[Pages S1338-S1339]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                VERMONT STATE OF THE UNION ESSAY WINNERS

<bullet> Mr. SANDERS. Mr. President, since 2010, I have sponsored a 
State of the Union essay contest for Vermont high school students. This 
contest gives students in my State the opportunity to articulate what 
issues they would prioritize if they were President of the United 
States.
  This is the contest's 15th year, and I would like to congratulate the 
475 students who participated. It is truly heartening to see so many 
young people engaged in finding solutions for the problems that face 
our country. To my mind, this is what democracy is all about.
  A volunteer panel of Vermont educators reviewed the essays and chose 
Justason Lahue as this year's winner. Justason, a junior at Burr and 
Burton Academy, wrote about the impact of social media on youth mental 
health. Ari Glasser, a junior at Essex High School, was the second-
place winner. Ari wrote about the influence of billionaires on American 
politics. Ely White, a senior at Leland & Gray Union Middle and High 
School, was the third-place winner, with an essay on political 
polarization.
  I am very proud to enter into the Congressional Record the essays 
submitted by Justason, Ari and Ely.
  The material follows:

        Winner, Justason LaHue, Burr and Burton Academy, Junior

       Social media is deteriorating adolescent mental health, yet 
     the United States' government is treating the situation like 
     a social experiment; our government is waiting to see what 
     will happen despite the mounting evidence that social media 
     has dangerous effects. Until we apply evidence-based 
     regulations to limit social media use, adolescent well-being 
     is in jeopardy.
       The current evidence of harm is compelling. A 2023 Gallup 
     survey found that teenagers spend an average of 4.8 hours on 
     social media daily. Alarmingly, a longitudinal study 
     involving 6,595 adolescents revealed that spending over 3 
     hours daily on social media doubled the risk of poor mental 
     health outcomes, such as anxiety and depression. These are 
     not studies in isolation: a systematic review of 13 studies 
     also found that unhealthy engagement of social media was 
     correlated with depression, anxiety, and psychological 
     distress.
       While these studies demonstrate correlation, there are also 
     indicators of causality. Numerous studies highlight how 
     limiting social media use can improve mental health. A 
     randomized controlled trial reported that reducing social 
     media use by just 30 minutes daily lessened depressive 
     symptoms in college students. Another study involving 
     adolescents showed that ceasing social media use for 4 weeks 
     resulted in a 25-40% improvement in subjective well-being 
     (e.g., life satisfaction, depression, and anxiety) when 
     compared to psychological interventions such as therapy.
       Social media use can worsen adolescent mental health, while 
     lessening use demonstrates the opposite effect. Adolescent 
     brain development is most active from ages 10 to 14. However, 
     the arbitrary and rarely enforced `internet age' currently 
     set at 13 exposes immature brains to a world of 
     entertainment, inappropriate content, and harassment. Given 
     these biological factors and the evidence of potential harm, 
     a more appropriate age for adolescents to access the internet 
     is 16 years of age.
       I propose a bill called the Youth Mental Health Protection 
     Act. This act would target a root cause of social media-
     related youth mental health issues by changing the legal age 
     of `internet adulthood' (i.e., when one can sign up for most 
     online platforms, consent to terms of service, and share 
     personal data). This act would make 16 the legally required 
     age to access social media, similar to obtaining a driver's 
     license in most states, another privilege requiring complex 
     thinking and decision-making. Finally, the Youth Mental 
     Health Protection Act would hold social media companies 
     liable by requiring age verification prior to account 
     creation.
       Requiring age checks would likely lessen the negative 
     effects of social media on adolescent mental health, however, 
     this is just

[[Page S1339]]

     one step the United States government needs to take to solve 
     this crisis. To counteract the harms introduced by this 
     ongoing social experiment, policy-makers need to act now. 
     Enacting the Youth Mental Health Protection Act and 
     prioritizing further research on the effects of social media 
     is imperative to safeguard the mental health of our nation's 
     youth.

