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County superintendent links teen anxiety spikes to social media, urges phone-reduction policies in schools
Summary
Stanislaus County Superintendent Scott Kuykendahl told the Board that national data show rising teen depression, self-harm and suicide after social-media adoption, urged local phone-free school policies and noted a state requirement for districts to adopt device-reduction policies by June 30, 2026.
Superintendent Scott Kuykendahl told the Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21 that the county office of education’s new initiative, “Rewired and Inspired,” responds to an apparent rise in youth anxiety and self-harm that coincided with widespread social-media adoption between 2010 and 2015. He urged schools, families and community groups to reduce students’ access to smartphones during the school day and recommended delaying social-media exposure until mid-adolescence.
Kuykendahl said emergency-department visits for nonfatal self-harm and rates of depression climbed markedly for girls ages 10–19 in the years after social platforms gained traction. He showed international data from Canada, the U.K. and Australia and said the pattern was not limited to the United States. “When they’re in school, that’s truly when the learning can happen,” he said, adding that devices can “steal our children’s childhood.”
Kuykendahl pointed the Board to concrete steps: the county office distributed copies of the book The Anxious Generation to Board members, encouraged parents to permit more independent play and outdoor activities, and promoted programs such as Foothill Horizons outdoor education camps as opportunities to unplug. He said many districts are already restricting student device use on campus; elementary and junior-high students typically have little access to phones during school hours, and high schools often limit use to passing periods and lunch.
He also noted a California timeline: districts are expected to adopt written policies that reduce student device access during the school day by June 30, 2026. Kuykendahl framed this as a shared responsibility: “We need parents also on board,” he said, because students spend hours outside school where smartphone exposure also matters.
The presentation closed with a call for public and service-group engagement; a QR code and county resources were offered for organizations and parents seeking more information or a speaker visit. No Board action was required; the presentation was given for information and context.
