“The leading cause of death among young people isn’t traffic accidents, it’s suicide, and it’s closely related to screen addiction.” These are the words of Dr. Miguel Ángel Martínez, professor of public health at the University of Navarra and Harvard, in his latest book, “Salmon, Hormones, and Screens.” With a lighthearted tone and references to popular culture and real-life examples, the doctor delivers a forceful warning based on scientific data to improve seriously threatened public health.

As the salmon in its title suggests, this is a book that goes against the grain because it seeks to change the social climate regarding some trends related to sexuality, which seek to impose their most physical, addictive, irresponsible, and depersonalized version. This is how public health has always advanced, against the grain of lifestyles that are as widespread as they are dangerous. The author sets out his premises at the beginning of the book: “Every person is free to make their own choices. But I do want to provide information and arguments so that these decisions are well-informed.”

Massive access to pornography through mobile phones and other internet-connected devices is flooding the minds of children, adolescents, and young adults with explicit content depicting sexual violence. Faced with this situation, an arsenal of remedies and solutions is offered to address this growing wave of health risks largely related to blurred aspects of sexuality so prevalent on social media.

The book represents a hymn of admiration for those silent and fascinating young people who have managed to integrate sexuality into a long-term personal project without being seduced by the trivial and precocious vision that sex merchants want to sell them. He calls these young people who swim against the current “salmon.” They wisely escaped the absurd prevailing motto “I photocopy, therefore I am.”

The author offers a rich argument to support them intellectually and emotionally in their journey upriver. The proposal—”salmon revolution”—is bold and explores thorny terrain where no one usually dares to enter: aberrant sexual education, promiscuous relationships of all kinds, etc. In a certain sense, there are pages that could be described as “incendiary.” But behind them lies a rigorous study of scientific evidence.