b'socialmediaforbrandsandnow but not have all the other apps and things, Pollock says.works with the nonprofit The Cen- Smartphone alternatives such as Gabb, Pinwheel and Bark phones are ter for Humane Technology, led bysome of the devices (along with watches and articles) available as resources on technologyethicistTristanHarris,the Team Unscreen website, teamunscreen.com. whowasfeaturedinNetflixsThePeer pressure and screen omnipresence are what fuel youth usage. A recent Social Dilemma. Pew Research Center survey conducted this fall found nearly 50 percent of Stosselhasfirsthandexperiencechildren ages 13 to 17 say theyre online almost constantly. This follows the designingsocialmedianotifica- same groups research in 2022 that showed 95 percent of young people in tions meant to distract people. Hethe same age group report using social media platforms such as YouTube, explainedtheriseofgamification,TikTok, Snapchat and Facebook. That same study showed that nearly 40 which uses techniques such as points,percent of children ages 8-12 use social media, although 13 is the minimum badges, leaderboards and rewards toage touted as allowed by most social media platforms in the United States.encourage user engagement throughAustralia recently banned social media for anyone under 16 years of age. things such as quizzes, tagging, pollsLast year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murphy called for a warning label andreactionemojis.Stosselsayson social media platforms altogether, saying we are living through a youth technologyhasmanybenefits.AMax Stossel, founder of Social Awaken- mental health crisis.ing, has run social media for brands smartphone provides unlimited ac- and now works with the nonprofit theIn November, the South Orange-Maplewood School District funded a cess to the internet, good and bad.Center for Humane Technology. Photoprogram at Maplewood Middle School that partners with Yondr, a company And sometimes, the very bad. courtesy of socialawakening.org. that promotes phone-free spaces. The Board of Educations Director of Com-Stosselsmessageresonatedwithmunications, Eshaya Draper, says students secure their phones and smart-South Orange resident Vanessa Pollock of Pollock Properties Group and moth- watches in pouches during the school day, with access during their conference er of three, ages 14 to 21. When she allowed her eldest to have a smartphone toor 8th periods at 2:45 p.m. Students maintain possession of their devices and walk to elementary school years ago, parents did not realize the potential riskscan quickly access them for emergencies or when heading home. associated with it.Superintendent of Schools Jason Bing says, We will continue to examine We didnt know what we didnt know, Pollock says. She has since be- options and evaluate what other districts are implementing as well.come aware of how she and her family use technology and social media. TheThe school district joined hundreds of school districts in 32 states suing good news is that there are now devices that will honor what I think mostsocial media companies such as TikTok, Meta, and YouTube over a grow-parents are craving, which is the ability to call their child and text their childing mental health crisis among youth. The Board of Education unanimously Where Summer FunMeets Athletic Excellence.Register for our Athletic Summer Camps Today!Scan the QR Code to View our Offerings &Register!1600 Martine AvenueScotch Plains, NJ 07076feature story /17'