POTTSTOWN — Teens, parents, law enforcement officials and advocates shared their perspectives on how social media negatively affects student learning, socialization and mental health during a public hearing of the Senate Majority Policy Committee hosted by Sen. Tracy Pennycuick (R-24) today.
“As chair of the Senate Communications and Technology Committee, I have firsthand insight into the growing concerns surrounding young people’s overexposure to social media and the potential harms of excessive online engagement. We must do more to raise awareness and educate parents and educators about these risks and how to help protect our children in an increasingly digital world,” said Pennycuick.
“Kids and teens are spending more time on social media than ever before, and it’s becoming a major health and safety concern,” said Sen. Dave Argall (R-29), chair of the policy committee. “Hearing about the good, the bad and the ugly of social media directly from those affected is invaluable as we continue working to keep young people safe online.”
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday led the first panel, providing an update on his office’s efforts to protect children online and hold technology companies accountable. His office recently reached a significant agreement with Facebook parent company Meta, which secured $516 million to $729 million for youth mental health support and sets time restrictions, age verification requirements and limits on inappropriate content for minors. Sunday has filed similar lawsuits against TikTok and Snapchat, alleging the companies misrepresented the prevalence of adult-oriented material and other harmful content to secure a lower age rating on app stores.
Sunday also thanked Pennycuick for her efforts on legislation to provide tools for law enforcement to address child sexual abuse material created by AI and ban “nudification” apps. He said her leadership “has protected children, put predators in jail and made our communities safer.”
Ruby Dhillon, the parent of a teenager who was a victim of AI-generated child sexual abuse material, shared how nudification apps harmed her family and community. Her daughter was one of 60 young women whose images were sexualized without consent and shared online. In the aftermath, those affected grappled with depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, and parents struggled to provide support, especially given the lack of resources and understanding surrounding this type of harm. She called for this technology to be banned as soon as possible.
Christine Stutman, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness Montgomery County, outlined recent youth mental health trends. She shared that while recent student mental health surveys have shown improvement, almost 30% of students in Montgomery County reported they felt depressed or sad most days, and 18% sometimes thought life is not worth living. She noted the key question for policymakers to consider is not just how to get young people off their phones, but how to create an environment in which young people are mentally equipped to navigate both the digital and offline world safely.
Video of the full hearing and written testimony are available on the Senate Majority Policy Committee website.