U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. traveled to Iowa this week to join Gov. Kim Reynolds for the signing of a new health-focused state law and the release of a federal advisory warning about the effects of excessive screen use on children and teenagers.
Kennedy and Reynolds appeared at the Iowa State Capitol, where they met with lawmakers, public health officials, and community advocates to discuss nutrition, behavioral health, cancer prevention, and rural healthcare access.
The visit centered on Iowa’s newly signed “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) legislation, which includes measures to improve nutrition education, increase physical activity in schools, and limit classroom screen use among younger students.
“Governor Reynolds and the state of Iowa are leading the nation by taking bold action to improve nutrition, increase physical activity, reduce excessive screen time, and address the root causes of chronic disease,” Kennedy said in a statement.
The legislation also restores the Presidential Fitness Test and promotes what state officials described as healthier nutrition standards for families.
“Secretary Kennedy inspired the MAHA movement and has never wavered in his commitment to restoring the health of our country,” Reynolds said. “Iowa is proud to help lead this mission by enacting legislation that supports better nutrition, physical activity, health and wellness, and limitations on cell phones and instructional screen time in our schools.”
After the Capitol event, Kennedy traveled to Gilbert Elementary School in Gilbert, Iowa, where he joined Reynolds and Dr. Stephanie Haridopolos, director of national health communications for the Office of the Surgeon General, to announce the release of the Surgeon General’s Warning on the Harms of Screen Use: An Advisory and Toolkit on How to Protect Children and Adolescents.
Federal health officials described the advisory as the first formal warning from the Office of the Surgeon General specifically focused on the physical, emotional, and developmental risks associated with excessive screen exposure among children.
According to the advisory, adolescents spend an average of seven to nine hours a day on entertainment screens, with many using devices shortly before bedtime. Officials said excessive screen use has been linked to anxiety, depression, obesity, developmental challenges, and reduced face-to-face social interaction.
“Children today spend more time on screens than sleeping, exercising, or engaging face-to-face with family and friends — and we are seeing the consequences in rising rates of anxiety, depression, obesity, and developmental challenges,” Kennedy said in a news release. “This Advisory equips parents, schools, and communities with clear, science-based strategies to reclaim healthy habits, reduce harm, and help Make Our Children Healthy Again.”
The advisory also warns about online exploitation, exposure to harmful content, substance-use promotion, and dangerous viral challenges. It identifies warning signs of unhealthy screen use, including irritability when devices are removed, withdrawal from offline activities, and repeated unsuccessful attempts to cut back.
Haridopolos said federal officials believe immediate action is needed.
“We are calling for urgent action to protect children at home, in schools, and across platforms,” she said, per the news release. “Kids are growing up in digital spaces that were never designed for their safety, and these online experiences are shaping how they think, feel, and interact in real life.”
The advisory encourages schools to reduce non-instructional device use, “strengthen digital citizenship education, and create more opportunities for in-person engagement,” per the news release. It also urges technology companies to simplify safety settings and reduce design features that encourage compulsive use.
The advisory outlines what officials call the “5 Ds” for healthier screen habits: Discuss, Do, Delay, Divert, and Disconnect. Recommendations include setting household screen-use expectations, delaying access to devices for younger children, creating screen-free periods during meals and before bedtime, and encouraging physical activity and offline hobbies.
Throughout the visit, Kennedy and Reynolds emphasized cooperation between states and the Trump administration on efforts to address chronic disease, mental health, and physical inactivity through the broader Make America Healthy Again initiative.
