HOLLADAY — Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Monday said that he believes social media is negatively impacting the mental health, social connection and emotional well-being of Utah teens.
“Increasingly, kids and adults are turning to social media for connections. We don’t spend as much time with our families and churches and schools and community groups. We become starved for this in-person connection,” Cox told a crowd of parents, teachers and community leaders gathered at Bonneville Jr. High School.
While he acknowledged that social media has its benefits — like helping people reconnect with old friends and stay closer to loved ones who may live far away — it is the lack of in-person connection that can be eroded by overusing social media that is a concern to Cox.
A 2018 Pew Research Center survey of nearly 750 13- to 17-year-olds found that 45% are online almost constantly and 97% use a social media platform, such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat.
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Written by LOGAN STEFANICH, KSL.com.
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