February 18, 2023
Alarming Studies Prove Girls Deserve Better!
As you likely know, FFL has expanded our efforts to reach teens, especially at-risk younger girls, before they hit college and the workplace. Unfortunately, the abuse and violence they face have risen exponentially.
The surgeon general has recently confirmed that 13-year-olds are way too young to be online. But that is exactly when Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat allow them to join.
Most troubling of all: Sex predators know this, too.
Raven CEO John Pizzuro just testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee: “The most staggering increase we faced was self-generated sexual abuse videos of children ages 7, 8, and 9. There is even a post named ‘The Art of Seduction,’ that explains how to seduce children that has been read more than 54,000 times.”
The younger they start, the more they can’t stop interacting on social media. Mitch Prinstein from the American Psychological Association told Congress that “they are biologically incapable of stopping themselves from incessant use of these platforms.”
Consider the impact: One in three teens now reports contemplating taking her own life!
Since COVID isolation, one-third of boys now feel sad or hopeless, up from one in five.
As horrifying as that news is, it has gotten far worse and more serious as 57% of girls feel sad or helpless, up from 36%.
This reflects a stunning 60% increase for girls and a 38% increase for boys.
Pew Research revealed 97% of teens are on social media — COVID intensified this usage. We have NO idea what long-term impact this will make, for good and for bad. We must prevent the worst abuse and violence, including predators who will take teens to an abortion clinic to cover their crimes.
Still, social media giants have apparently knowingly exploited teens. Consider this: CEOs of tech companies won’t let their kids have access to addictive smartphones. Contracts with their nannies even state this!
So what can you and I do?
Like FFL student activists today, many of our Board and supporters were students, interns, and young leaders in the pro-life movement and are now parents and grandparents, godparents, aunts and uncles, and mentors. No matter your relationships, we recognize the short- and long-term urgency to reach the next generation through both our Teen and College Outreach Programs.
We must reach them before they are the victims of abuse from predators and bullies. We must instill the value of their life and, someday, the lives of their children — all children, born and unborn.
With your help, teens will grow up to understand that LIVES count more than “likes.”
Because women — and girls — deserve better,
Serrin M. Foster
President
Feminists for Life of America
Editor-in-Chief
Women Deserve Better
& The American Feminist
P.S. Don’t forget to help us write the next chapter of pro-life feminist history for the upcoming issue of The American Feminist. We want to know: “What’s your life’s legacy?” Thank you!
