APA CEO Arthur C. Evans, Jr., PhD, joined the Kids Online Health and Safety Task Forceopens in new window on January 31, 2024, for its first public listening session, which convened experts from government, academia, and nonprofits. The task force is hosted by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Economic Council, the Gender Policy Council, the Domestic Policy Council, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. It is focused on reviewing current industry efforts to promote the health and safety of children, examining best practices to help caretakers protect kids’ privacy, and developing guidance, policy recommendations, and a toolkit for industry leaders to implement across social media products.
Opening remarks from the task force leads and other White House staff can be viewed on the Kids Online Health and Safety Task Force Principal Listening Sessionopens in new window webpage.
Evans shared findings from APA’s 2023 Health Advisory on Social Media Use in Adolescence (PDF, 431KB)opens in new window and stressed that social media platform operators, policymakers, and other stakeholders are not doing enough to prevent the harmful impacts of social media on youth. The advisory was created to help highlight the way these technologies are impacting youth and what needs to be done to protect children and teens. He stressed the need for more transparency, research, and action to ensure that policymakers at the session are doing everything possible to maximize the benefits of social media use while mitigating harm.
This session follows APA Services' comments with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (PDF, 300KB)opens in new window in response to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) request for informationopens in new window on how best to protect youth mental health, safety, and privacy online. In those comments, APA Services shared insights and findings from psychological science with the NTIA to ensure its future regulations align with APA’s goals related to improving the impact of social media on youth.
For more information, contact Corbin Evans.