Greetings!
Summer is
winding down, and a new school year will soon begin! With that in mind, we have
a huge opportunity to step up to the plate and ensure that our young people are
as supported as possible this year.
To that
end, here’s what I’ve been working on:
Authored
“Congress can help parents protect kids from TikTok, IG, YouTube and other
social media giants”
Following revealing
Senate hearings regarding Facebook and Instagram’s dangerous practices, on
February 26, CT Senator Richard Blumenthal and TN Senator Marsha
Blackburn introduced the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bill
would establish a duty of care to protect minors from ill mental health effects
and sexual trafficking, among other safeguards. I’m hopeful that one day, we’ll
find a way to strike a healthy balance when it comes to social media use and
the well-being of our kids. But we’re not there yet. Legislation holding social
media companies accountable will be critical to finding our way. You can read
my entire op-ed here.
Contributed
to The Kennedy Forum Illinois’s Children’s Mental Health in Turbulent Times
Panel
On August
8, I contributed to a national conversation about the systems we need to
support mental wellness for children and youth through stronger school-based
approaches, more support for healthy family systems, and trauma-informed
practices in the face of violence and social divisiveness. For this discussion,
I was joined by Chief Justice Anne M. Burke with the Illinois Supreme Court,
Dr. Colleen Cicchetti with Lurie Children’s Hospital Center for Childhood
Resilience & Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, and Dr.
Orson Morrison with DePaul University. You can watch us dig into this crucial
topic via this link.
Hopeful
Futures Releases State-by-State Recent Legislation Tracker
Hopeful Futures is a coalition of leading mental health
organizations, including The Kennedy Forum, dedicated to shedding light on the
youth mental health crisis, and how to best support young people at the place
they spend so much of their lives – school. To that end, Hopeful Futures
released its first-ever legislative tracker, detailing the initiatives
that bolster youth mental health taken by each state in recent months. I’m glad
to note that New Jersey led the charge on three fronts, thanks to the
respective legislative efforts of Senator Joseph Cryan, Senator Teresa Ruiz,
Senator Sandra Cunningham, Senator Kristin Corrado, and Assemblyman Herb
Conaway.
Led Back to School & Eating Disorders Webinar with Equip
On August
2, I led a conversation with Dr. Katherine Hill, Equip's Vice President of Medical
Affairs, and Oona Hanson, Equip Family Mentor, to discuss warning signs of eating disorders inside and outside of
the classroom, and how parents and educators can best support our youth. Our full conversation is now available online
and can be watched here.
Attended
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services Children’s Behavioral Health
Stakeholder Meeting
Late this
month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), released three key
announcements on children’s behavioral health during a stakeholder meeting. Of
these announcements, CMS reaffirms that mental health is a core component of
early screening and prevention services, encourages states to invest in
school-based mental health services, and mandates a metric tracking how
Medicaid and CHIP coverage are meeting the needs of community members. Such
great news! These announcements give us a much-needed outlet to provide greater
care nationwide.
I’m
looking forward to another academic year of driving sustainable, positive
change for students. Beyond pencils and binders, we can thoroughly assure our
youth’s success by equipping them with life skill tools and overall support.
All the
best,
Amy Kennedy
Pronouns: She/Her
