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Every parent, teacher and caring adult has seen the dangers of social media. Maybe you’ve witnessed a child hurt by online bullying or overwhelmed by constant comparison. These aren’t rare stories — they’re happening every day.
As Indiana’s secretary of education, you’ll typically hear me talk about reading, STEM and lighting the fire of purpose in our students for what’s next. Each of these priorities remains top of mind — and increasingly, social media is an additional topic we must urgently elevate. Its impact on children is clear and is real, threatening the academic performance and well-being of our greatest asset: our kids.
This impact is bigger than an “education issue,” and it’s bigger than an “Indiana issue.” It is a societal issue threatening our entire country. And our schools and educators are uniquely positioned to see this harm daily.
An entire generation of Hoosier children is bearing the weight of the largest unregulated experiment ever conducted on young minds, and the discussion our state is having today on this issue is long overdue.
For most of you reading this, social media arrived when we were already well into adulthood. We had childhoods free from constant comparison, cyberbullying, algorithm-driven manipulation and 24/7 access to content designed to keep us constantly engaged and constantly scrolling.
Our children, growing up today, do not have that same luxury. And the irreparable damage being inflicted on them daily via social media should frighten all of us.
Rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicidal ideation among children and teens have risen sharply during the social media era. Middle schools report students afraid to come to school after viral harassment. Families struggle with their children experiencing loss of sleep, eating disorders, constant online pressure, and exposure to inappropriate and dangerous content while their young minds are still developing.
As teenagers, the regions of the brain responsible for self-regulation, impulse control and emotional resilience are still under construction. Meanwhile, social media platforms are intentionally engineered to be addictive — using reward loops, notifications and algorithms to capture a young child’s attention at all costs. That’s not a fair fight, and it’s not one our children can — or should — be expected to navigate alone.
As a society, we already agree that young kids shouldn’t drive cars, buy tobacco or gamble. This is not intended to punish them; it’s because we understand developmental limits and adult responsibility. Setting boundaries for social media is no different. It’s about giving kids time to grow, learn face-to-face communication and discover who they are before exposing them to platforms designed to exploit their vulnerabilities.
Other states are already moving. Thoughtful, bipartisan legislation is emerging across the country to require age verification, limit data collection, restrict addictive design features and hold companies accountable when they knowingly endanger minors.
Indiana can — and should — lead with strong protections that put children first. To our legislators, parents and families, educators, and other stakeholders, let’s work together to set a clear boundary that requires parental consent to be on social media and prohibits these addictive, harmful design features for children 15 years old and under. These important guardrails will empower Indiana parents and protect our youngest Hoosiers.
Now is the time to take bold action and to stand up for Hoosier children. Together, let’s invest in our greatest asset and end this social media experiment on our young kids.•
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Jenner, a Republican, is the Indiana secretary of education.
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