Technology for women and girls was the hot topic at the United Nations this March. This year at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, WOW talked about the importance of acknowledging the negative mental health connection to technology usage in women and girls and turning the hearts of the children toward their parents as they navigate the technological world.
Nicholeen Peck spoke about the February 2023 CDC mental health study done on boys and girls that showed girls are at a higher risk for the negative impacts of social media. Girls use social media more than boys, and girls have increasingly poorer mental health scores over the 10-year study (2011 – 2021). She also gave evidence of the positive mental health effects of girls who navigate technology under the supervision of their parents, as well as made a case for using technology less for better mental health.
Amaka Ada Akudinobi spoke from an African perspective about how the focus in Africa needs to be on infrastructure to get people electricity and stable internet to be able to conduct business. She also mentioned the many programs that WOW Africa is doing to strengthen their societies and improve mental health.
Kimberly Ells, author of The Invincible Family, spoke about how the family should be the focus for women and girls, not more technology. She gave compelling examples and taught principles about the power mothers have to help keep their children safe in our current technological society.
WOW had a great turnout at the event and enjoyed all the conversations about technology and family that were had this year at the United Nations.