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Education committee chair highlights social media, smartphones as cause for student declines; schedules NAEP and higher-education briefings
Summary
Chairman White told the House Education Committee he wants the panel to address declines in student performance and mental health tied to smartphones and social media; he distributed copies of The Anxious Generation and scheduled briefings from SCORE on recent NAEP results and from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
Chairman White told members of the Tennessee House Education Committee that he intends to focus the panel on student learning declines and mental-health concerns potentially related to smartphones and social media, and he has scheduled presentations next week from SCORE and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
"I gave everybody a copy of The Anxious Generation," the chairman said, encouraging members to read the book as context for bills that may target cellphone and social-media impacts on youth. He described a long-term decline in national assessment scores that began around 2010 and worsened after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
Why it matters: Committee priorities shape what legislation the body will consider. The chair linked declines in reading and other assessment measures to broader social trends, signaled potential bills addressing device use, and scheduled two informational briefings that will inform future debate.
Details and schedule
- Book and framing: The chair distributed copies of The Anxious Generation (author cited in public reporting as Jonathan Haidt) and urged members to review the material to understand links between social media use and student well-being.
- Assessment context: The chair reviewed the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), noting long-term improvements for several decades followed by declines beginning around 2010 and a sharper drop tied to the pandemic.
- Scheduled briefings: Committee staff said SCORE will present an update on what the recent NAEP scores mean for Tennessee (the chair noted NAEP results were released Jan. 29). The Tennessee Higher Education Commission will present next, and the chair identified Dr. Steven Gentile of THEC as the scheduled presenter.
- Policy signals: The chair said members should expect bills this session that address smartphones and social media impacts on students; no bill text was introduced or debated during the organizational meeting.
Representative Ronnie Glenn asked the chair to clarify expectations for the committee’s direction; the chair replied that the committee’s agenda will ultimately be shaped by member bills but that improving reading proficiency and statewide assessment results are central goals.
The committee did not take formal action on policy at the organizational meeting; members were asked to attend the scheduled briefings.
