After successfully pursuing education reform and bolstering public safety in her state, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is tackling another problem facing families in the Natural State: the mental health crisis afflicting kids in Arkansas — and across the country.
In a letter to fellow governors in every state and territory as well as state legislators in Arkansas, Sanders issues a call to swift action for leaders of all political stripes to address the "driver" of the surging depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people: phones and social media.
Gov. Sanders also sent every governor a copy of "The Anxious Generation" by Jonathan Haidt, a book the governor says provides "commonsense recommendations" as a starting point for policies to protect kids from social media's harmful effects.
"The average American teen now spends nearly 5 hours a day on social media," Sanders notes in her letter to America's governors. "Spending three or more hours a day on social media doubles kids’ risk of mental health problems. 46 percent of young teens say social media makes them feel worse about their body."
The tragic consequences of such mental health problems since smartphones and social media became ubiquitous, Sanders underscores, include a tripling of suicide rates among young teens, close to a 200 percent increase in self-harm among girls, and a 150 percent increase in depression among teenagers.
At the same time, "[t]een math, reading, and science scores have dropped in the United States and other developed nations since 2012, while school alienation has risen across the board," Sanders emphasizes in her letter. "Big Tech companies got American kids addicted to their products by preying on adolescent insecurities and basic human psychology. The result is a public health crisis that’s devastating childhoods and destroying lives."
In short, the kids are not alright. But Sanders isn't willing to give up on them or stand by while harm continues or worsens.
Arguing "there is a path forward," Sanders points to "a bipartisan group of states" — including her own — that have already enacted legislation to protect kids from social media harms. "In Arkansas, we passed the Social Media Safety Act, which requires parental consent for minors to create new social media accounts," she notes. "States have also pursued legislation to protect kids from social media advertising, enacted online privacy protections for kids, and required mandatory social media safety features for kids. Unfortunately, Big Tech-supported interest groups have blocked many of these laws and policies," she warns of the likely opposition to her push for nationwide implementation of policies to protect kids online.
Speaking of "The Anxious Generation," Sanders commends leaders to "work together to promote and implement" four key recommendations derived from Haidt and other experts:
1. No smartphones before high school
2. No social media before 16
3. Phone-free schools
4. More outdoor play and childhood independence
Pledging to pursue such an agenda in Arkansas, Sanders encourages other governors to "read this book and join me."
"Millions of American kids have fallen into the dark sewer of social media and screen addiction," Sanders reiterates. "As governors, we need to come together and help save this generation."