{"blocks":[{"id":"j5zf1v9l-33ipgoxb","type":"embed","data":{"service":"cdn.jwplayer.com","source":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/G9LWRCx8-SPdDOYds.html","embed":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/G9LWRCx8-SPdDOYds.html","caption":"","height":"auto","width":"100%"}},{"id":"ke4e3k74-irj91t4x","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://nypost.com/2026/07/04/us-news/sister-of-brittany-clarks-late-friend-shares-heartbreaking-message-amid-online-attacks-on-gator-victim/","meta":{"title":"Alligator attack victim remembered as ‘amazing human’ — while trolls viciously mock horrific death","description":"","image":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/133250846.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=171&h=114&crop=1"}},"variant":"compact"}},{"id":"f75yaucs-lerjqkf9","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://nypost.com/2026/07/03/us-news/wannabe-influencer-busted-for-pelting-sleeping-homeless-victims-with-high-powered-water-gun/","meta":{"title":"Wannabe influencer busted for pelting sleeping homeless victims with ‘high-powered’ water gun","description":"","image":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/watergun-comp.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=171&h=114&crop=1"}},"variant":"compact"}},{"id":"aj2gn6qx-0o1x4k8s","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://nypost.com/2026/07/03/shopping/this-self-improvement-app-combats-the-effects-of-doomscrolling/","meta":{"title":"Keep doomscrolling — this self-improvement app lets you scroll as you grow","description":"","image":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/06/2000x1333-2026-06-30T131026.291.png?w=171&h=114&crop=1"}},"variant":"compact"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The latest national test scores in history and civics show a large and scary drop in student knowledge of what it means to be a good citizen."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"That’s concerning enough, but when coupled with a survey of teens also released this month, it’s clear we’ve missed something huge when it comes to kids’ understanding of — and lack of respect for — their role in civic life."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Indeed, the Reboot Foundation survey found 59% of young adults with TikTok accounts said that if forced to choose between their social media or voting rights, they would give up the latter."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Among teens, the rates of voluntary disenfranchisement were even higher: 64% of those aged 13 to 17 said they would give up their vote to keep the apps’ content flowing."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Giving up their right to vote for their “right to post” is an alarming admission at a time the populace is politically fractured — and culturally splintered."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"It also suggests further erosion in the cultural norms, such as the value of freedom, that serve as the bedrock of democracy."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"But it also makes sense in light of these new test scores — young people may have simply failed to learn an appreciation for what they would be giving up."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-1250099002.jpg?w=1024"},"caption":"\n A Reboot Foundation survey found 59% of young adults with TikTok accounts said that if forced to choose between their social media or voting rights, they would give up the latter. NurPhoto via Getty Images"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The voting admission was just one data point in the report by Reboot, a foundation I founded to promote critical thinking and reflective thought."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"It examined the central role the social-media app TikTok plays in young people’s lives."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"When viewed with a wider lens, however, the report shows how social media have made young people vulnerable to influence in ways that affect what they think and what they believe to be true."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Social media have an unbelievable sway over the nation’s youth."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000009626852.jpg?w=1024"},"caption":"\n 64% of those aged 13 to 17 said they would give up their vote to keep the apps’ content flowing, according to a survey. Getty Images/iStockphoto"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"For millions of teens and young adults, it’s not just a social-media account — it’s their lifeline to the world around them."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Social media are a predominant source of entertainment; they’re also how young people stay current on politics, trends, sports, and everything in between."}},{"id":"ieh4bi19-eth7l4xx","type":"linkTool","data":{"link":"https://nypost.com/2023/05/06/us-civics-scores-show-the-real-threat-to-democracy/","meta":{"title":"US civics scores show the REAL threat to democracy","description":"","image":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/capitol-dome-01.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=171&h=114&crop=1"}},"variant":"compact"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"This central role is clear in the data, as almost a quarter of young people spend more than four hours a day on TikTok alone."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"These amounts are harmful, and experts advise that teens spend no more than two hours a day — total — on all screens to promote a healthy and balanced lifestyle."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"What’s more, the Reboot report found a clear relationship between the amount of time teens spend on TikTok and their trust in the content they’re consuming: 42% of heavy TikTok users said they think the information on the app is “reliable,” compared with 23% of those who use it less."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"This is problematic for many reasons."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"But top among them is that recent studies have found as much as 20% of the platform’s videos contain misinformation."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"After years of little meaningful action, lawmakers in Congress and state legislatures have woken up to the dangers social media pose to young users."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Bipartisan legislation in the Senate would bar children under 13 from having social media accounts."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Governors in several states have signed similar legislation already."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"The recent momentum to do something — anything — to protect children’s mental health from social media’s dangers and help them enter civic life is a welcome change."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Limiting Big Tech’s influence machine is just a start."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-540115791-1.jpg?w=1024"},"caption":"\n The voting admission was just one data point in the report by Reboot. Fairfax Media via Getty Images"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Beyond the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act making its way through Congress, parents themselves need to play a stronger role."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"They should think of a child getting a social media account as seriously as a teen getting a driver’s license."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Parents should help set social-media boundaries, closely monitor their children’s activities online and — importantly — consider whether their children should be on social media at all. "}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Ronald Reagan was right when he said, “All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Parents need to ask children to put down their phones not just at the dinner table but at their schools, in their living rooms, and in their bedrooms."}},{"type":"image","data":{"file":{"url":"https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/GettyImages-539739003.jpg?w=671"},"caption":"\n Young people giving up their right to vote for their “right to post” is causing an alarm during a time when the populace is “politically fractured.” Fairfax Media via Getty Images"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Americans have done a lot to protect the right to vote."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Millions have died in wars across the world that kept our nation free and democratic."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"

"}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Others have sacrificed their lives in protest to ensure everyone has a chance to participate in the country’s democracy."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"No doubt, the rise of social media has brought significant changes to the way people communicate and interact with each other."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":""}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Many are positive, but the negative effects of TikTok and its networked siblings are all too prevalent."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Social media make us less able to think for ourselves — and support the enduring norms that hold our nation together and make a true democracy possible."}},{"type":"paragraph","data":{"text":"Helen Lee Bouygues is the president of the Reboot Foundation, which she founded to elevate critical thinking and reflective thought in a time of vast technological change. "}}]}

Helen Lee Bouygues

NypHelenLeeBouygues@RoundtableIO

The young would give up the right to vote before the right to post