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This story is about suicide. If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Friday that he will address his state’s part in the national youth mental health crisis by planning to give parents the power to sue Big Tech companies and “hold bad actors accountable.”
Sanders will also address the issue at the World Economic Forum next week in Davos, Switzerland. she will join “The Anxious Generation” author Jonathan Haidt will examine the role of smartphones and social media in causing harm to American youth.
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Sara Huckabee Sanders (AFP Getty)
In Davos, Sanders will also join Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in a bipartisan session discussing state priorities and the role of state governments in a presidential transition, as President Biden concedes to President-elect Trump .
On the issue of Big Tech, Sanders told Fox News Digital that protecting children is paramount to his administration.
“In the last decade, across the United States, anxiety, depression and suicide among teenagers have skyrocketed, and the culprit is clear: unrestricted access to phones and social media,” he said.
“Under my leadership, Arkansas will act to empower parents and protect children.
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“I look forward to…Davos talking about this critical issue and how my administration is taking steps to hold Big Tech accountable.”
In terms of addressing Big Tech’s alleged role in exacerbating the national youth mental health crisis, Sanders noted that he had previously launched a phone-free schools pilot program in 2024. The program offers schools state funding for phone cases. phones to avoid their use during school hours. day.
Sanders, whose father, Mike Huckabee, was governor of Arkansas, said he also plans to update the state’s Social Media Safety Act.
In terms of holding Big Tech responsible for the mental health crisis, Sanders said that “modern threats… require modern solutions.”
“Nowhere is this more true than with our children,” he said in his State of the State.
“In the last decade, across the United States, suicide rates among teens have tripled, self-harm among girls has increased nearly 200%, and depression among teens has increased 150%. The culprit is clear: unrestricted access to phones and social networks.
He had invited a mother from Centerton, Arkansas, whose 16-year-old son took his own life after going from an active, sports-loving teenager to one who spent increasing amounts of time watching social media videos on his phone.
Social media applications are seen on the screen of an iPhone. (Getty)
The boy’s mother tried to take the phone from him and finally retired to his room, where within 13 minutes he had already taken his life.
“Months later, recovering from the pain,” Sanders said, “(the boy’s mother) decided to check (her) phone. She went on her TikTok and what she saw surprised her: video after video giving step-by-step instructions.” about how to take your own life.”
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“We will give moms like (her) the right to sue Big Tech companies under state law, so they can hold bad actors accountable.”
In a recent New York interviewHaidt – the author who appeared with Sanders in Davos – expressed surprise at the difference between the “If you sit too close to the TV, your eyes will burn” generation and the new generation being warned about the dangers of social networks.
“The tech environment of the ’90s was miraculous. We loved it. The millennial generation grew up with it. Their mental health was fine… And then in 2012 and 2013: boom. The charts go up a lot. Mental health drops by a cliff, it’s incredibly sudden,” Haidt said.
