H.B. 218 Digital Skills Amendments: transcript

Awesome. Thank you. Uh, Mr. Chair, members of the committee, um, as many of you know, and, and my, uh, intern as a flyer, if that's okay, if she passes that out. Yeah, That's fine. Um, as many of you know, we've, we've been working over the last few years on trying to ensure that kids can safely navigate emerging technologies, social media, and, uh, ai, um, in a way that sets them up to be successful in life. Um, as part of it, we have looked at companies that, uh, have algorithms that are harmful to miners. And, uh, as we, we looked at this, we really said, we need a three legged stool. One leg of that is holding these companies accountable. Another leg of that is setting up the appropriate guardrails in place so that people, and, and miners especially, can navigate safely online. But the third leg of that is education, ensuring that we are providing the right skills, um, for, for these, these miners, and understand the, the great benefits that can come from these technologies, um, but also the pitfalls that are there. And, uh, a couple years ago, as we set out to do this, the governor's office and the Office of Family did a great job of doing some education to try to help parents understand these new technologies and how they might, uh, potentially harm kids. Um, but as we've, we've talked about it more, we've thought there needs to be more of a focus in helping the kids in the classroom themselves. And so what you see in House Bill two 18 is really a consensus bill as we've worked with the, the, the, uh, state Board of Education, um, teachers, the governor's Office of Family and others, uh, to, to find where, where does that make sense within the curriculum? And what we found is there is an existing digital literacy class, uh, that's required for junior high school students right now in seventh or eighth grade. And, uh, that class today is, is primarily around, uh, just learning some of the basic technology skills, you know, how to open a Word document or a spreadsheet, um, those types of, of things. And, and from what we've heard, many kids at this age are already being asked to do that in much earlier grades. And when they get into this class, it really is boring. They're not really getting a lot outta the class. A lot of kids are just, are skipping the class, doing a, a packet or something instead of being able to do that. And so, uh, these, these classes aren't a regular rotation of, of the state board looking at what, what they should be, what the, what the course should be. And it just happens to be the time where they're turning over this class and starting to look at how, uh, they could retool it to make sure that it's applicable to kids. And so, as we talked through it, we thought this would be the best place to actually insert more of these skills, um, to teach these kids about the internet, social media, and ai, and the, the harms that are out there, the benefits that are out there, and how to safely and navigate, uh, and engage with these new technologies. And so that's what HB two 18 does. It requires the state board to offer a digital skills class taught in that seventh or eighth grade, um, period. It outlines clear digital skill standards for the middle school course, and then creates an advisory tech college or a council to provide guidance and recommendations to the superintendent for tech education. And we, we do hope that this will be a valuable, uh, tool that, uh, will really help our kids to be able to be successful in the future. With that, uh, Mr. Chair, happy to answer any questions about the bill.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I'm looking at line 2 48 says this bill takes effect on May 6th, 2026. Um, I know that, uh, from my time on the state school board to create a curriculum, it takes a little while. Um, and if you've ever been to a school board meeting that lasts a couple of hours, just the slightest word could be a really long conversation. So I'm wondering, um, would this timeframe give the board enough time to come up with this curriculum and change the curriculum as a current stance?

Yeah, that, that's a really great question. If you look at line 63 of the bill, uh, it says, beginning with the 20 27, 20 28 school year, the state board shall have established standards for a digital skills course. Um, and so in, again, working with the state board, they felt like that was a reasonable timeline.

Thank you for clarifying that. I appreciate, take effect.

Any other comments? You know, a couple of things that I'm, I'm curious about. I, I think, I think some of the basics of this are important, but I I also think that we may need some more details. Uh, you know, there's, there, there are things, especially in this ai, uh, revolution, you know mm-hmm. Thinking about how algorithms work, thinking about the intuition behind, behind, you know, data based thinking, right? Uh, model based thinking, information integrity, technological agency, uh, you know, and even starting in kindergarten, I, I think that kids need to internalize that things happen in order steps, instructions, produce predictable results, systems follow rules. And, and I, I like the idea that you're kind of enlightening people as to what the dangers are, what's bullying, you know what I mean? Those kinds of things are important, but when we're, when we're really laying the foundation for systems thinking, I, I think that we need to think about some of these in terms of that, uh, curriculum that's developed. And so, you know, I think Senator Riebe does make a good point that, uh, that we really do have to think about how, how these classes are put together, right? But, but I think we need to think deeply about what, what's actually needed for kids to, to be competitive. So, I, I mean, those are just some thoughts I had, but, you know,

