Illinois residents are being encouraged to take a break from social media later this month, as lawmakers passed a resolution calling for a day to be designated for that purpose.
Proposed by State Sen. Sue Rezin, “Take a Break From Social Media Day” was approved by the Senate on Thursday in Springfield.
In calling for the designated day, Rezin’s resolution cited research from the CDC that showed death by suicide as the second-leading cause of death for individuals aged 10-to-14 and 20-to-34.
She also cited research from the American Psychological Association that showed young adults saw significant “improvements in how they viewed their weight and overall appearance” when reducing their social media time by 50% for a period of weeks.
According to the text of the law, Friday, May 17 has been designated as “Take a Break From Social Media Day” in the state.
In addition to this resolution, Rezin has proposed numerous pieces of legislation to address social media’s impacts on Illinois residents, including pursuing Internet Safety classes for students, and creating a Privacy Rights Act which sets forth “duties and obligations of businesses to keep consumers’ personal information private.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.