WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) — Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke with students at Williamsville East High School on Friday.
The Governor was in town to discuss social media, the COVID pandemic and the potentially harmful effects each have had or can have on mental health.
“We talked about how some of the students have the discipline to set social media aside during the school day,” Hochul said. “Others, there’s just a pull that’s constantly there. And it’s something that we’ve been talking about — this epidemic of suffering — throughout this particular age group and younger, and especially girls.”
Hochul says that parents and educators have expressed interest in legislation to address the mental health struggles connected to social media. The Governor says she’s working to make changes.
“I wanted to hear from these students directly about the positive effects, the negative effects and what they’d actually recommend for younger siblings and young people starting out,” Hochul said. “So, I’m taking those ideas back to our Legislature to continue working to pass legislation over the next couple of weeks. I think we can get these bills passed that’ll help complement my efforts to deal with the rise in mental health challenges.”
Evan Anstey is an Associated Press Award, JANY Award and Emmy-nominated digital producer who has been part of the News 4 team since 2015. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.