TRENTON, NJ – Legislators in Trenton are seeking to approve a bill allowing the state to study the side effects of social media and smartphones among children.
The bill, A1992, will approve the creation of the Commission on the Effects of Smart Phone and Social Media Usage on Adolescents.
“The Commission on the Effects of Smart Phone and Social Media Usage on Adolescents is established. The purpose of the commission is to study the extent of smartphone and social media usage in public schools and to determine the effects that use has on students’ physical and emotional health and academic performance,” the bill reads.
The commission will study the effects that use has on the emotional health of students, including incidents of harassment, intimidation or bullying, or other disruptive or violent behaviors; the effects that use has on the academic performance of students; the effects that use has on the physical health of students, including incidents of depression, sleep deprivation, weight loss or gain, or high blood pressure; and the establishment of smartphone and social media usage standards, including limiting the amount of time students spend on electronic devices during the school day; and