By Angelina Tang
On Friday, May 24th, NY Governor Kathy Hochul visited Williamsville East High to hold a private discussion about social media’s impact on teenagers with ten lucky East students, in addition to holding a small, local press conference. Additionally, senior Aniyah Ramadan got to speak to the press, and senior Angelina Tang acted as student reporter representing the East Side News and Williamsville East.
Kathy Hochul has been trying to push for two pieces of legislation to be passed: the SAFE for Kids Act, and the New York Child Data Protection Act. According to a Children’s Online Safety brochure created by the Hochul administration to lay out why this legislation is being considered, there is a “youth mental health crisis” going on right now, and it has strong correlations with social media usage and addictive feeds, or the use of an algorithm like TikTok’s “For You” page that utilizes user preferences and data to present one with content they’d like.
Between 2016 and 2020–so even prior to the pandemic and quarantine, which created an epidemic of loneliness–the number of minors diagnosed with depression increased by 27%, and the rates of death in minors due to suicide increased by 70% between 2008 and 2020. Furthermore, adolescents who spend 3 or more hours on social media per day are twice as likely to demonstrate symptoms of depression, anxiety, and/or self-harm. 2011 was the year addictive feeds were introduced to popular social media sites, and between then and 2018, major depressive episodes among 12-17 year olds increased by 52%, and suicide in 10-14 year olds doubled. These statistics are troubling, and it’s not just New York that’s pushing for social media regulations–over 40 states are currently filing suit against Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, for targeting minors with its addictive feeds.
Kathy Hochul’s approach is to push for legislation regulating social media use by minors. The SAFE for Kids Act will require parental consent for a minor to utilize addictive feeds, making their feed sorted chronologically instead or simply allowing them to see popular content at the time. It will also allow parents to regulate usage of social media between 12 AM to 6 AM, and also block notifications during those hours. The New York Child Data Protection Act regulates the usage of minors’ personal data and preferences by social media companies, prohibiting its use without consent or strict necessity.
Additionally, Hochul has clarified that age verification or parental consent won’t be needed to view social media in the first place–parents are only given the extra options of regulating the account. Additionally, parents cannot monitor the actions taken on the account, such as posts viewed, people followed, and DMs sent. These safeguards allow students to engage in communities that are necessary to their development, such as the LGBT community or certain ethnic group communities for some, without their parents limiting their freedom to explore things like their gender and sexuality.
While at East, Hochul spoke with a round-table of ten students in the Learning Lab at about 10 AM, hosted by Mrs. Brown, Mr. Raskopf, and Mrs. Fey-Daly. The discussion was regarding the students’ personal questions and experiences with social media, and it was completely private, so no information can be disclosed about the discussion. At about 11 AM, she made her way downstairs to a press conference with several local channels, including Channel 7 and Channel 2. There, she answered a number of questions, including one by East’s student reporter, Angelina Tang, who asked, “How will the SAFE for Kids Act seek to circumvent minors who lie about their age, thereby rendering an age-based restriction ineffective?” Hochul replied that they were “working on it” and that the legislation will account for this, but it is heavily unclear how this can be accomplished without age verification or government ID. She also clarified that the state government will not be relying on parental guidance to enforce their regulations.
Additionally, Hochul discussed the importance of social media regulation with minors, stating that in the schools she has visited, some students have said to her, “You’ve got to save us from ourselves.” Social media can be addicting, and it has proven to be a problem since 2011, not just after Covid. Hochul is seeking to “take us back to a time” when we weren’t governed by our phones, where minors have the freedom to socialize without fear of missing out on something online. In regards to other efforts she has made in combating the mental health crisis, Hochul has opened 137 school-based mental health clinics and devoted $1 billion to mental health support in New York.
As for off-topic questions, WGRZ2’s reporter questioned Hochul about allowing all New Yorkers to freely vote, as she previously called Trump’s supporters “clowns.” She attempted to clarify that those she views as clowns are the likes of Trump himself and George Santos, as well as Trump’s diehard January 6th supporters. She says that “[Trump] brought his clowns with him,” and that New Yorkers are not among them. While she criticizes these Trump supporters, she restates that New Yorkers may vote for whoever they want without criticism.
After Hochul left, Aniyah Ramadan took the podium to speak to reporters as a student testimonial to the impact of social media on youth. She says that it can be “overwhelming” when you’re constantly wired up, but that she personally has the discipline to put the phone down when she starts to feel that way. She acknowledges that many teens these days, however, do not have that discipline, which can lead to negative mental health consequences. She also credits her parents with teaching her self control and using social media correctly. In terms of what she’s learned to do in distracting herself from social media, she’s found herself busy with homework and has learned to enjoy just spending time for herself and. She says that she has also enjoyed spending time outside, either doing homework or walking the dog. There is much many youth can do to emulate Ramadan’s responsibility in terms of social media use.
Williamsville East is honored to have hosted Kathy Hochul, and we are grateful that she selected our students to speak to!
Photos by Angelina Tang
