Mad Moms Stigmatized Drunk Driving. Their Next Target: Social Media
A generation ago, a coalition of parents sparked meaningful legislation to combat booze and cars. A new group hopes to accomplish the same thing with social media.
When Andrew Gounardes needed help rallying support for two social media bills he’d introduced in the New York State Senate earlier this year, he knew who to call: Mothers Against Media Addiction.
The New York-based nonprofit parental advocacy group had caught Gounardes’ attention even before it officially launched in March, thanks to its founder, Julie Scelfo, whom a colleague had introduced Gounardes to earlier that year. “It was a match made in heaven,” said Gounardes, a Democrat.
He found a kindred spirit in Scelfo, a former New York Times journalist and mother of three who had founded the group. MAMA, as it’s better known, aims to help parents concerned about the encroachment of smartphones and social media feeds on childhood advocate for policy changes at the local and state level and in schools.