2023 was the year that powerful tech companies and their platforms began to be held responsible for their roles in the ongoing youth mental health crisis. Across the country, state attorneys general and school districts filed lawsuits against Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram), ByteDance (parent company of TikTok) and Snap, Inc. which operates […]

Fighting Child Abuse & Neglect: 2023 in Review It’s hard to believe another year is winding down, and that we’re just days away from 2024. For the team at Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance, the mission for 2023 was the same as every year: provide education, support, and training programs to make Pennsylvania safe for children. […]

A one-year-old in New York City. A 2-year-old in Seattle. A 10-month-old in San Fransisco. All dead from fentanyl overdoses. Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid typically used to treat patients with chronic severe pain or severe pain following surgery, has become popular for illicit use for two key reasons: it’s cheaper to make than other opioids […]

With nominations open for our 2024 Blue Ribbon Champions for Safe Kids Awards, the Pa Family Support Alliance team wanted to catch up with a past winner, and one name immediately came to mind: Chief Charles T. Streightiff. The Huntingdon Borough Police Department chief — who was the first law enforcement official to receive this […]

A Pennsylvania Senate panel this week unanimously approved Senate Bill 22, which sets conditions for minors using social media. If adopted by the General Assembly, SB22 would: SB22 was sponsored by Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) and Vincent Hughes (D-Philadelphia) in May 2022. The PFSA team has been monitoring this issue, and we have been out […]

The recent release of the annual Child Protective Services report from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) “provides a picture of the challenges we face in eradicating child abuse,” as Gov. Josh Shapiro and DHS Secretary Val Arkoosh, MD, MPH wrote in the report’s welcome letter. And while the 2022 report shows that there […]

The recent arrests of Jehovah’s Witnesses members from congregations across Pennsylvania on alleged child sex abuse charges reminds us of the responsibilities we all have for protecting the children in our care from harm. For faith-based and other organizations that work with children, it is critical that child protection be integrated into all aspects of […]

Child abuse and neglect are serious problems, affecting one in seven children nationwide. The cases in Pennsylvania have increased in recent years. Many of these children will suffer long-term impacts due to this abuse. But did you know we can do something about it?! Child abuse and neglect are preventable Abuse of children does not […]

Kids aged 8 to 12 spend over five hours per day on screens. With this excessive screen time raising mental health worries, the American Psychological Association has recommended mandatory training for kids before they sign up for an account. Researchers and psychologists aren’t the only ones with worries: lawmakers too are focused on controlling social […]

Every April, PFSA observes and promotes National Child Abuse Prevention Month. We are committed to creating an environment where Pennsylvania’s children can live and thrive free from abuse and neglect. One of our priorities is to call attention to the problem of child abuse and how to prevent it because – if we know better, […]