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Delaney Schnell making an ‘OK’ hand sign, wearing a red swimsuit and a ‘love’ pendant necklace against a white background.
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The 2024 Paris Olympics officially kick off with the opening ceremony on July 26 and run through Aug. 11. There will be around 10,500 athletes competing in 329 events across 32 sports, including Arizona’s own Delaney Schnell.

Schnell is from Tucson and attended the University of Arizona. She started as a gymnast but moved to diving when she was 10 years old. Schnell now trains three to five hours a day and won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in synchronized diving. She has also won four medals in world championships between 2019 and 2023. She will be competing in both the individual and synchronized diving competitions in Paris.

“It’s just one dive at a time,” Schnell said in an interview with NBC about the upcoming Olympics. “That’s just kind of my motto going into these events. No matter what happens on the previous dive, you have to move on. Whether it’s nines, whether it’s fours, you have to be able to move on to the next one.”

Another athlete looking to make a big splash this summer is Katie Ledecky. She has won seven Olympic gold medals and 21 world championship titles, making her one of swimming’s all-time great athletes. Ledecky made her Olympic debut at the 2012 Olympics in London when she was just 15 years old!

For anyone looking to watch these and other amazing athletes at the Olympics, NBC and Telemundo will be broadcasting coverage during the day, and the opening and closing ceremonies are free to watch on the NBC Olympics website. Peacock is also streaming all Olympic events live.

Not long after the Olympic Games wrap up in August, the 2024 Paralympic Games will kick off in Paris. The Paralympic Games span 11 days and feature 22 sports and 23 disciplines. Around 4,400 athletes are expected to participate in sports ranging from Para Triathlon to wheelchair rugby. It’s going to be a great summer for sports, including some you may have never had a chance to watch before!

Are Warning Labels Needed for Social Media?

NEW YORK CITY—The Top Doc of the United States recently called for social media companies to put warning labels on their platforms to help protect young people.

With the majority of American kids on social media, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy wants users and their parents to know some of the important risks. On June 17, The New York Times published his article calling on Congress to require warning labels in a similar manner that tobacco products, which are addictive and harmful to your health, must clearly present warning messages.

WARNING! Social MediaBut when it comes to young people being on social media, the Surgeon General is mostly concerned about the risks to users’ mental health.

Most social media platforms say you must be 13 or older to create an account on their platform. But those rules aren’t always strictly enforced for

young users.

Dr. Murthy writes that it’s time for the federal government to start requiring social media to display warning labels from the Surgeon General on its platforms “stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents.”

The Surgeon General is nominated by the President, is confirmed by the Senate and usually serves a four-year term. The Surgeon General is the country’s doctor-in-chief and heads up health education for the public. This is Dr. Murthy’s second time being the Surgeon General!

While he admits such warning labels will not halt the mental health dangers social media poses, he points out that similar regular reminders on tobacco packaging has raised awareness about using those products. “(It) would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” Murthy writes.

Do you think social media needs to carry warnings from the Surgeon General? Why or why not?

Edition: 
Phoenix
Tucson
Issue: 
July 2024