When you brought, could, do you mind if I respond to that really quickly? I, I completely agree with you. And I will say the, the original version of this bill was a little more expansive in providing requirements throughout the K through 12 experience to ensure that there was a learning path that they were talking about those systems. Then it wasn't just a, a single class being, uh, isolated out, but it might be in kindergarten and in first grade and in third grade. And each year you have different standards that, uh, the school board would te would, would, um, to work through. Representative Defay has had another bill that was somewhat similar. And so as we work together, we decided to take those principles and to incorporate it in her bill. And I'm not sure where it is in the process that this committee has already heard it or not. Um, but, and then focus this bill just on that seventh to eighth grade course. Uhhuh. The other thing that I think this bill helps with what you're talking about, Senator Johnson, is um, it does, uh, encourage the, uh, state superintendent to, to put together this, um, tech, what do we call it? A tech council or, um, yeah. Advisory Tech council where they, they talk and, and try to understand exactly what you're talking about. What, what are those things that kids need to be successful. And we hope with that, that we'll get the right people on that council, and they'll be incorporating the learnings from that council within all of the curriculum.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to speak for the board. So, Amanda Bollinger, vice Chair of the Utah State Board of Education. This is a bill, bill that we actually did vote to support. We really appreciate Representative Tuscher's willingness to work on it with us. Uh, originally, like he had mentioned, it was for upper grades ninth and 10th, and as we talked those in the field, they felt like that was too late. Uh, we also have a class currently called Digital Studies that is up for revision anyways, so this is actually perfect timing to then incorporate some of these, uh, new things that need to be embedded into our standards. So we feel like it's a good timing to, to make those changes. Just to address a couple of the things you talked about, the pattern and some of those other AI skills, those are, um, slated to look, if Representative Dease bill passes, those skills would be embedded into our computer science standards for K to 12. So those concerns that you mentioned are going to be addressed in a different bill, like Representative Teuscher mentioned, but just wanted you to know that this is a bill that we did vote to support.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Lexi Cunningham, representing the Utah School Boards Association and the Utah School Superintendents Association. We too support this bill. We think that the, the standards that are in the bill will help our students. We like where it's placed in the seventh and eighth grade. Um, looking at the, the formation of a, a council and the different things that are gonna take place with this bill, we really think it will help our students and our schools. So we urge you to vote yes on this bill. Thank you.

Yeah. Um, if you look at line 68 and 69, that's where it talks about it uhhuh. Um, and, and really we've given, um, full autonomy to the state superintendent to determine what that council looks like. And in, in consultation with her, we felt like that that was the right place to put it. And if, if she doesn't feel like she can get the right people, or, um, maybe she's missing something, we could come back in another year and be a little more prescriptive. But we felt pretty comfortable giving her that autonomy.

