I was 13 years old when my parents spoke the highly-anticipated sentence: “Yes, you can get Instagram.” I had no idea what I was walking into—but Instagram did. The platform prioritizes expanding its base and pockets over protecting the mental health and well-being of its users. This must change.
Author: Aliza Kopans
Aliza Kopans is a first-year at Brown University and a digital wellness youth activist serving on Fairplay's Action Network Advisory Board and LookUp.Live's Teen Leadership Council. Co-creator of "Dear Parents," a digital well-being resource from teens to parents and co-founder of "Tech(nically) Politics," a youth-led movement aimed at changing governmental regulations of digital spaces, Aliza works to create change towards a human—not screen—focused world.