Mitigating harm caused by social media

Dr. Stephan Blandford. (Image: Children’s Alliance)

Over the past few years, I’ve heard from friends, fellow parents, community members, and child advocates that kids are struggling with their mental health. And because a core value of Children’s Alliance is that we advocate on the issues that community members find most important, I have listened carefully as our members tell us this is the most important issue facing their communities. 

No, Washington kids don’t have more behavioral health challenges than kids in other states. But we have done little to address them. So, in a nationwide ranking of states providing access to care, Washington currently ranks 48th in the nation for youth mental health, 1 in 8 Washington eighth graders made a plan to attempt suicide in the last year, and 80,000 adolescents in our state are experiencing major depression without professional care. This is unacceptable. We cannot idly stand by while young people suffer.

Children’s Alliance has released two reports on the youth behavioral health crisis since 2023. This year we’re using what we’ve learned to advance legislation to address this issue through prevention and intervention. 

Prevent issues before they start by holding social media corporations accountable

Firstly, we collaborated with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, Representative Lisa Callan and Senator Noel Frame to introduce Senate Bill 5708, which addresses one of the key sources of behavioral health challenges that our children face. The bill seeks to mitigate the harms of social media on the mental and behavioral health of children by requiring that social media corporations create a safer online experience for young users and limit design features that contribute to social media addiction. 

Research has shown that with just 3 hours of social media use per day, the risk of depression and anxiety in young people doubles. Recent reports also show that many children and teens are spending a significant amount of time using social media platforms:

SB 5708 will:

• Require social media platforms to estimate the age of their users and restrict the use of certain personal information
• Prohibit social media companies from providing addictive feeds to minors
• Prohibit social media companies from sending push notifications to minor users at night and during the school day without parental consent
• Ensure users of all ages have tools to dictate how they want to engage with social media

These commonsense restrictions on social media companies will positively impact our children’s use of social media platforms and help prevent behavioral health issues before they start. 

SB 5708 bill passed the Senate on March 12 and now has until April 2 to pass in the House of Representatives.

Expand access to behavioral health care for kids across the state

Secondly, we partnered again with youth mental health champion Rep. Callan to introduce House Bill 2038, which would establish a Youth Behavioral Health Account to fund near-and long-term efforts to address the youth behavioral health crisis.

This account would be funded by a modest tax on social media companies, which is another step in holding them accountable for the negative impacts their products can have on young people. The funds would be spent on:

• A pilot program for telehealth services aimed at removing barriers to care for school-aged youth
• Funding a Chief Officer of Youth Behavioral Health position within the Governor’s Office to better evaluate and coordinate efforts to address the unique issues and challenges impacting young people’s mental and behavioral health
• Funding for the Governor’s Office to support prenatal through 25 behavioral health care, including the Children and Youth Multisystem Care Coordinator and other services and supplies necessary to cover needs for complex care cases
• Behavioral health needs identified by the Children & Youth Behavioral Health Work Group and Washington Thriving (Prenatal through 25 Behavioral Health Strategic Plan) 

These measures will help expand access to care for every child in our state, including those 80,000 who are struggling with major depression without the support they need.

But our state is facing a budget deficit…

Legislators are currently grappling with a budget deficit estimated to be $13 billion over the biennium. But, the cost of not acting on our ranking of 48th in the nation is far greater for our children. The experience of depression and anxiety in young people can result in health issues, lower grades, and a lifetime of unmet potential.  Now is the time to tackle this crisis. Both of these bills have a very small impact on the state budget, but they could have a huge impact for our young people. Washington can’t continue to be one of the worst states in the nation for youth mental health. Our kids can’t afford it. 

___________________________________________

Dr. Stephan Blanford is executive eirector of the Children’s Alliance and has dedicated much of his career to advocacy and policymaking for children and families. He was appointed by Governor Jay Inslee to the Washington Child Care Collaborative Task Force and Dental Therapy Task Force, serves on the national board of Partnership for America’s Children and serves Board Chair for Integrated Schools, a nationwide organization that mobilizes families to practice antiracist school integration.

___________________________________________

Read more:

A push for clearer guidelines in Washington child custody court

Gun control advocates urge parents to take action today