I'll make a motion. Okay. Go ahead. Thank you. I'd like to make a motion to, um, send out HB two 18 digital skills amendments out with a favorable recommendation for substitute Substitute one.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm sorry. We do have a handout that, uh, you've provided to the members of the committee, so we'll get that handed out. Thank you very much. Um, and thank you for accommodating my schedule. Always happy to be in front of the Education Committee. Um, just wanna give a little bit of background. Uh, as, as many of you know, I worked, um, closely with, um, the governor's office and, uh, Senator Cullimore and Senator Mikel a few years ago in looking at social media regulations for minors. And at the time, we, uh, identified that there was a real problem. Uh, there were no states in the nation that had really taken any steps to try to regulate and, and curtail some of that use. And as we came together and, and came up with a framework for tackling this big problem that we were seeing in our state, we, we looked at it as a three-legged stool. Um, one of those legs was putting in important regulations to be able to tech protect minors from the harms of social media. Another leg was to hold social media companies accountable for the harms that they've created. And the third leg was to provide education, uh, to ensure that parents and kids were making wise decisions and knew how to safely navigate. Um, online, uh, the governor's office, uh, did a, a really great job in putting together a campaign to educate parents. You guys will probably remember the website that they had. We had billboards, um, some amazing videos that showed to parents the real impacts that social media could cause and, and the harms that were there. Um, because for a lot of parents, they just didn't know, you know, they, they, their kids were online and doing things, and they, they didn't realize the, the real harmful impacts that could come from that. But, um, uh, last year before the session, as we were getting close to debate, the, uh, the bill on the, the cell phone, uh, ban, we had a, a town hall, um, near my home where we Uintah a school and, um, I think Representative Miller might have been there, um, and some others, some members of the, the Governor's office and School board and just kind of an open, open forum to talk about what parents and students felt about the legislature regulating in this space. And it was interesting. There was a group of students from Harriman High School, uh, that decided to show up. They were in their, their great SBO sweaters, you know, dressed to the nines with, um, uh, white shirts and ties and dresses and, and, um, you could tell that they had a plan. They didn't like what the legislature was planning on doing, and they wanted to come there and represent their case of why, uh, there shouldn't be any regulation of cell phone use. And it was interesting, they, they sat on the front row and before we took any public comment, uh, there were, there were several presenters that talked about the harms that they saw from cell phone use, um, from different studies that had been done, um, to what they had seen in the ground, uh, in, in our local schools. Uh, what they had seen from the pilot from Granite High School. And, and all of this, this happened. And by the time it opened it up for public comment, those kids, you could tell were a little sheepish to stand up and talk about why they needed to have their cell phone at all times. And after the meeting as we talked with them, there were several of them that said, I've never heard this before. I never knew the, the problems that could happen because of me being on my cell phone or the distraction that it caused. But as I heard the studies here and listened to, um, these, these experts in this space, I could see those things in my, in, in the other schoolmates that I had. And so it just sparked to me, again, this, this need of, we haven't done enough on education to really help kids understand the harms that are out there. And it's not just social media. It's not just cell phone use. We have a ton of emerging technologies, whether it's, um, AI and AI chatbots and, and other things that are coming that we need to make sure that our kids are prepared, um, and know how to safely navigate that. And that's what you see here in House Bill two 18. I've worked really closely with, um, members of the State Board of Education with the Governor's Office for Families and other, um, groups that have, uh, provided input on finding the right forum for this. And I appreciate Representative Defay. Um, there was a portion of this bill in the first, uh, version, uh, that talked about some standards that that will go in place from K through 12. We've now taken that out of my bill and, and it's in her AI bill. Um, but what you see left in house Bill, uh, two 18 is replacing a, an existing digital literacy class that's required for junior high school students in seventh or eighth grade. And that class, um, is, is there essentially to teach kids about how to use, you know, basic technology, how to, you know, create a Word document or, um, a, a spreadsheet or, you know, how, how to use a computer or write something. And, and we're finding that there really isn't as much need for that as there is to help them understand the harms that are out there with, with social media and AI and, and new types of technology. And so we can incorporate that into that class so it doesn't add any new additional requirements. Um, but it does, uh, provide a skillset that will be really important as those kids are first likely to have their own cell phone and, uh, be confronted with a lot of these harms that they're going to see, um, online and with these emerging technologies. And so, with that, um, Mr. Speaker, I'd urge support of the bill and happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, representative, just to clarify, this would not be a new course, but it would be incorporated in what courses? Yeah.

Great. Great question. So there's a current digital skills course that's offered for seventh and eighth graders that they have have to take. So this will replace that course. The course itself will be new because it's teaching new, new topics that weren't being taught before, but it's replacing that existing class that already fits into their Schedules. And so I see the fiscal note is zero, correct? Correct. Because when I first read this, I thought of how teachers sometimes resent new courses in districts that everybody wants to, you know, financial literacy. I can think of a lot of things over the years. So you're, so this would not be an entirely new course, but you've just put specific things in it that you thought were missing. Is that correct? Yeah. So one of, one of the great things about this is these courses are on, from what I understand, like a seven year review period and its review period is up. So they're already looking at making changes to this, to the course already. This now just set standards for the board to come in as they create that new course to say, here's what we want you to cover.

Representative Welton. Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, you, you may have just answered the question I had. Thanks. A promotion. So sorry. Thank you Mr. Chair.

Representative Welton chair. Um, is, is May 6th enough time for them to incorporate new standards, new courses to be taught next year?

Uh, great question. So the, it, the course would not start until the 20 27, 20 28 school year. Um, and so this just gives them the direction to start creating the skills that then would come in the next school year where the, the course would

Be next. Okay. And, and they're already working on this, like you just said, this is their cycle. That they're, That that's my understanding. Okay. Yeah.

Thank you. So my question has to do, starting on line 65 where it talks about the state superintendent may establish a advisory tech council, but then the council shall include certain people. So I guess what's, what's the plan with the advisory tech council? Like, are we doing it, are we not doing it? What's the plan there?

