices with screens include game consoles, laptops and televisions. Screen use refers to activities undertaken on such devices and the time spent on them. Children’s screen use has increased over the past decade. Policy-makers and parents have expressed concerns about possible effects of screen use on children/young people’s development and health. This POSTnote provides an overview of how children/young people use screens, the opportunities and risks of this use, evidence on the possible effects on health and development, and evidence on ways to support healthy screen use.
Documents to download
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Patenting Human DNA (224 KB, PDF)
The UK is active in a large international programme to decipher the human genetic code. A split has developed between those (led by the US Government but followed reluctantly by the UK) who are attempting to patent basic genetic information as soon as it is decoded, and those who believe that patents should only be considered after further inventive steps. This undermines the international cooperation on which the programme relies.
Documents to download
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Patenting Human DNA (224 KB, PDF)
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With several potential vaccines approaching the end of clinical trials, a new focus is how they will be approved for general use. How does this process work? Who will receive the first COVID-19 vaccines when they become available in the UK? What are public attitudes towards a COVID-19 vaccine in the UK?
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Media headlines have predicted an increase in mental ill health among NHS staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. This POSTnote gives an overview of the scale and quality of current evidence on the mental health and well-being of NHS staff before and during the pandemic. It also discusses how staff are supported and the options for introducing other effective interventions as the pandemic continues.
