CM Krishnan Q&A: Chokshi on screens and social media as public health issue

Thank you, Chair.

Good morning, Dr.

Chokshi, City's doctor.

Those COVID commercials are ingrained in my head from before.

I'm glad to be not on your TV anymore, Councilmember.

Still, public health works.

Look at that.

So I still remember it.

But it's good to see you, Doctor, and thank you for all your work during some of the most difficult parts of our city's recent history when it came to public health.

I have seen all that you've done, too, and also appreciate that you're representing my district proudly in all that you do across the city.

I just had a couple of quick questions.

One is pretty specific, and I wanted to get your thoughts on it, too.

In a few weeks, my committee will be holding a hearing around an issue that's really of concern to me, which is around the heavy reliance of schools on screens,

the heavy reliance on screens in schools, especially for young children.

And as a father of young children myself, I see how much of an issue that is.

And it kind of goes from there to social media and the harmful impacts of social media.

And we've, with the Youth Committee, too, held a hearing on that earlier this year.

And of course there are other questions that come in with the use of AI and even unknowingly children's exposure to AI through some of the programs that are used in schools.

And so I bring all of that up to say.

You know, I think.

that screens for this generation and for young children in particular is becoming a real concern from a policy standpoint across our society, frankly, and especially in our country.

And to me, it raises the question of it's reached the point where it's a public health issue, too.

It's a mental health concern, especially as kids get older.

And, you know, more broadly speaking, it is a public health issue.

And so I just wonder how you think about that, how you think in this position on the board, you would think about the issue of screens and the overuse of screens when it comes to children, especially young children.

Thank you, Councilmember.

This is a really thoughtful question and an area where there's active debate about what precisely needs to be done.

I'll offer some of my thoughts, but I first do want to ensure that I state that the Board of Health may have limited purview over this issue just by virtue of

the fact that it may not require health code changes, but may require other mechanisms, you know, by which either the Department of Health or other aspects of city government are responsible for it.

So I do want to represent that aspect.

But I can share, speaking as a doctor, but also as the father of two young girls, this is very concerning to me.

There is growing evidence that there are harms related to mental health from exposure to devices, you know, not just the screens component.

of it, but some of the other ways in which technology can affect mental health, both for very young children, but also for teenagers and adolescents.

The other aspect that I think is very concerning is beyond mental health, although that is the primary reason for concern, there's an opportunity cost with respect to what

kids are doing when they are spending so much time on screens.

What is it coming at the expense of, particularly physical activity or sleep, which is also very important, you know, for the health of developing brains and developing bodies.

So those are all things that I think we have to take very seriously and monitor the evidence as it emerges.

I think we have enough evidence to act in some ways with respect to limiting screen time and the use of devices.

And then I think we have to continue, you know, monitoring the evidence base to understand what additional steps need to be taken.