271. Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos: On Screen Harms in Kids & the Surgeon General's New Advisory

The Ultimate Human with Gary Brecka

Gary Brecka

Health & Fitness

4.8 • 3.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 May 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Since 2010, math scores in 13-year-olds have dropped 14%, reading has dropped 7%, and by 2050, 40% of kids are projected to have myopia and the Surgeon General's office just connected that curve to the screen in your child's hand. Today, I sat down with Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Health at HHS, to walk through the new advisory on screen harms, the 5-D framework parents can use today, and what bell-to-bell phone policies are actually doing in 37 states. CLICK HERE TO BECOME GARY’S VIP!: ⁠https://bit.ly/4ai0Xwg⁠ Connect with Stephanie Haridopolos through the Office of the Surgeon General Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/4tSfkQp⁠ Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/4eLK81e⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3RCtyqO⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://bit.ly/3R6RLWk⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3P1RYtf⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/4dikiPW⁠ Thank you to our partners A-GAME: “ULTIMATE15” FOR 15% OFF: http://bit.ly/4kek1ij AION: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4h6KHAD AIRES: "ULTIMATE20 " FOR 20% OFF: https://bit.ly/4a3Duze BAJA GOLD: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/3WSBqUa BODYHEALTH: “ULTIMATE20” FOR 20% OFF: http://bit.ly/4e5IjsV COLD LIFE: THE ULTIMATE HUMAN PLUNGE: https://bit.ly/4eULUKp CYMBIOTIKA: "ULTIMATE10" FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4tjyluP GENETIC METHYLATION TEST (UK ONLY): https://bit.ly/48QJJrk GENETIC TEST (USA ONLY): ⁠https://bit.ly/3Yg1Uk9 GOPUFF: GET YOUR FAVORITE SNACK!: https://bit.ly/4obIFDC H2TAB: “ULTIMATE10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4hMNdgg HEALF: 10% OFF YOUR ORDER: https://bit.ly/41HJg6S PEPTUAL: “TUH10” FOR 10% OFF: https://bit.ly/4mKxgcn SNOOZE: LET’S GET TO SLEEP!: https://bit.ly/4pt1T6V WHOOP: JOIN & GET 1 FREE MONTH!: https://bit.ly/3VQ0nzW Watch the “Ultimate Human Podcast” every Tuesday & Thursday at 9AM EST: YouTube: ⁠https://bit.ly/3RPQYX8⁠ Podcasts: ⁠https://bit.ly/3RQftU0⁠ Connect with Gary Brecka Instagram: ⁠https://bit.ly/3RPpnFs⁠ TikTok: ⁠https://bit.ly/4coJ8fo⁠ X: ⁠https://bit.ly/3Opc8tf⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://bit.ly/464VA1H⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠https://bit.ly/4hH7Ri2⁠ Website: ⁠https://bit.ly/4eLDbdU⁠ Merch: ⁠https://bit.ly/4aBpOM1⁠ Newsletter: ⁠https://bit.ly/47ejrws⁠ Ask Gary: ⁠https://bit.ly/3PEAJuG⁠ Timestamps 00:00 - Introduction: Screen harms and the Surgeon General 01:15 - The MAHA partnership and HHS direction 02:51 - From family physician to HHS leadership 04:18 - Demystifying the office of the Surgeon General 06:45 - 25 years of patient care meets public policy 07:56 - A congenital heart defect at age four 10:48 - The new advisory on screen use in youth 12:37 - What the science actually shows 15:40 - Metabolic health and the military recruitment crisis 16:36 - Myopia: 40% of kids by 2050 18:16 - The 2010 collapse in math and reading 19:11 - An entire generation as an experiment 20:05 - Bell-to-bell phone policies and what's working 21:40 - Mental health, body dysmorphia, and deepfakes 23:47 - The five-D framework for parents 27:07 - Why more states haven't adopted bell-to-bell 28:35 - Gut dysbiosis and the body's engine 33:37 - The newborn screening updates saving lives 35:01 - Chronic Lyme disease and federal recognition 38:13 - Lyme awareness month and treatment gaps 39:08 - Bringing 25 years of practice into policy 40:45 - What does it mean to you to be an Ultimate Human? Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not provide medical advice. It is not intended for diagnosing or treating any health condition. Always consult a licensed healthcare professional before making health or wellness decisions. Gary Brecka is the owner of Ultimate Human, LLC which operates The Ultimate Human podcast and promotes certain third-party products used by Gary Brecka in his personal health and wellness protocols and daily life and for which Ultimate Human LLC and / or Gary Brecka directly or indirectly holds an economic interest or receives compensation. Accordingly, statements made by Gary Brecka and others (including on The Ultimate Human podcast) may be considered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you are exposed to screen time at a very young age before 18 months, it could affect the full
0:06.3	development of the brain.
0:08.1	And so it's not just about how much screen time quantity, it's also the quality of it.
0:14.6	Hardly a parent in America today would say, I have no concerns at all about what my child
0:19.7	is consuming on social media or the amount of time that they're spending on their phones.
0:23.4	In the Office of the Surgeon General, you have such a huge megaphone to discuss very pertinent health emerging threats to the public
0:33.2	and how then do we amplify that message to increase health and wellness?
0:38.4	In a perfect world, holding all of your experience,
0:41.5	what would be the utopia of success for you if what was accomplished?
0:46.6	Believe it or not, this back to the Ultimate Human podcast.
1:05.5	I'm your host, human biologist Gary Brecker, where we go down the road of everything,
1:09.8	anti-aging, biohacking, longevity,
1:12.1	and everything in between.
1:13.9	And as you know, lately I have been very involved in the MAHA action, which is essentially
1:20.1	this public-private partnership between health and human services and the general sector,
1:25.0	talking about and influencing and having interaction with health and human
1:29.2	services on the direction of health care in America. And most of all, looking at initiatives to
1:34.6	keep people out of the system. Not everything that they're doing in HHS and the US FDA is designed
1:41.1	to fix the health care system. A lot of it is designed to keep people out of chronic care.
1:47.3	And today's guest is one of those thought leaders.
1:50.6	She is a practicing physician.
1:52.8	She's a mother, ballroom dancer.
	...

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