Women's Brain Health Day to raise funds for research on the impact of social media and device misuse on the developing brain

December 2 event to feature three-time Olympian Jennifer Botterill

TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2024 /CNW/ - Today marks the sixth annual Women's Brain Health Day in Canada. Officially recognized by the Government of Canada in 2019, Women's Brain Health Day was established by Women's Brain Health Initiative (WBHI) to raise awareness about brain-aging disorders that disproportionately affect women and provide education on how best to protect the health and resilience of our brain.

Brain health is a lifelong journey, and its foundation is laid early. Research has consistently shown that early adoption of regular physical activity and mental resilience practices sets us up for cognitive vitality later in life. The habits we form in our youth play a critical role in shaping the resilience of our minds as we grow older.

Social media and device misuse, however, have drastically changed the landscape of childhood and adolescence, posing significant risks to their developing minds. Excessive screentime interferes with their physical activity and quality of sleep – both required for healthy brain development.

"Increasingly, we hear directly from young people that excessive screen time interferes with the physical activity they need and, perhaps even more concerning, the quality of sleep their brains require for healthy development. These are foundational elements for brain health that are being disrupted at an early stage," said Lynn Posluns, President and CEO of WBHI. "Which is why this year's Women's Brain Health Day will focus on raising funds that will support crucial research into children's social media and device addiction and its impact on their mental health."

"Our research shows that children and teens who spend hours on screens including scrolling through social media on their phones are showing more depression, anxiety, and behavioural challenges" said Dr. Emma Duerden, Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience and Learning Disorders at Western University and Scientist at The Children's Health Research Institute. "Women's Brain Health Day and Women's Brain Health Initiative is making huge strides in raising awareness about this crucial public health issue through funding research that will give us a better understanding of what children and teens are experiencing."

Thanks to this year's Presenting Sponsor Bank of Montreal and others, the Women's Brain Health Day event will feature a list of speakers including keynote speaker three-time Olympic hockey gold medallist Jennifer Botterill, hockey broadcaster Christine Simpson, and media personality Pooja Handa.

"The habits we form in our youth play an important role in shaping our minds as we grow older," said Botterill. "Encouraging a healthy and strong perspective from a young age can lead to extraordinary outcomes. I am honoured to be taking part in Women's Brain Health Day to share my experience and shed light on some very important topics."

As in previous years, the first $250,000 raised will be matched by Brain Canada.

"We are very proud to once again partner with Women's Brain Health Initiative on this important day," said Dr. Viviane Poupon, President and CEO of Brain Canada. "Given the rapidly evolving landscape of digital technologies, children, youth, and their families must be equipped with the tools and strategies to thrive. Childhood and adolescence provide a critical window for enhancing digital literacy. Today's fundraising efforts will help invest in research that will inform these important policies."

To promote children's brain health and respond to the escalating crisis of youth mobile device misuse, WBHI recently released a short video titled Listen to the Children that features grade school students from the Brainable program talking candidly about their cellphone and social media use. Watch the video here.

In honour of this day, landmarks across Canada, including the CN Tower, Fredericton City Hall, the Calgary Tower, and more, will be lit purple.

For more information on Women's Brain Health Day and how to donate: womensbrainhealthday.org

About Women's Brain Health Initiative

Women's Brain Health Initiative is a Canadian and U.S. charitable foundation established in 2012 dedicated to protecting the brain health of women, children, caregivers, and families. For more information visit womensbrainhealth.org.

About Brainable

Brainable is a program for students and educators that provides teaching tools to help reverse current trends and increase awareness of effective strategies to reduce excess screen time, increase sleep time, and promote physical activity. For more information visit brainable.ca.

SOURCE Women's Brain Health Initiative

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