Yeah, so we, in, in working with the state superintendent, um, we wanted to give them, you know, the flexibility that, you know, they can have this tech council or not have the tech council. Obviously without this statute, they could have a tech council on their own, but if they move ahead with the tech council, uh, trying to help them understand, um, uh, what, what they would review and, and cover. And so that's, that's what you see in the bill. That's what they were all comfortable with in the language. And so we kept it in there. Yeah,

It just seems kind of funny 'cause they could have a tech council or they could have another council and call it something else and put it on on it, whoever they want anyways, it just kind of feels a little weird right there. Okay. And then this is my just kind of general question about the bill. So, um, I've been here a long time and, um, uh, Representative Moss mentioned financial literacy. Sometimes when we start putting standards in code, then every session we change the standards in code. Um, when we do standards with the state school board, um, the standards are, are set for a, a longer period of time because it, we require a really robust process for standard setting. Um, anyway, so I, I appreciate what you're doing and I appreciate that you're using the existing class and we're not creating a new requirement for a new class. Um, but I guess I'm just a little hesitant about, um, standards in code. Any thoughts about that?

Yeah, and I mean, I'm not sure that what we're doing here is giving standards, and I may have used that word before, but what we, what we have on line 29 are concepts that they want to include. So they'll still develop the standards. Um, that's what the, the state board is set to do and the, and their, their committees and as part of their normal process. But we want them to think through these types of things like digital protection, social media awareness, digital privacy, cybersecurity fundamentals, those types of things. And I could see your point to say, well, those might change over time, and that's right. But this is, this is, I think, an important direction that we can give this the state board as they come up with those standards. Mm-hmm. To say this is something that we think is important, um, for you to include as, as you put that course together. Thank

You.

Okay. I'm, excuse me. I'm Phyllis Kimel of the Worldwide Organization for Women. I am in favor of this bill. I like the idea of being proactive about, um, trying to keep children from being, um, adversely affected by the internet and other social media and things like that and I, and educating them about it. Uh, so I ask you to please vote yes for this bill. Thank you.

gentleman, member of the committee. My name is Cortex, specifically prefrontal cortex. I'm here to testify in favor of House Bill two 18, the digital skills amendment. I'm not here as a poly policy maker, but as a biological witness of the coming of age story happening inside each and every high schooler's head to understand the teenage brain, let's all think of the timeless classic west side story. In that story, both sharks and the jets are ruled by the limbic system. This is the seat of the emotional brain, social connection, immediate reward and tribalism in a teenager. The system is powerful, reactive, and screaming for validation in the movie, despite family and friends begging Maria and Tony to be rational. Mm-hmm. The limbic system controls their destiny. So what's it missing inside of Maria and Tony? Me, the prefrontal cortex, I'm the voice of reason. I'm the impulse control. I'm the vital key to override purely emotional decisions. But you see, therein lies the problem within the teenage mind. I'm still under construction. I won't be fully online until around age 25. Let's reimagine filming West Side story. In adolescence today, we have the same battle of raw emotion and passion, but we've added a new dimension for the growing brain to handle algorithms of social media and ai. In the original story, Maria and Tony had their friends, family, and neighbors to tell 'em who they are, who they should become, how to behave, and who to love. You see, in students of today, we have the entire planet judging them, flooding them with infinite options and opinions. Those technologies are designed specifically to weaponize the sharks and the jets. They target that hypersensitive emotional center with dopamine loops, rage bait and emotional comparison and social comparison. They pour gasoline on Ophir at a time when the rational brain is not strong enough to put out those fires. HB two 18 is vital for me. It acts as a guide for the developing prefrontal cortex to help teens in volatile digital world. And already, Kay, chaotic time of life. Excuse me, sir, would you mind concluding your remarks? And we also need you to state your na, your, uh, your real name for the record. We all know how West Side story ends when emotional overrides logic. Please help me write a better ending for this generation's version of West Side Story past HB two 18. Thank

Good afternoon. My name is Heather Wiffin and I teach at dig. I teach digital literacy at Vista Heights Middle School in Saratoga Springs. I'm here to speak in support of strengthening digital literacy in middle school because this course provides the foundational technology skills students need to succeed in every class. And in the real world. Education in the workplace now rely heavily on technology, yet we often assume students already know how to use technology efficiently. They really don't. In digital literacy, students learn how to safely, appropriately, and effectively use a computer. They learn file management, digital communication, cybersecurity basics, media literacy, digital wellness, and responsible use of ai. These are not optional skills, these are essential life skills. This course builds early hands-on experience with industry standard programs that lead into high school CTE pathways, where students can earn industry recognized certifications. Those certifications matter. They connect directly to workforce skills and job opportunities here in Utah. They also prepare students for success in all of their courses. Where assessments are now, online assignments require strong technology skills and job and college applications are now all digital. Digital literacy is a foundation that helps create a more level playing field for all these students. We've reinforced those skills through industry aligned certification exams. In my ninth grade classes this year, nearly 75% of my students passed both their Microsoft Word and PowerPoint certification tests. Earning industry recognized credentials. These credentials give students a clear advantage. They leave my classroom already able to prove they have real measurable skills that employers and educators value.

