School is in session again and amidst the millions of kids going back to school, an issue on health and personal grooming has been the concern for some parents. There is a lice epidemic going around among teenagers and doctors say that it could be due to group selfies the kids are snapping with their friends, WBAY has learned.
"Teenagers don't usually get lice because they're not sharing hats and things like that," says pediatrician Dr. Sharon Rink.
"And lice can't jump, so the only way they can transmit lice is touching their heads together, and that's happening with all these photos," she adds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lice spreads faster through "head-to-head contact with a person who already has head lice," but this usually happens to younger kids or those between the ages of three to 11 years old. In the U.S., there are at least six to 12 million lice infestations every year.
"People are doing 'selfies' like every day, as opposed to going to photo booths years and years ago. So you're probably having much more contact with other people's heads," Rink further explains.
However, one lice expert says that selfies are not the reason, but rather the lack of prevention imposed in school and the failure of treatment products. "More and more schools are less proactive," said Katie Shepherd, the head of the Shepherd Institute for Lice Solutions, according to Yahoo Parenting. "And more of the treatment products out there just aren't working," she adds.
"Kids curl up on couches together and sit head-to-head looking at videos on someone's phone. That's a lot more contact than you get taking a selfie," Shepherd countered Dr. Rink's statement.
This is not the first time someone brought up the idea that it's selfies causing the lice epidemic. Back in 2014, a person working for a lice removal service suggested the same thought. "I've seen a huge increase of lice in teens this year. Typically it's younger children I treat, because they're at higher risk for head-to-head contact. But now, teens are sticking their heads together every day to take cell phone pics," said Marcy McQuillian of Nitless Noggins, via sfist.
Another lice expert, Vanessa Mor of Lice Control in Oakland, said that it makes a lot of sense. "In order to get it, you have to be in direct contact -- sitting on the same towel, sharing headphones together, or using someone else's hair curler, sharing hats, sweaters, and scarves," she told CNET.
