Mobile County School Board member Johnny Hatcher took to the airwaves in Mobile on Monday to ask the Alabama Legislature to ban social media for children under 16.
During an appearance on Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5's "Mobile Mornings," Hatcher argued social media was driving teens to suicide, and he referenced a Mississippi case in which the mother of a suicide victim was put under a gag order by a judge that prevented her from talking about the suicide.
“[N]ow, another thing I'd like to do — I'd like the legislators to go ahead and push a bill forward that no child under the age of 16 is allowed to be on social media," the Theodore Republican said. "It's harmful. You know, we've talked about our suicide rate, our adolescent suicide rate. It's through the roof. It steadily climbs."
"When I hear one of my firemen — I'm also chairman of the board of the Theodore Dawes Fire District," Hatcher continued. "When I have one of my firemen come to me, and they're telling me this story about how this child's begging them, this 10- or 12-year-old child begging them, don't help me, please don't help me, after he's shot himself, that's gut-wrenching. What could be so bad in his life that that would do that? And then you see this young girl over here that took her life in Mississippi, and then you got the judge over there that puts a gag order on the mother for talking about it. Can't even say her name?"
"Are you kidding me?" he added. "What kind of sick person is that?”
Jeff Poor is the editor in chief of 1819 News and host of "The Jeff Poor Show," heard Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-noon on Mobile's FM Talk 106.5. To connect or comment, email jeff.poor@1819News.com or follow him on Twitter @jeff_poor.
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