OPINION — As an elementary-school counselor, I have the opportunity every day to work with kids who are still learning about social interaction. The students I interact with are in the earliest stages of forming empathy, learning how to build relationships and understanding how their words and actions affect others. These are critical skills that will shape the adults they become, but I fear that much of that development has shifted online.
With the rise of social media, kids now have more access than ever before to interact with one another without face-to-face contact. Because of this increasingly digital world they are growing up in, we’ve seen upticks in bullying and mental struggles rooted in feelings of isolation that go unnoticed because they aren’t being observed in the real world. That has meant that conflicts that once ended at the school bell can now follow kids home and, perhaps even more disturbingly, can be dealt with through conversations with chatbots that blur the line between real relationships and simulated ones.
For a moment, it looked like Arizona was ready to do something about it. Our state Legislature passed a bill with widespread, bipartisan support to ensure that tech companies do their part to protect kids. The effort marked a genuine turning point, and then Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed it.
