Virginia's Youngkin signs directive to combat youth 'addictive' social media use

An executive order has been issued to empower and support Virginia parents seeking to protect children from “addictive social media,” which advocates say is a factor in the youth mental health crisis.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin issued Executive Order 43, which will mobilize commonwealth agencies to provide parents, educators and health care professionals with resources in an effort to combat “the negative effects of excessive social media use.”

In addition to resources, the order will also establish the Reclaiming Childhood Task Force, which will bring together parents, educators, mental health experts, faith leaders, public safety officials, technology experts and community leaders in an effort “to identify actionable solutions to improve youth mental health outcomes.”

Combating the youth mental health crisis has been a priority for Youngkin, who issued Executive Order 33 in July. This directive established guidelines for introducing cellphone-free education in K-12 public schools. The task force will recommend that the executive branch and General Assembly “build upon efforts” of Youngkin's action.

The two moves similarly aim to curb social media use. Earlier, Youngkin’s office cited data on children’s daily average social media usage of 4.8 hours, adding that studies have shown that youth “spending more than three hours a day on social media double the risk of poor mental health.”

“Most alarming is the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention data from 2019-2021, reporting that the rate of suicide has increased 167% since 2010 for girls and 91% since 2010 for boys. In the same timeframe, boys and girls experienced a spike in depression of 161% and 145%, respectively,” according to a July release from Youngkin.

The task force will develop a Social Media and Mental Health Toolkit, designed in partnership with health care providers to “emphasize prevention strategies, and regional training for behavior health professionals.”

Youngkin underscored the youth mental health crisis, saying tackling the crisis requires an all-hands-on-deck approach.

“Virginia and the nation’s children are facing a youth mental health crisis driven by the effects of unrestricted cell phone use and addictive social media platforms," Youngkin said. "The scope of this challenge is going to require all of us, private sector, non-profit organizations and government can support parents as they work to improve their children’s mental health. Executive Order 43 will empower parents with the tools they need to protect their children and sets the stage for a statewide response to reclaim childhood and ensure the next generation can thrive.”

Thursday’s announcement of the latest executive action coincides with Virginia’s Reclaiming Childhood Youth Mental Health summit, which brings together experts and stakeholders to address the youth mental health crisis.