HR0178enr 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0178 Enrolled LRB101 11542 ALS 57432 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION 178

WHEREAS, The Internet "Momo Challenge" phenomenon has taken social media by storm as parents, school districts, and police authorities express deep concern that adolescents might be seeing a video on children's websites that encourages young people to commit acts of self-harm and suicide; and

WHEREAS, Over the past decade, videos and stories originating on the Internet have been linked to self-harm, suicide, and violence toward others; and

WHEREAS, Instances of depression and suicide among adolescents are on the rise, with some studies reporting that hospitalizations of suicidal teenagers have doubled in the past decade; and

WHEREAS, The developing brains of children and teenagers are sensitive to disturbing content and more susceptible to making quick, risky decisions than adults; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge video sharing services and all websites that cater to children to maintain stringent policies regarding the content that is posted by the public; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the aforementioned websites to do everything in their power to remove media that could be life-threatening to children and to help law enforcement officials locate the creators of this content if necessary; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge parents and legal guardians to always exercise caution when allowing children to access the Internet, as there is no guarantee that all the material they will be exposed to is safe regardless of whether they are using a website intended for children, and to identify and report harmful content to websites and video sharing services; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois General Assembly to increase awareness about Internet safety and to advance policies to keep children safe on the web.