Bill Text: IL SR0882 | 2023-2024 | 103rd General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Declares May 17, 2024 as Take Break from Social Media Day in the State of Illinois.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-1)

Status: (Passed) 2024-05-09 - Chief Co-Sponsor Changed to Sen. Willie Preston [SR0882 Detail]

Download: Illinois-2023-SR0882-Introduced.html

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SR0882 LRB103 39723 ECR 70173 r
SENATE RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, Research demonstrates that social media use has
detrimental effects on children and adolescents; often, social
media use has been found to exacerbate existing mental health
disorders and even cause mental health problems in children,
adolescents, and young adults; and
WHEREAS, The National Center for Health Statistics found
suicide rates among youth aged 10 to 24 in the United States
increased by 57% between 2017 and 2018, and early estimates
suggest there were tragically more than 6,600 deaths by
suicide among the 10 to 24 age group in 2020; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has reported suicide as the second leading cause of
death for people aged 10 to 14 and 20 to 34; and
WHEREAS, Since the COVID-19 pandemic, these trends have
escalated with emergency room visits for suicide attempts
specifically among girls between the ages of 12 and 17
increasing by 26% during the summer of 2020 and 50% during the
winter of 2021; and
WHEREAS, According to the Pew Research Center, most
adolescents and young adults use social media, with 35%

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reporting they use at least one social media platform almost
constantly, 54% saying it is difficult to give up social
media, and 36% admitting to spending excessive time on it; and
WHEREAS, The 2023 U.S. Surgeon General Advisory found,
during crucial periods of adolescent brain development, social
media use is predictive of decreases in life satisfaction as
well as additional concerns around body image, problems with
sleep, and other issues; and
WHEREAS, One study found that the users who spend the most
time on social media are 1.66 times more likely to be depressed
in comparison to those who use it the least; and
WHEREAS, Too much time spent on social media apps can lead
to an increase in body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and
low self-esteem, and these negative effects are not limited to
teenage girls; reports reveal that 46% of all teenagers aged
13 to 17 expressed that social media made them feel worse about
their bodies; and
WHEREAS, Social media users may also fall victim to
cyberbullying; those who have experienced cybervictimization
were 2.35 times more likely to self-harm, 2.10 times more
likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors, 2.57 times more likely
to attempt suicide, and 2.15 times more likely to have

SR0882 - 3 - LRB103 39723 ECR 70173 r
suicidal thoughts; and
WHEREAS, A recent study from the American Psychological
Association found that young adults who reduced their social
media screen time by 50% for just a few weeks saw significant
improvements in how they viewed their weight and overall
appearance; therefore, be it