HARRISBURG – To help keep children safe from potential threats online, this week (August 17-23) would be designated as Social Media Safety and Parental Awareness Week in PA under a resolution introduced by Sen. Scott Martin of Lancaster & Berks Counties. The week-long designation is the first of its kind in the country urging parents, guardians, and students to better understand potential threats in the digital world. These include growing threats, such as sextortion, cyber-bullying, AI-generated child sexual abuse material, grooming, and other dangerous forms of abuse. The resolution builds on work by the state Legislature to address digital harms to children. In April, Martin also hosted a Social Media Safety and Parental Awareness session in partnership with Lampeter-Strasburg High School to bring together experts in law enforcement, student mental health and child protection. In 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports of suspected child exploitation, up from 20.5 million the previous year.
SEN. SCOTT MARTIN