The Relentless School Nurse: A Better Online World is Possible!

Elizabeth Elliott, MSN, BSN, RN, NCSN, is a school nurse administrator in Maryland. In the fall of 2023, she was approached by Maryland Kids Code to support Age Appropriate Design Code (AADC), legislation being introduced to protect students from big tech predatory practices. 

Elizabeth wrote an Op-Ed for Maryland Matters about her experience advocating for this important legislation to keep our students safe in an ever-evolving digital society. This includes how we use technology at home, work, school, and for fun. New technologies are changing our society, economy, and industries faster and on a larger scale than ever before. This affects how we live, work, and interact with each other.

Here is Elizabeth’s story of advocacy:

At first, I wasn’t sure what this was all about. As l learned more, both as a parent of two college-age daughters and a school nurse since 2009, I became more and more concerned about the impact of big tech on how our children interact and grow into healthy, thriving adults.  

Technological advances and the ability for connections are a way of life in today’s world.  But not all connections are helpful, especially for our children and teens.  The AACD, or “Kids Code” is rooted in data privacy principles, which means online services and products reasonably likely to be accessed by children and teens must design their products to protect kids’ privacy in an age-appropriate way. 

Kids Code does not require companies to moderate content or prevent kids from searching for content they want to see.  It is about privacy.  Tech companies track and collect our children’s data as they navigate the digital world, and use this data to build detailed profiles and make assumptions based on what they have complied.  They often use manipulative design to impact how children interact in online spaces, all in the name of profit.  

All of this seems simple and is anything but. There is a strong association between social media use and signs of anxiety and depression in teens. “Social Media Usage and Its Effects on the Psychological Health of Adolescents,” a research article on the topic was recently published in NASN: School Nurse.  

My experience prompted me to write this Op-Ed for Maryland Matters, a nonpartisan, nonprofit source for news in Maryland, in order to share this important topic with school nurse colleagues in my home state and nationally: School nurse: Social media exacerbates teen health crisis by design. MASHN continues to partner with the AADC effort through Maryland Kids Code.   

I’ve spoken to local legislators and made impactful connections in Maryland where I live and work.  There are similar efforts underway in a number of states, including  Minnesota, Connecticut, New Mexico, and California. I encourage school nurses to raise your voices in advocacy efforts and to give voice to the children with mental health concerns we see in the health room every day. 

Bio

Liz Elliott, MSN, BSN, RN, NCSN,  has worked in nursing for over 20 years. Since 2009, she has been with School Health Services in Montgomery County, Maryland. Liz is also the president of the Maryland Association of School Health Nurses (MASHN). She is a nurse administrator with School Health Services, and works to support students with diabetes and their families in the Montgomery County Public School system. 

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