Social Media

Now that Florida state law has given school districts the green light to restrict cellphone use in classrooms, school boards across the Tampa Bay area are deciding how to approach the issue.

At the 2024 Government Social Media Conference, officials shared their insight on how to operate in the changing landscape of social media. They also discussed what to expect as AI comes onto the scene.

Keegan Lee was in ninth grade when she realized her addiction to social media apps had become "all-consuming." She has spent much of the past several years writing and raising awareness about social media addiction.

A new Georgia bill could create changes to Bibb County School District classrooms, and how students use social media, though the district won't comment on the legislation yet.

Amid a growing body of research and lawsuits related to the subject, social media addiction was the focus of a presentation at the National School Boards Association conference this week, featuring a student with firsthand experience.

Officials at Quincy School District in Washington say phones have changed the dynamics of bullying by extending it beyond school hours, and most bullying incidents start on social media.

Data and anecdotes alike have shown excessive use of smartphones and social media are negatively impacting students' social-emotional skills. Many school districts are implementing programs to counter this.

Age verification laws create myriad privacy risks, and requiring platforms to collect government IDs or face scans opens the door to potential exploitation by hackers and enemy governments.

In Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Utah, lawmakers this session are trying to balance digital privacy and children’s mental health issues as they seek to implement social media mandates.

Clinical psychologist Lisa Strohman connects technology overuse with rampant mental health problems in young people, and she says they will need help from parents, teachers and administrators to deal with this.

The bill would prevent kids younger than 16 from creating a social media account without parental consent as well as compel social media companies to better monitor group chats with minors.

Complete bans, age verification and new online tools are in play as government, the tech industry and parents contend for influence and control in determining how to keep minors safe online.

Lawmakers are looking at data collection from minors, and how tech companies are using it. They’re also pushing for default privacy settings for social media users. Trade groups are opposed.

The president of a private liberal arts college in Maine is urging students not to use Blind Tiger, a social media app through which some anonymous users are heaping abuse and hateful messages on students.

Amendments to the Utah Social Media Regulation Act would allow lawsuits if it can be proven that “addictive social media algorithms” contributed to the worsening of a child’s mental health. Related laws have been stopped in two other states.

University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans plans to block Yik Yak, Fizz, Whisper and Sidechat from campus IT infrastructure. He likened them to drugs whose harmful effects are becoming more well understood.

On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a ban on social media for kids under 16 and lawmakers introduced new legislation that would let 14- and 15-year-olds access social media with a parent’s consent. The ban would still apply to children 13 and under.

The bill would bar people under 16 from setting up accounts on most social media platforms. House Speaker Paul Renner and Gov. Ron DeSantis are collaborating to address the latter’s concerns, which include protecting parental rights.