Um, thank you for support digital skills education in Utah. Thank you.

Okay. Hi, can you hear me?

Okay. Wonderful. Uh, my name's Dr. Sarah Coyne. I am a professor of Human Development in the School of Family Life at Brigham Young University. Uh, I have researched the impact that media has on children and families, uh, for the last 25 years with a particular focus on social media and mental health in the last 10 years. Um, I am speaking in support of this bill. Uh, it is a great bill. Uh, we need education on digital literacy in the state of Utah. Very pleased to see it. The only thing that I would add, um, the, I've only heard about the harms of, uh, digital literacy so far in this meeting. And I wanna recognize that digital, uh, the harms of digital media. I wanna recognize that digital media can certainly have some positive benefits. And so I would hope that the education would include, uh, not only the harms, but also the benefits to ensure that we are empowering our youth so that they can thrive in this digital media landscape. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I would move that, uh, make the motion that we, uh, move First Amendment that's online.

Thank you. I'll, I'll just say really quickly, um, when this bill originally came out, it was, um, focused at a high school, like a ninth grade class. And, um, so we had a teacher reach out, uh, that teaches middle school and made the suggestion that now that it's going to be in a seventh or an eighth or eighth grade class, there were a couple of the concepts that probably weren't ready for middle schoolers. And so that's what you see in this amendment here, taking out, uh, lines 53 and 54. And then there just some cleanup language that, um, that the education committee had asked for. So, appreciate all the great input that I've received on this, and that's what you see in this amendment.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I move that we favorably recommend first substitute HB two 18 as amended.

I would just briefly, I would like to thank the sponsor for bringing this forward. We had some talks about it earlier in the year, and I just think it's such a wise bill. It's so needed. I know that as a legislature, we have our eye on technology right now, especially because of AI and everything. And I feel like we're just like a little bit ahead of the game doing this. And so I'm so glad that this is coming forward to help our children and our schools prepare.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good Luck at your meeting.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Um, colleagues, as you know, Utah has taken the lead in trying to protect children, um, from the harms of social media and new technologies that we've seen online. And in fact, in, in some ways it's become a bit of a, a cliche because each year we're doing more and more and trying to lead out. And other states have taken notice and are are watching Utah and following Utah's lead as, as we, uh, really looked at this issue, uh, four years ago and trying to decide the path that we would move forward, um, there were really three legs of a stool that we talked about. The first leg was ensuring that these social media companies were held accountable for harms that they were causing. The second leg was ensuring that we had the proper guardrails in place to be able to protect children. And then the third leg was around education. We started that effort by educating parents about the harms of online and asking their kids about what they were doing and setting, um, proper, uh, limits and, um, restrictions to ensure that they're operating safe. But one of the things that we've, uh, found a gap in is the kids still there. There was so much out there that they needed to learn more about these new emerging technologies. And so in working closely with the governor's Office of family, uh, the Department of Commerce and, uh, education leaders across the state, um, we, we came together on HB two 18. And what HB two 18 is, is it replaces a current digital literacy, uh, digital skills class that is offered to students in seventh or eighth grade. That class today would, um, is the class that used to that at one point replaced the keyboarding class and help kids learn how to open a Word document and how to save a document and how to use a spreadsheet. And, and some of these skills that, um, we're finding those kids are being asked to do them much earlier than seventh and eighth grade. And so by the time they get to this class, it's, it, uh, really isn't applicable to their needs. But what is applicable to their needs is learning more about these digital skills concepts that they need, uh, uh, learning online. And so that's what this bill does, is it replaces that class with a class that has robust standards around learning about the internet, social media, and ai, um, the harms that they can cause, how they can be, uh, used safely. And it really to teach them how to safely navigate and engage with these new technologies. Um, the bill has a a list of items that would ask the, the state board to put together when they're reviewing this curriculum. And I think one thing that's really important in this bill, in working with the state board on this, is that they review these curriculums every seven years anyway. And this is the year that they're going to review this. So it's the perfect timing to get these in place and to be able to help our kids. And so with that, Mr. Speaker, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker with a sponsor yield to a question. Representative Teuscher will yield to a question.