          Second Place, Ari Glasser, Essex High School, Junior

       President-elect Donald Trump has so far nominated over a 
     dozen billionaires to his cabinet, with a combined net worth 
     of over $400 billion-more than ten times the GDP of the state 
     of Vermont. In addition, Elon Musk, the richest man in the 
     world, was one of Trump's strongest supporters during the 
     election campaign: He donated a staggering $277 million to 
     Trump and other Republican candidates, according to CBS News. 
     It is clear that the ultra-wealthy control a growing share of 
     both political and economic power in the United States, 
     holding disproportionate sway that erodes the power of the 
     American people. The expanding influence of the billionaire 
     class is one of the greatest challenges facing America today.
       The recent trend of billionaire influence is reminiscent of 
     the Gilded Age, a time when an incredibly wealthy group of 
     industrialists such as John D. Rockefeller presided over vast 
     monopolies while the government struggled to break them up. 
     Meanwhile, the urban masses worked long hours with deplorable 
     conditions and little pay. It was a kind of oligarchic 
     society, one where these ``Captains of Industry'' wielded 
     immense political and economic influence. Today, America is 
     in a sort of Second Gilded Age-complete with drastic wealth 
     inequality and a dangerous level of influence by the ultra-
     wealthy that is becoming ever nearer to oligarchy. Just 735 
     billionaires hold more wealth than the bottom half of all 
     American households.
       In order to reduce the concerning level of billionaire 
     influence, many reforms must be enacted, but perhaps most 
     important is a wealth tax. This could raise trillions of 
     dollars for the government while also reducing the wealth and 
     influence of billionaires over time. One such proposal would 
     be Senator Bernie Sanders' plan, which would implement a 
     progressive wealth tax, starting at one percent on net worth 
     over $32 million, up to eight percent on net worth over $10 
     billion. According to Sanders, this plan would cut in half 
     the wealth of billionaires over just 15 years, greatly 
     reducing wealth inequality and the power of the top 0.1 
     percent.
       In addition to reducing the economic power of billionaires, 
     their political influence must be reduced through the use of 
     campaign finance reform-most importantly, overturning the 
     2010 Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. FEC. This 
     case eviscerated campaign finance regulations and essentially 
     allowed unlimited contributions to political groups known as 
     super PACs, such as the one Elon Musk donated to. While it 
     may be difficult, passing a proposal such as the We the 
     People Amendment would reverse the Citizens United decision 
     by putting an end to the antidemocratic concepts that money 
     equals political speech, and that corporations are people.
       While there is no simple solution to ending the dangerous 
     influence of billionaires in American politics and the 
     economy, through important legislative action such as a 
     wealth tax and campaign finance reform, America can stop the 
     encroachment of oligarchy on its society.

    Third Place, Ely White, Leland and Gray Union Middle High School

       Abraham Lincoln once said, ``a house divided against itself 
     cannot stand.'' Speaking solemnly of the dire state of 
     division in the United States leading up to the Civil War, it 
     is now over a century later that his words resonate once 
     more.
       Political polarization has grown in the past decade in the 
     United States, transforming healthy debates of ideas into an 
     endless battle of ``us'' against ``them.'' Division has 
     infiltrated into all facets of American life, a political 
     landscape where compromise is rare and partisan loyalty is 
     prioritized. This deepening division threatens the ideals of 
     our democracy, making it nearly impossible to address the 
     critical issues that face our country today.
       A 2022 NBC News survey revealed that 80% of Americans 
     believe the opposing party ``poses a threat that, if not 
     stopped, will destroy America.'' This growing divide is 
     evident in the 2018-19 government shutdown, when a standoff 
     between Democrats and Republicans over border wall funding 
     caused a 35-day gridlock. With neither side willing to 
     compromise, 800,000 government workers went unpaid, and 
     federal services became disrupted. Heightened polarization 
     has normalized the prioritization of party loyalty over 
     national needs, a theme of officials refusing to seek bi-
     partisan solutions even with critical federal services, 
     workers, and decisions at stake.
       Beyond our boardrooms and capitals, division based on 
     political views has become synonymous with what it means to 
     be American. Pew Research Center's 2022 report on 
     polarization shows that 72% of Republicans view Democrats as 
     more immoral than other Americans, and 62% of Democrats say 
     the same about Republicans. Political identity has become 
     tribal in nature, a defining characteristic of one's morality 
     and values. Political polarization strains relationships in 
     families, communities, and workplaces, the American 
     Psychological Association reporting that 38% of adults 
     avoided conversations with people of opposing political 
     views.
       Addressing solutions to America's political division is 
     complex. Specific systemic reforms, however, can help reduce 
     polarization by shifting the incentives that drive division. 
     Ranked-choice voting (RCV) is a system that allows voters to 
     rank candidates in order of preference, the votes for the 
     lowest-ranking candidate then redistributed to voters' next 
     choice until a majority is achieved. RCV would encourage 
     candidates to appeal to broader ranges of voters rather than 
     just their base, incentivizing politicians to take moderate 
     stances rather than extreme party-driven positions. Reforming 
     the closed primary system by adopting open or top-two systems 
     would force candidates to appeal to a broader electorate, 
     reducing the influence of extreme partisanship and 
     encouraging more moderation. Integrating civic education and 
     media literacy into our schools and communities could also 
     work as a grassroots solution in helping individuals evaluate 
     information and recognize bias in misinformation and 
     ideological chambers.
       The future of our democracy depends on our ability to 
     bridge divides and prioritize unity over partisanship. We 
     must rebuild trust, restore faith in our institutions, and 
     create a government that serves all Americans. Change begins 
     with us- and we call and act for a system that brings us 
     together, not tears us apart.<bullet>

                          ____________________