The San Diego Unified School Board announced the winners of its social media awareness contest at Mira Mesa High School on Friday.
The contest is part of the school district’s response to U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy's call for a warning label on social media platforms.
This summer Murthy wrote in an op-ed, the warning should say, "Social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents."
Mira Mesa High School 11th-grader Kylie Brite created one of the seven winning public service announcements.
"My PSA, I tried to make something simple to get the message across better. It says, 'Be nice. Think twice. Remember to engage responsibly on social media,'" Brite said. "Because I think it's important that, even though it may not seem like it, what you say online can impact people a lot."
Brite also said she thinks some students may feel like they're not seen by the adults in their life.
"Like they don't feel like adults realize the problems we're facing with social media," she said. "But this, I think, will make students feel seen."
The district said 40 students submitted video and print public service announcements.
"We see things like anxiety, depression, cyberbullying happening through some of these social media platforms. And we know it's interfering with students’ academic achievement, but more importantly really getting in the way of their wellness," San Diego Unified School Board President Shana Hazen said.
She said kids understand what kids are going through.
"They understand the messages that are going to resonate and so it's really exciting to see them stepping up and sharing this information in beautiful and impactful ways with students all across our district," Hazan said.
The district says the winning PSAs will be featured on social media, the district's weekly newsletter and website.
