{"id":116892,"date":"2023-07-28T16:00:09","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T21:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/?p=116892"},"modified":"2023-07-28T16:00:08","modified_gmt":"2023-07-28T21:00:08","slug":"alumni-driven-nonprofit-aims-to-help-unplug-mississippi-youth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/alumni-driven-nonprofit-aims-to-help-unplug-mississippi-youth\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni-Driven Nonprofit Aims to Help ‘Unplug’ Mississippi Youth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alumni Ben (left) and Erin Napier, co-founders of Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth and hosts of HGTV\u2019s ‘Home Town,’ will return to campus on Aug. 1 for the kickoff event for their new nonprofit organization. They and other panelists plan to address parents on the importance of getting children and teens to unplug from electronic media. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/p><\/div>\n

OXFORD, Miss. \u2013 Three University of Mississippi<\/a> alumni families are kicking off a new nonprofit to limit social media exposure for children and teens, Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth, or Osprey<\/a>, with a Tuesday (Aug. 1) event at the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. <\/p>\n

Led by Erin and Ben Napier, Catherine and Taylor Sledge and Ashley Creekmore and Hu Meena, the nonprofit focuses on decreasing screentime for youths across the nation.<\/p>\n

More than 95% of teenagers and 40% of children aged 8-12 are active on social media, according to a recent advisory from the U.S. Office of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Surgeon General<\/a>. The same advisory noted that 46% of youths surveyed said social media had a negative impact on their body image and 64% have been exposed to hate content on the internet.<\/p>\n

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Alumni Catherine (left) and Taylor Sledge, co-founders of Old School Parents Raising Engaged Youth, will speak on campus during the new nonprofit\u2019s kickoff event at 7 p.m. Aug. 1 in the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts. Submitted photo<\/p><\/div>\n

“We feel like if we’re going to change the culture around teenagers and tech use, it has to begin in lower elementary,” said Erin Napier, a Laurel designer, entrepreneur and television star. “We, as our kids were being born, said, ‘I don’t want them to be so glued to this world that’s not even real \u2013 social media.’ <\/p>\n

“We want our kids to have real experiences.” <\/p>\n

The kickoff event will include a panel of professionals speaking on the dangers of exposing young children to social media. Tickets, which are $5 for the 7 p.m. panel, are available for purchase<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Panelists include: <\/p>\n