Policy Work
We are working to raise the minimum social media account age from 13 to 16
“The Australian Government just passed a law raising the minimum age for social media accounts from 13 to 16- but the United States has no such law - which is critical for protecting children.
We need a law similar to this in the United States to further protect our children, and adding your support to this petition will help us to create important change. I will be speaking with legislators about this issue starting in Colorado and working on policy change surrounding social media and safety for youth nationwide.
Social media has been harmful for me for so long. I didn't have a Facebook until I was in high school (it was still new back then, and we still had MySpace). At that time, I went through horrible online bullying and developed an eating disorder after connecting with girls on social media who were also struggling - but spreading toxic information they had seen on social media about being thinner, how to lose weight, and had been engaged in sites that are known as "pro-ana" sites dedicated to glorifying anorexia.
As a youth, my mental health was already suffering in school. But the added component of online bullying and harassment, comparison to my peers, and increased anxiety surrounding all of the above, were detrimental. I am also part of the LGBTQ+ community, and social media added another toxic layer to the already hateful language and actions I was experiencing and saw some of my peers going through.
As an adult I went into the mental health profession to help those like me who live with mental illnesses and have gone through a vast amount of trauma - a lot of which was connected to social media when I was a teen.
But what we need to realize now, is that social media has gotten worse due to politics, increased anger and hostility that has led to adults being bullied as well, and increased access to violent imagery and information that is deeply impacting the mental health of our youth. Especially marginalized children, including those who are Hispanic or part of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Information & personal experience from Sage Nestler, MSW
One of our current focuses is on the youth psychiatric bed shortage for youth in need of intensive mental health care
Iva Liu is a 16-year-old who is part of the Self-Advocates Group in the Advocacy Committee that Sage Nestler, MSW leads through the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEABPD). She started a campaign called the Beds for Kids Campaign and has done extensive research on the shortage of beds of youth in psychiatric centers.
Sage is partnering with Iva to discuss this issue with legislators in different states, and a flowchart for seeking care is one of the projects that the Self-Advocates Group is doing within the NEABPD.