Rep. Kimberly Moser, R-Taylor Mill, a sponsor of the bill, said kids across the Commonwealth are struggling with mental health issues at higher rates than seen in previous years. She pointed out that families in her district are grappling with suicides among younger children driven by online forums, cyberbullying, anxiety, and depression.
"I've been working with Jamie Seitz, a mom in Northern Kentucky who lost her sweet daughter, Audrey, to suicide," Moser explained. "She was only 13 years old, and Jamie had all of the parental controls in place."
Thousands of lawsuits have been filed against major social media companies like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube, accusing them of designing addictive platforms that can harm children’s mental health.
The suits include actions by over 40 state attorneys general, hundreds of school districts, and thousands of individual families. Senate Bill 686 now sits with the Kentucky Senate Rules Committee.
Shannon Moody, chief policy and strategy officer for Kentucky Youth Advocates, said programming funded by the bill could include tutoring, mentoring, and encouraging positive relationships and connections.
"Especially a focus on suicide risk and building awareness around that for our young people," Moody emphasized. "Because it's become very clear that there's a growing need for that across the state."
Aleah Stigall, a senior high school student in Boyle County, said she has seen firsthand the toll technology, specifically social media, has taken on her generation.
"It's just created such detrimental mental health effects on my generation and even younger generations," Stigall observed. "Because they take everything that they see on social media so seriously."
Stigall has created her own nonprofit, called "Disconnect To Connect - Let’s Get Real," aimed at educating young people on the importance of developing relationships with people in real life.
