Social Media Is Bad For Your Children
What to know: Seattle Public Schools filed a lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, Snap, and other social media companies, accusing them of contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
The TPPF take: Lawmakers must do more to protect children online.
“Academic research and nearly daily tragic stories continue to demonstrate that the harms of social media on children can no longer be ignored by policymakers. Thankfully, Texas lawmakers are responding and elevating this issue as a priority this session,” said Zach Whiting, TPPF’s senior fellow for technology policy. “TPPF fully supports legislative efforts to better protect children online, including prohibiting social media companies from peddling their addictive products to kids.”
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Tuition Quid Pro Quo
What to know: In light of the recently announced budget surplus, the chancellors of the state’s six largest public universities are asking for $1 billion of it for higher education. In exchange, they promise to freeze tuition for all students for the next two academic years.
The TPPF take: Tuition and student loan debts at Texas universities are far too high, but increasing state funding is not a deal the Legislature should make.
“The high cost of tuition at Texas public universities is not due to a lack of state funding, and it is unlikely that increases in state funding would lead to tuition decreases beyond the two-year freeze,” said Andrew Gillen, senior analyst for TPPF’s Next Generation Texas initiative. “The Legislature should instead use state funding as a tool for universities to lower their tuition rates, benefitting students much longer than two academic years.”
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California ≠ Freedom
What to know: California Gov. Gavin Newsom received backlash on Twitter for declaring California the “true freedom state.”
The TPPF take: To Gavin Newsom, freedom means the right to do anything, usually with a government subsidy. Californians disagree.
“Freedom in California means allowing people to do anything, including using harmful drugs, sleeping on the street, and supporting the irreversible provision of sterilizing operations on minors—castration, hysterectomies, and double mastectomies,” said Chuck DeVore, TPPF’s chief national initiatives officer. “Californians disagree, and are leaving in droves, as seen by California’s drop in population for three straight years.”
For more on California, click here.