HR0178LRB101 11542 ALS 57432 r


  
1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

  
 
2    WHEREAS, The Internet "Momo Challenge" phenomenon has 
3taken social media by storm as parents, school districts, and 
4police authorities express deep concern that adolescents might 
5be seeing a video on children's websites that encourages young 
6people to commit acts of self-harm and suicide; and
  
 
7    WHEREAS, Over the past decade, videos and stories 
8originating on the Internet have been linked to self-harm, 
9suicide, and violence toward others; and
  
 
10    WHEREAS, Instances of depression and suicide among 
11adolescents are on the rise, with some studies reporting that 
12hospitalizations of suicidal teenagers have doubled in the past 
13decade; and
  
 

  
14    WHEREAS, The developing brains of children and teenagers 
15are sensitive to disturbing content and more susceptible to 
16making quick, risky decisions than adults; therefore, be it
  
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 
18HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that  
19we urge YouTube, Google, and all websites that cater to 
20children to maintain stringent policies regarding the content 
21that is posted by the public; and be it further
  
 
 
 
HR0178- 2 -LRB101 11542 ALS 57432 r

1    RESOLVED, That we urge the aforementioned websites to do 
2everything in their power to remove media that could be 
3life-threatening to children and to help law enforcement 
4officials locate the creators of this content if necessary; and 
5be it further
  
 
6    RESOLVED, That we urge parents to always exercise caution 
7when allowing children to access the Internet, as there is no 
8guarantee that all the material they will be exposed to is 
9safe, regardless of whether they are using a website intended 
10for children; and be it further
  
 
11    RESOLVED, That we urge the Illinois General Assembly to 
12increase awareness about Internet safety and to advance 
13policies to keep children safe on the web.