Larissa May of Half the Story testifies on digital wellness framework for students
Larissa May, founder of Half the Story, argues bans are a starting line but not the full answer, describes a five-part framework for student digital wellness including phone-free spaces, digital wellness curriculum, student role in policy design, and bringing back pencil and paper.
Thank you, committee.
My name is Larissa May.
12 years ago, I founded Half the Story, which is the first youth-led nonprofit with the mission of empowering young people to build healthier relationships with technology.
Today, I'm here representing the one million students, and I'm happy there were some teens here today, in New York City public schools.
As many mentioned today, there are so many young people that are not represented in this room that are going to be left behind at this defining moment for children, technology, and humanity.
Digital wellness is not a trend.
It's a public health issue.
As AI accelerates, protecting kids can't just mean limiting screens.
We also have to protect the things that help them flourish.
Last year, as the phone-free school policies were put forth, and this year with the recent AI ban, I'm seeing a gap.
Bans are the starting line, but they aren't the full answer.
If we take something away without giving kids something meaningful to move forward, we don't create flourishing.
Last year, we worked with Governor Hochul to create a teen tech council across the state where we trained teen leaders to lead digital wellness efforts in their school.
We as an organization also raised $300,000 to bring these youth leaders funding to create innovations that would transform human connection.
A student, Jack, transformed the study hall into a phone-free craft space.
Caden in the Bronx created a digital wellness day to reteach his peers about what it means to be a human in Connect.
I believe that New York City needs a five-part framework for young people to flourish, to pair phone-free policies with spaces for kids to relearn how to be human, to teach digital wellness in every classroom,
to give students a real role in policy design, and to partner with admin and leaders so that they can empower their peers in the process.
And lastly, to bring back the pencil and paper.
Digital wellness is wellness.
Technology is the human consciousness.
Thank you for your testimony.