Does this have any impact on the digital literacy requirements in, in high school for high school graduation?

Uh, Mr. Speaker, thank you for the question. It is not an original, uh, version of this. Bill replaced the class that, uh, the kids typically take taken ninth grade. However, working closely with the State Board of Education, they felt like it was more appropriate to place this in the seventh to eighth grade class. And so it doesn't affect any high school graduation requirements. It doesn't have the assessment that the original bill had. This simply replaces that seventh to eighth grade class.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will the sponsor yield to a question? Representative Teuscher, will you yield to a question? Yes. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Will there be any way that the Advisory tech council will have be able to report to any committee?

Yeah, Mr. Speaker, thank you for that question. Um, to note the advisory, uh, council is, uh, permissive. So it's only if the state superintendent decides to move forward with that, and then they would report back to the state superintendent. So we felt like that was appropriate because they were the one pulling that committee together and then the, they report back to the state superintendent and then the state superintendent would report back to the legislature.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I just wanted to say that I really appreciate the idea and I also hope that parents are teaching their own children at home about these same things as well. Thank you.

Further discussion to the bill. Representative Arthur. Thank You, Mr. Speaker, will the sponsor yield to a question?

Thank you. So as I understand it, all of the digital skills concepts listed are also concepts that will be covered as activities within the course. So students who take this course will be practicing these things like digital content creation. Is that, is that correct?

That's a great question, Mr. Speaker. These concepts, uh, that are laid out are then, are then asked to be incorporated into this course. But in terms of the standards that would be developed for the course, that would be up to the state board. So I would assume that as they come up with the course standards, that they would try to incorporate this in a way that's interactive and that kids can use and be able to really get hands on. But we're giving that discretion to the state board as they develop the, the standards.

Thank you so much for that clarification. I, colleagues today rise in, in support of this bill. I think that this is a great step forward for our state, not just in terms of making the learning that is taking place in the classroom more relevant and, and up to date with the technologies that our students are interacting with, but also giving us as a, as a body and opportunity to, to really consider what digital skills are most useful to to the young people in Utah, as we also consider the, the proper, uh, safeguards and protections that we put in place to make sure that our students as they engage with technology, do so in really thoughtful, intelligent, intentional and safe ways. So for those reasons, I support this bill.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. This is not only a good bill, but it's a great bill. Thank you.

Wow. I don't know how to, to sum it up better than that. Um, I will say I, I completely agree with a good representative from Utah County that said we hope that parents are leading out in this space and they're teaching their kids that is imperative, um, that they had that relationship. I had an experience, uh, a little over a year ago where we were, um, having a town hall that was focused on, uh, really was cell phones in the classroom, but we talked about the harmful effect of cell phones. And we had a number of the SBOs and class officers from Herriman High School there. And they certainly had an opinion on whether or not we should or shouldn't allow cell phones in the classroom. But having them sit through all of the research, um, around what that was causing and some of the negative impacts, many of them came and said, I just had no idea. And when you described it to me like that, I could see those effects, uh, from the colleagues that I had in school, my classmates here, and they wanted to learn more. This is the tool that allows 'em to do that. It gives the path forward for the state board to establish those standards and, uh, I think will really make a big difference in the lives of these kids. And so with that, I'd urge your support. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. Um, let me just say I, I love serving this legislature and I love the work that we've done to protect kids online. And I, I think of all the bills that have been run by colleagues in this body and I, and I think we've done a remarkable job. Um, top, top to bottom. Um, this is, this is a bill that's, well, it seems basic. I think it's really important. One of the questions we always get asked is, what are we doing for digital literacy? What are we doing to teach kids about the dangers online? Um, we have a website, social harms dot Utah dot gov that has resources and tools for parents. But this, this bill is something that is, is long overdue. I think we've done some of this, but I think we should have done it sooner. Uh, it's a simple, straightforward bill. It requires the state border to offer a digital course, a digital skills course taught seventh through eighth grade, and it outlines clear digital skill standards for middle schools. And this is this and it creates an advisory tech council to provide guidance and recommendations to superintendents for tech education. Um, I think this is a really important bill. I think I, I'm grateful that some of our schools have been doing this. I think it's o over overdue to set a really clear policy. But we have a problem with social media and let's educate people about it. Let's teach our kids and make sure they understand the dangers online. And I'm, and with that, I'm open for questions.

Motion. Thank you. I'm gonna waive summation to move that this bill will pass.