Our week was full of frustrations. A number of bills that would have put safeguards on a social media site often used by children under age 13 were defeated in committee. These bills would have banned addictive features on social media shown to children, required parental consent for social media use, and created other safeguards. Even a simple transparency bill which would have required consent to collect data from students’ school devices failed in committee.
If Democrats love the science so much, why did they ignore what we so clearly know about the detriment of social media when voting to kill these bills? A 2019 study of more than 6,500 12- to 15-year-olds in the U.S. found that those who spent more than three hours a day using social media might be at heightened risk for mental health problems. Another 2019 study of more than 12,000 13- to 16-year-olds in England found that using social media more than three times a day predicted poor mental health and well-being in teens.
Other studies also have observed links between high levels of social media use and depression or anxiety symptoms. A 2016 study of more than 450 teens found that greater social media use, nighttime social media use and emotional investment in social media — such as feeling upset when prevented from logging on — were each linked with worse sleep quality and higher levels of anxiety and depression.
I’m no fan of burdensome legislation, and I believe that the government that governs best, often governs least. But it’s clear that mental health is a top priority, and we had an opportunity this week to do something to safeguard the mental health of our children, and the Democrats chose not to.
I look forward to coming back again next session to try to implement these important safeguards once again.
