Pa Family Support Alliance (PFSA), the Commonwealth’s leader in child abuse and neglect prevention, has issued the following statement to the U.S. House of Representatives passing legislation Wednesday that could result in a nationwide ban of TikTok:

“Even though the House’s action today was in the interest of national security, a ban of TikTok in the U.S. would be a necessary critical step in addressing our country’s youth and teen mental health crisis. Excessive use of TikTok and other social media platforms among children is linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. 

“However, we cannot rely solely on bans as the solution to the youth and teen mental health crisis. Research shows that disciplining teens for using social media platforms by taking away their devices makes these platforms more enticing to them. It’s important to equip parents, youth and families with the tools and resources they need to foster healthy relationships and interactions with digital technologies, which is why we created the Family Digital Wellness initiative.”

For more information on Family Digital Wellness, please visit https://pafsa.org/family-digital-wellness/.

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