Critical Conversations: The Impact of Social Media & LIKE Viewing

PRESS RELEASE - FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Franklin Substance Abuse Task Force (SATF) will host their second installment of their Critical Conversations series on Thursday, March 24, from 6p.m. – 8p.m. at the Franklin High School auditorium, via Zoom and on FranklinTV. The night will focus on the impact of social media on the social emotional wellbeing of youth. 

As the keynote speaker, Georgia Wells, tech journalist for the Wall Street Journal, will kick off the event speaking on the tech companies behind social media and the effects of their on young people. The Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Karyn Polito will provide additional remarks addressing state level initiatives regarding social media usage. 

The event will be supplemented by a panel of local school guidance counselors, Representative Jeff Roy, SAFE Coalition Director Jen Knight-Levine, an FHS student and the Franklin marketing and communications specialist. The panel was curated to offer various perspectives on the topic of social media and will be followed by an audience question and answer session.

The context from this event will pair well with film-based education program LIKE, which is being viewed this week in wellness 9 and 10 classes, as well as in the high school health and physical education electives.With the fiscal support from the SAFE Coalition, Franklin Public Schools is able to offer free district-wide access to the film for families to view in the comfort of their homes. The film was made available to stream on Monday, March 20 at 5p.m. and is open until Sunday, March 27 at 11:45p.m.

The goal of these cumulative efforts is to empower families to feel confident utilizing the knowledge and resources provided from the LIKE screening and Critical Conversations event to work towards establishing a healthy relationship with social media.

FPS sent out communications internally to its constituents regarding how to access the film LIKE. All viewers will need to enter their email address and create a password to access the film. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email, access to the film, resources and post-viewing survey.

Interested in our Critical Conversations panel?

Check out our Facebook event page or our district event page.

You can learn more about LIKE here:https://www.thelikemovie.com/

About the Franklin Substance Abuse Task Force

The SATF is proudly represented by students, parents, administration, faculty, counselors, athletics, SAFE Coalition, medical professionals, SROs, school committee members, and elected officials. The mission of the SATF is to promote community awareness and education surrounding the issue of substance abuse in Franklin as well as develop substance abuse prevention and intervention strategies in supporting working with students & families, as well as school based and community based prevention strategies.

Media Contact:

Lily Rivera | Marketing and Communications Specialist

Cell: 774-235-5046

Email:riveral@franklinps.net