The Seneca Valley School Board is looking to local legislators for help with what they see as harmful effects of social media on students.

The board unanimously approved a resolution on Monday “supporting additional safeguards for Internet and technology applications to protect our children.”

The resolution highlights several statistics on the use of electronics gleaned from various studies, all of which were cited in the document.

The statistics included claims that students who spend more than two hours per day on social media are more prone to mental health issues like anxiety and depression and higher levels of psychological distress and suicidal thoughts.

Other claims are that the one in five students who wake up to check their social media accounts at night are tired during the school day, while 78% of teens check their devices at least hourly. Teens aged 13 to 18 average seven hours, 22 minutes of entertainment screen time per day, 43% of teens say they use their phones to avoid human interaction, and 65% of parents worry about the amount of time their children spend in front of a screen.

The resolution also states that a student using a cell phone during an emergency event presents safety issues and could jam the communication between first responders.

Also mentioned is the harm to attention and memory during lectures by students using a cell phone, and the additional screen time resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.

The resolution supports expanding legislation, regulation or other local measures on marketing dangerous apps and easily accessible pornography. Other rules would call for the cooperation of social media platforms when school officials identify threats or copyright infringement; and additional safeguards on dating or stranger-meeting apps.

The school board also resolves to continue to educate students and the community on the dangers of unfiltered access on devices used by children and teens. It also pledges to continue developing, setting up and enforcing school policies on the appropriate use of personal technology.

School board member Eric DiTullio said Wednesday that the board hopes legislators agree with, and act on, the resolution.

“We are asking for help at the legislature on a state and federal level to see what they can do,” DiTullio said.

He added that the board wants to hear from students and their parents regarding the harm that can result from the use of electronic devices.

With that goal in mind, DiTullio said the district will set up a “thought exchange” among students to gather data over the next few months.

He explained a thought exchange is much like a poll, but without any leading questions that may sway the respondent’s answers.

The method, which is carried out by a company that contracts with the district, has been used internally in the district, DiTullio said.

He hopes the resolution will create a safer student population that has a healthy relationship with social media and electronic devices in general.

“We are hoping others will start looking at it a little more closely to get it a little more under control before it goes out of control,” DiTullio said.