Cowlitz County public health highlights student PSA about online ‘catfishing’ and discusses classroom phone storage

COWLITZ COUNTY, Wash. — Cowlitz County Public Health on March 25 announced the winner of its annual public-service-announcement contest: a short video by students at Castle Rock High School titled "Point of View, You've Been Catfished." Health department staff said the entry addresses online impersonation and will be posted on the department’s website and boosted on Facebook during Public Health Week in April.

The department said it received seven to eight student video submissions this year on topics including bullying and drinking; staff members presented the winning entry at the board meeting and described it as a project completed by five Castle Rock High School students.

Why it matters: County staff said the contest is intended to engage students on public-health topics and amplify youth-created messages. The winning video, about "catfishing" — when a person misrepresents themselves online — was highlighted as an example of youth-led prevention messaging that the county plans to share with the community.

Kelly, a public-health staff member who coordinated the contest, told the board the department will post the video on a PSA landing page on its website and promote it on Facebook throughout Public Health Week. "We'll boost it throughout the week so it'll pop up multiple times," Kelly said.

The meeting also included a separate discussion of classroom strategies to reduce screen-time distractions. One board member said a simple, low-cost solution already used in some schools is a "cell phone cubby" — a hanging pocket or container in which students place phones during class. That speaker said the device can reduce cyberbullying, improve student focus and help teachers teach more effectively.

Procedural note: At the start of the meeting the board approved the minutes from a prior meeting. Commissioner Raider moved to accept the minutes; the motion carried.

Ending: The health department said it will post the student video online and promote it during Public Health Week. Staff also encouraged educators and parents to consider simple classroom measures — such as phone storage — as one tool to reduce distractions and online harms.