Collin Kartchner has spoken to hundreds of thousands of youths and adults throughout the nation about the harmful effects of social media, and his next stop is Westwind School Division. He will be hosting a public parent information night at Magrath High School on the evening of November 13 and visiting our Westwind schools on November 14.
Kartchner started a campaign in 2018 to #SavetheKids from the harmful effects that social media and screen addiction can have on mental and emotional health. His goal is to help educate teens and parents on the damage social media and 24/7 access to peer culture will have on their child’s mental health. He wants to help teens rise above social media comparison, negativity, cyberbullying, and the stress of being perfect.
Kartchner presented at TEDxSaltLakeCity in 2018, has spoken to large companies like Nike and Adidas, and has been interviewed for TV and by newspapers many times. In his recent TEDx presentation, Kartchner talked about the answers he received from middle schoolers when he asked them what their parents didn’t know about social media. While some responses were funny, he said the majority were grim. The kids talked about how it made them feel “very, very, very insecure,” “sad and depressed,” how it put “pressure on me to be perfect,” and how “it nearly ended my life.”
“Experts say that handing a smartphone with social media and untethered access to these apps with no training or guidance is like handing them the keys to a car with no drivers ed,” Kartchner said during his recent Tedx event. “So how do we sit here in shock wondering why kids are crashing and burning every single day?”
Westwind believes that Collin Kartchner’s message is powerful and timely, and we look forward to welcoming him to the division. We strongly encourage our Westwind parents and all members of the public to attend the public information session on November 13.
View Collin Kartchner’s TEDx Presentation below, or click HERE.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
7:00 p.m. - Parent Information Night at Magrath High School, Public Welcome
Thursday, November 14, 2019
9 a.m. - 10 a.m. - Raymond High School
Stirling & Raymond Jr.High and High School Students
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. - Magrath High School
Magrath students grades 6-12
2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Cardston High School
Westwind Alternate School, Mountain View, Spring Glen Junior High, and Cardston students grades 6-9
