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1
SENATE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, Research demonstrates that social media use has
3detrimental effects on children and adolescents; often, social
4media use has been found to exacerbate existing mental health
5disorders and even cause mental health problems in children,
6adolescents, and young adults; and
7 WHEREAS, The National Center for Health Statistics found
8suicide rates among youth aged 10 to 24 in the United States
9increased by 57% between 2017 and 2018, and early estimates
10suggest there were tragically more than 6,600 deaths by
11suicide among the 10 to 24 age group in 2020; and
12 WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
13(CDC) has reported suicide as the second leading cause of
14death for people aged 10 to 14 and 20 to 34; and
15 WHEREAS, Since the COVID-19 pandemic, these trends have
16escalated with emergency room visits for suicide attempts
17specifically among girls between the ages of 12 and 17
18increasing by 26% during the summer of 2020 and 50% during the
19winter of 2021; and
20 WHEREAS, According to the Pew Research Center, most
21adolescents and young adults use social media, with 35%

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1reporting they use at least one social media platform almost
2constantly, 54% saying it is difficult to give up social
3media, and 36% admitting to spending excessive time on it; and
4 WHEREAS, The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General Advisory found,
5during crucial periods of adolescent brain development, social
6media use is predictive of decreases in life satisfaction as
7well as additional concerns around body image, problems with
8sleep, and other issues; and
9 WHEREAS, One study found that the users who spend the most
10time on social media are 1.66 times more likely to be depressed
11in comparison to those who use it the least; and
12 WHEREAS, Too much time spent on social media apps can lead
13to an increase in body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and
14low self-esteem, and these negative effects are not limited to
15teenage girls; reports reveal that 46% of all teenagers aged
1613 to 17 expressed that social media made them feel worse about
17their bodies; and
18 WHEREAS, Social media users may also fall victim to
19cyberbullying; those who have experienced cybervictimization
20were 2.35 times more likely to self-harm, 2.10 times more
21likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors, 2.57 times more likely
22to attempt suicide, and 2.15 times more likely to have

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1suicidal thoughts; and
2 WHEREAS, A recent study from the American Psychological
3Association found that young adults who reduced their social
4media screen time by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant
5improvements in how they viewed their weight and overall
6appearance; therefore, be it