The 2025 General Assembly is arguably the health session. With so much focus being placed on Medicaid, less fiscally impactful issues are struggling to bubble up to the top of committee agendas. One issue that Democrats and Republicans, in both the Senate and the House, seem to agree deserves attention is Hoosier children’s access to social media.
This session, Senate Bill 11 and House Bill 1321, are both focused on providing families and caregivers much needed support to navigate the murky waters of social media and kids. Just like last year’s ban on cellphones in classrooms, this year’s child-focused social media legislation is set to bring schools and families one step closer to much needed guardrails.
Leading the way
While Hoosiers are not historically fans of regulation, when it comes to children and access to technology, we are big fans. In addition to the cell phone ban in 2024, Indiana was the first state in the country to pass legislation related to nonconsensual AI nudity. Both have been adopted by other states and have been overwhelmingly popular with families and educators alike. This year’s legislation focused on social media is set to keep this trend rolling.
At Northview Middle School in Indianapolis, the school and the PTO are working together to offer programs like Wait Until 8th and parent nights focused on Healthy Relationships with Technology. According to Principal Thom Hakim, “The pandemic put technology in kid’s hands so much earlier with so little guidance. We really wanted to get our classrooms back. We chose to take cellphones away a year before the law went into place. It took that first year to put some teeth in the rules, but now it’s the norm. Kids are interacting with each other again. It’s really the impact of social media outside of school that we worry about now. ”
It’s a girl thing
According to Dr. Jonathan Haidt, “social media use is a cause of anxiety, depression, and other aliments, not just a correlate.” He goes on to note that social media is especially damaging to girls due to its reliance on visually oriented platforms that provide girls unrealistic standards of perfection and offer endless ways to damage other girls’ relationships and reputations. Girls who are heavy users of social media are three times more likely to be depressed then nonusers. His studies further found that social media harmed the social lives of students who stayed away from it.
This national research appears to be playing itself out with Hoosier girls. According to the 2024, Indiana Girls Report, “Being bullied online puts girls at risk for depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation — and a loss of connection with caregivers and peers. Girls in Indiana share that cyberbullying is relentless — and inescapable.”
Additionally, as technology advances, bullying tools are keeping pace — requiring that school policies and federal and state laws evolve quickly to keep up. Danielle Shockey, CEO of Girls Scouts of Indiana shares “The Indiana Girl Report is an invaluable resource that has shed significant light on the hardships girls are facing in Indiana and is already being used as a tool to shape policy to address those challenges”.
The Paramount Health Data Project has also been examining the effects of social media on girls as part of their work for the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction’s ALL IN program. According to Dr. Mary Jo Rattermann, chief research officer for the project, teenage girls know the dangers but need our help to navigating a healthy relationship with social media. According to Rattermann, “Based on our research, teenage girls are sophisticated consumers of social media. They understand how algorithms work. They understand everything is carefully curated, but they still have a deeply emotional response to it.”
Hitting close to home
Recently, a student at Mooresville High School, was stopped from engaging in a mass shooting planned for the cafeteria at lunchtime on Valentine’s Day. According to the probable cause affidavit, she had been involved in unmonitored chats on a social media platform displaying her plans. She also shared that she had been bullied and had struggled to receive mental health supports recommended by the school. This proved to be a dangerous mix that put every student and staff member at Mooresville High School in harms’ way.
The big question now is whether comprehensive legislation specific to social media will make it out of this session.
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