NORFOLK, Va. — Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-Virginia) issued an Executive Order Thursday to give parents more resources and education about the impact of social media on children.
Executive Order 43 also creates a task force to make recommendations to lawmakers and the governor.
"It's time to reclaim Virginia's kid's childhood," Youngkin said.
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The order directs state agencies to provide information and resources to parents about the impact of social media.
At an event in Richmond, a student at James Madison University spoke about the impact technology has had one him.
"I was addicted to screens, reliant on technology," said Harrison Haynes.
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Haynes is 21 now, but says he spent a lot of his childhood spent in front of a screen.
"Glued to a screen, I wanted thousands of hours of Youtube and TV. I played tens of thousands of hours of video games and by the time I turned 12 I started consuming pornography," he said.
He says he also developed a friendship with a stranger through X-Box Live. That eventually led to the stranger making sexual requests, which he didn't follow.
"He was my only real friend," he said.
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The friendship did end, but all of the screen time took a toll on his mental health.
"I endlessly debated about taking my underwhelming life and the worst part was that my family life was great," he said.
Now, he's trying to raise awareness about the impact social media can have on kids and what he calls digital intentionalism.
Pew Research Center data shows 95-percent of American teenagers are on social media. Other data says 41-percent of teens who use social media frequently have poor or very poor mental health.
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"I wish that parents would approach their kids with vulnerability, would have conversations early," said Haynes.
Haynes says he now limits his time with his phone and thinks others should think about it too.
"You can have a healthy relationship with your phone. It's not going to start by going completely off, but just say today I'm going to spend 30-minutes less on my phone than I did yesterday," said Haynes.
