LAPS News:
Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) invites parents and caregivers of students in grades 6-12 to attend a safety briefing: Drugs, Sex and Phones Part 1: What Families Need to Know About Smartphones and Social Media.
The event will take place 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 in the Speech Theater at Los Alamos High School.
LAPS Superintendent Jennifer Guy will join secondary school administrators, school counseling and prevention program staff, and representatives from the Los Alamos Police Department to share information about concerning trends and activities that are dangerous to our youth.
Attendees will leave with more awareness as well as tips and strategies for talking with their children about navigating their smartphone and digital media use in healthy ways.
Due to the nature of the information, parents and caregivers are asked to attend without their children.
Attendees can park either in front of the Auxiliary Gym or Duane Smith and follow signs to the location. Light refreshments will be served.
“I believe that it is critically important that we have this opportunity to come together to discuss the safety challenges that smartphones bring to our students,” Superintendent Guy said. “I am looking forward to this conversation.”
In May of 2023, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a warning regarding the negative effects of social media on youth mental health.
“Children are exposed to harmful content on social media, ranging from violent and sexual content, to bullying and harassment,” Murthy explained. “And for too many children, social media use is compromising their sleep and valuable in-person time with family and friends. We are in the middle of a national youth mental health crisis, and I am concerned that social media is an important driver of that crisis – one that we must urgently address.”
In addition, this event is designed to raise awareness about the following concerns:
- Smartphones have become a constant distraction that makes it difficult for children and teens to focus, pay attention, and learn.
- Research supports the claim that excessive smartphone use can exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression.
- While offering opportunities for connection and creativity, social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok can also spread dangerous misinformation and feed into adolescents’ insecurities about body image and success.
- The anonymity and distance social media and messaging apps provide make cyber bullying easy and seemingly harmless. Students regularly post inappropriate content about their peers on Instagram accounts with names connected to but not associated with the school.
- Consensual sexting between dating partners has become increasingly common. After a break up, students have no control over where those images are shared.
- Minors are especially susceptible to online grooming and exploitation by strangers.
- Snapchat has made purchasing drugs as simple as adding a friend or joining a story, paying virtually, and arranging a drop.
- Many social media apps include ways to hide activities.
LAHS Youth Risk and Resiliency Survey data, students’ personal stories, and evidence from recent arrests show that youth in Los Alamos County are not immune to these trends. Students report spending hours online despite feeling worse afterward, missing out on sleep, and having trouble focusing. Cyber bullying reports are a regular occurrence. LAPD has gathered evidence of minors purchasing drugs and using explicit images and sex as a commodity for trade. Pending investigations have uncovered the extent to which local youth are involved.
LAPS reminds students and their families that they can always report a concern about any topic, including but not limited to bullying, safety threats, suicide, vandalism or drug use/trade, on the See Something Say Something anonymous reporting app at https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/our-programs/say-something-anonymous-reporting-system/.
Recognizing that parents and caregivers play the most important role in setting expectations and guiding youth in their smartphone and social media use, LAPS invites families and community members to partner with LAPS to address these challenges and help protect our youth from harm.
Contact LAPS Prevention Program Coordinator Kristine Coblentz at k.coblentz@laschools.net or 505.663.2575 with questions or to request more information.