I am a constituent and I am asking you to please consider amending Massachusetts S.2561, An Act to promote student learning and mental health, to include media literacy education. While limiting access to devices during the school day is a step, it’s equally important that legislation also empowers students with the skills to critically engage with the media.

A previous bill, S.335/H.666, called for the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, in collaboration with the Attorney General's Office and the Department of Public Health, to provide guidance and recommendations to assist schools with developing and implementing effective social media use education, including curriculum resources, guidance on developing community norms regarding cell phone and social media use, guidance for educating parents or guardians on managing their child’s social media use and recognizing warning signs of the harmful effects of social media use and other available resources. This piece is not included in S.2561. Removing this education piece is a missed opportunity in providing our young people with the tools and skills they need to be safe, healthy, and competent online. Media literacy skills are essential in today’s world and we need to be teaching them in our K-12 schools.

Recently I learned that Senator Cyr filed an amendment (S2561-10) that would require schools to adopt curricula covering topics such as identifying misinformation, understanding media bias and online safety, and recognizing the social and emotional impacts of digital media use. I urge you to please consider supporting this amendment. 

Including this amendment in the bill would prioritize media literacy education across the Commonwealth and pave the way to ensuring Massachusetts students have the ability to navigate within our powerful 24/7 media landscape.