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Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | April 12, 2024 03:09 PM |
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| From: | Senator Ryan P. Aument |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Limiting Access to Smartphones and Social Media in Schools |
| In recent years, Pennsylvania and states across the country have poured money into services to combat the declining mental health of our youth. Last year alone the Commonwealth provided $100 million in new funding to schools to care for their students’ mental health. While we continue to provide resources to help students in need of mental health services, I strongly believe we must also target one of the root causes of our children’s mental distress: widespread access to smartphones and social media apps. By now, we all have likely seen some alarming statistics showing the steep decline in mental health in children since the early 2010s:
Children are more depressed, anxious, and lonely than ever before. This time frame directly correlates to the explosion in the use of smartphones and social media apps, and the alarming trends began prior to the pandemic. This mental health crisis coinciding with smartphone and social media use is seen not only in America but in countries around the world, meaning these distressing trends are unrelated to the shutdowns, economics, or other world events often attributed to the mental health decline. Between 2010-2015, the percent of U.S. teens with smart phones rose from 23% to 73%, with a quarter admitting to being online “almost constantly”. Now, teens spend an average of nearly 8 hours on screens per day, the equivalent of a full-time job. Sleep patterns also changed during that time, with more and more teens reporting less sleep and studies showing that access to and use of mobile devices before bed were significantly associated with inadequate sleep quantity, poor sleep quality, and excessive daytime sleepiness. In addition to the mental and emotional toll that excessive smartphone and social media use has on our children, behavioral issues have also increased in the form of bullying, fighting, and costly pranks. In 2021, the TikTok challenge “devious licks” spread across the country with kids filming themselves damaging school property and sharing videos on social media. Schools across Pennsylvania reported vandalism due to this one challenge, from Boyertown School District, to Shippensburg Area School District, to schools in Washington, Green and Fayette County. These harmful ideas all gained traction and fanfare on social media, but have real costs to our local schools and taxpayers. Unsurprisingly, academic achievement declined over this same period, correlating directly with the rise in smartphone use. In 2012, math and reading scores dropped for the first time in 25 years, beginning a downward trend that continues today. And when data showing teens receive an average of 237 notifications on their phone a day, it’s not hard to see that this constant distraction is having a major impact on their ability to learn. The data correlation between the mental health decline, social decline, and academic decline of children and the rise of smartphones cannot be denied. Many parents and teachers alike see the devastating impact these devices are having on children and are asking for help. Some Pennsylvania schools have even joined a lawsuit against social media companies, arguing that these media giants have intentionally designed their products to be addictive and have marketed them to children despite knowing the harm to children’s mental health and development. Our students deserve the opportunity to learn without a constant distraction in their pockets. Studies show cell phone restrictions in school have a positive impact on academic performance, and many students say restrictions have improved their mental health. To that end, I intend to introduce legislation that would incorporate the use of secure, lockable phone bags in which students would deposit their mobile device. At the end of the day, students would have their bag unlocked and be able to utilize their phone upon leaving the school. Please join me in addressing a root cause of the mental health and academic decline experienced by Pennsylvania students. |
Document #1
| Description: | Require the use of secure, lockable phone bags in all public schools across the Commonwealth. | |
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Document #2
Introduced as SB1207
| Description: | Pilot program for a number of schools to utilize secure, lockable phone bags purchased through funding provided by the state. Reporting data will track changes related to mental health surveys, incidents of bullying, incidents of self-harm, academic performance, and other valuable data to determine the impact of a phone-free school setting. |
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