By ANNIE C. LEAVITT
Moapa Valley Progress
Social media awareness crusader Collin Kartchner visited Moapa Valley youth on Wednesday, Feb. 20, to raise awareness about the negative influences of social media on teens as part of his #savethekids campaign.
Moapa Valley High School, Mack Lyon Middle School and the Logandale Nevada Stake Center for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints all hosted a presentation for local youth.
Kartchner shared how he began this journey when a close friend committed suicide due to social media bullying. He emotionally related that anxiety, depression and suicide rates among teens are at an all-time high and rising.
“I think we are just scraping the surface of how bad these problems are,” he said.
With his bright red Nikes, trim cut blazer and popular music, Kartchner pulled out all the stops to reach local teens. The kids laughed, cheered and all hugged each other for eight seconds. According to research all humans need “eight hugs a day for eight seconds” Kartchner yelled to the crowd.
Paige Harter, student body president at Mack Lyon Middle School said she really liked the presentation.
“I learned to not let social media ruin my life,” she said.
After each presentation Kartchner was swarmed with kids thanking him and taking selfies with him.
MVHS sophomore Andun Pratt said that he also loved the presentation after getting a photo with Kartchner.
“It was so good, and needed,” Pratt said.
Kartchner made the kids feel better by putting the blame on their parents, for “basically handing them a loaded gun, not showing them how to use it, and then yelling at you for being on it too much.”
Following his presentation, he spoke about adults learning the danger of phones and social media for teens.
“Imagine being 13 again, the pressure to fit in, to perform in class, sports, peers,” Kartchner laughed. “No one wants to imagine that, but now imagine the pressure didn’t end at 3:30 p.m. when you got home, imagine it was non-stop until 3:30 a.m. on your phone.”
“Kids need to be seen and heard and loved,” Kartchner emphasized, “and if they aren’t getting it at home and with their friends, the easiest way is their phone.”
During his presentation Kartchner told the kids that addiction specialists work for gaming and social media companies.
“Their main goal is to get you to stay sitting and on their app to see advertisements,” he said.
Kartchner wasn’t all doom and gloom, he had tips for teens to start feeling better right away if social media is bringing them down. First, he suggested unfollowing accounts that don’t make them happy. Second, to use social media for good. Third, to do something good and don’t post about it. Fourth, to post about something you failed at. And fifth, eight hugs a day.
Kartchner used his humor to get the kids to see how fun it is when you use your phone as a tool and to not be a slave to it.
Kartchner wasn’t as soft on parents.
“Most parents have no idea what’s on their kids’ phones,” he said.
Kartchner expressed the need for involved parents and communities.
“We have a loneliness epidemic,” he said as he described the need all people feel for community love and belonging that is not being met through social media.
Dianna Walker and Lacey Tom with the University of Nevada Cooperative extension/4-H both stated how this message helped them to set more goals for kids and the community.
To stop social media from taking over, Kartchner offered solutions such as reflecting on how individuals use their phones and communicating with kids on whether it is a work email or work text rather than candy crush being the reason for a distraction.
He suggested making family as well as non-screen time with neighbors and friends by scheduling activities.
“The phone’s goal is to distract us from what and who matters most in our lives,” he said. “And it is time to wake up and take back control.”
Kartchner lives with his wife and four children in northern Utah. Additional events can be found at savethekids.us.
