By Mary Welander
State Rep., D-114
Mary Welander
“For too long, parents have borne the entire responsibility of managing social media use. Certainly, there are steps parents and their children can take to set boundaries. But they shouldn’t have to do this alone,” US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said in his rceent safety advisory about the use and impact of social media on our kids.
Two weeks ago, Sen. Chris Murphy held a forum at Amity Regional High School to hear feedback from students about his proposed social media legislation. It was an interesting, but concerning, conversation.
Jessica Simone, Orange Youth Services coordinator, shared valuable data gathered in a recent BOWA student survey focused on online behaviors and social media usage which showed a direct correlation to the amount of time spent on social media and increases in negative feelings such as anxiety, worry or feeling constantly on edge. It reported that 28 percent of seventh graders, 39 percent of ninth graders, and 41.5 percent of eleventh graders spend on average two to four hours on social media a day, with many spending six hours a day or more.
Student feedback also reported that 24 percent of seventh graders and 38 percent of ninth graders have had a conversation electronically with someone they do not know in the past 30 days. Additionally, 4.5 percent of seventh graders, 11.4 percent of ninth graders and 10.5 percent of eleventh graders reported that in the past 30 days they have sent pictures of themselves to someone they had only ever met online. Data was also gathered about the exchange of inappropriate pictures by and to students.
Increasingly concerning is this: of students who spend two to four hours on social media sites per day, 19 percent reported that they never or almost never talk with a parent or guardian about a problem that bothers them.
It only gets worse the more time that a student spends online. If they spend four to six hours, 23 percent won’t talk to a parent about an issue, and 50 percent of students who spend six or more hours on social media a day will never or almost never speak with a trusted adult about a problem.
The internet can be a wonderful place to learn and connect with others across the world, but it can also be a dangerous space for our kids. The surgeon general is right: we can’t protect our kids alone. I appreciate Sen. Murphy’s and Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s proposed legislation to create guardrails for safer internet usage, but the bottom line is that until we create harsher penalties for the adults who are purposely targeting and exploiting our kids online, that kind of abuse will continue unchecked.
This year I reintroduced my bill that creates additional criminal charges surrounding these actions. I will keep fighting for this bipartisan legislation until it becomes law. Right now, though, we can talk with our kids about navigating the internet safely and encourage them to always talk to you if they are contacted by a stranger. You can find helpful tips from a local organization at sosatogether.org/faqs.