Webinar Recording Now Available: Social Media & Our Youth
November 7, 2024
The recording and slides are now available from our November 1st webinar, Social Media & Our Youth, featuring Dr. Jill Walsh, Sociology Professor at Boston University and Founder of Digital Aged, and Liza Hirsch, Director of the Children’s Justice Unit at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. National conversations around social media safety and mental health have intensified, with 42 state attorneys general calling for a Surgeon General warning label. In this webinar we covered the evolving landscape of social media and its influence on young people, potential benefits and risks, the role of parents and educators in promoting healthy usage, implications of the proposed Surgeon General warning, strategies for addressing social media-related challenges, as well efforts underway by the Office of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell.
Speaker Bios
- Jill Walsh is a Sociology professor at Boston University. She is also the founder of Digital Aged, a consulting group that educates students, families, and educational institutions about positive technology use. She earned a PhD in Sociology from Boston University, a Masters in Public Policy from Brown University and a B.A from Harvard University. Before going to graduate school, she taught 9th-12th grades at an independent school in the Boston area. Her research looks at the way that digital media use impacts psychosocial well-being and development. Her book Adolescents and their Social Media Narratives: A Digital Coming of Age was published in 2017 and she publishes academic research on youth development and emerging media. Her research interests include social media and identity work, parasocial relationships, and the links between technology and mental health.
- Liza Hirsch is the Director of the Children’s Justice Unit at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office where she works to advance justice and equity for Massachusetts children and youth through civil investigations, litigation, policy, and community engagement. She is a member of the AGO team working to address the impacts of social media on youth mental health. Prior to joining the AGO, Liza was a Senior Attorney at Massachusetts Advocates for Children, where she provided representation to low-income families in special education and school discipline matters and directed a program on disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline. She previously worked as a manager in the Holyoke Public Schools, and as a Skadden Fellow/Staff Attorney at Massachusetts Law Reform Institute and at Medical-Legal Partnership | Boston where she represented homeless and low-income families in housing and shelter matters. She is a graduate of Northeastern University School of Law.
Webinar Materials
- Video recording
- Attorney Liza M. Hirsch's slides
- Dr. Jill Walsh's slides
- Q&A - coming soon!
share this
Related Articles
Springfield, MA – The Kresge Foundation has awarded the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts , as convener of the Live Well Springfield coalition, a grant of $225,000 per year for three years to address climate change and protect people’s health in communities disproportionately affected by extreme heat, flooding, air and water pollution, and chronic and infectious disease. The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts is one of 32 organizations nationwide receiving grant funding as part of The Kresge Foundation’s Climate Change, Health and Equity initiative. Live Well Springfield partners on the grant include Arise for Social Justice, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, Way Finders, and Springfield Climate Justice Coalition. With this funding, the Live Well Springfield Climate Change, Health, and Equity Committee (CCHE) will expand its efforts to build a healthier, more resilient Springfield. The Live Well Springfield CCHE Committee will: Work with the City of Springfield to build awareness and adoption of the Community Choice Power Supply Program, which uses collective buying power to secure stable, affordable electricity from cleaner, renewable sources. Live Well Springfield successfully advocated for the City to adopt this program, with support from a previous Kresge grant. Help update the city’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan, ensuring it reflects current challenges and community needs. Explore housing development policies that protect residents from extreme heat. Continue to advance statewide advocacy against polluting biomass facilities. Host community workshops on climate resilience. “Kresge’s continued investment in Springfield is vital to sustaining our momentum in advancing climate justice. We feel proud and empowered to stand tall among the many major cities that were also selected for this honor,” said Samantha Hamilton, Director of Coalition Building and Community Engagement at the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts . “Collaboration is critical to address the impacts of climate change,” said Jessica Collins, Executive Director of the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. “These Kresge funds will help us advance strategies originally planned with the city and other partners before the EPA unexpectedly terminated the $20 million Community Change grant. We are so grateful that private philanthropy continues to step up and support local and regional climate mitigation work.” “The human health impacts of climate change are profound, and while climate change affects us all, it hits some communities harder than others. The pollution that creates dangerous heat waves and severe storms causes the most harm in communities already experiencing persistent health inequities, like lack of access to safe housing and quality health care, as well as chronic illnesses and respiratory disease, said Shamar Bibbins, Kresge Environment Program managing director . “Equitable solutions must be driven by the communities most affected, and doing so in partnership with trusted health practitioners and institutions can amplify local innovations and build broader momentum for change.” “Long-term change in cities requires strong and sustained cross-sector partnerships. Working together, we ensure that all of us, no matter who we are or where we live, have the opportunity to be healthy and to thrive. Climate action is fundamentally a public health imperative—offering transformative opportunities to reduce mental health burdens, chronic diseases, and infectious disease spread while advancing health equity for all," said Monica Valdes Lupi, Kresge Health Program managing director . For more information on Kresge's Climate Change, Health & Equity initiative, click here . ABOUT THE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTITUTE OF WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS The Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts supports communities in their efforts to become measurably healthier and more equitable through community engagement, convening collaborative partnerships, communications, data analysis, research and evaluation, and policy advocacy. We are committed to continuous learning, fostering collaboration, and amplifying the voices of those we serve. For more information, visit PublicHealthWM.org ###
Rural Realities: Advancing Health Equity in Western MA's Rural Communities
Get information about current vaccine recommendations and answers to common questions
