Julie Scelfo

She’s Leading a National Movement to Keep Kids Safe Online

After years of reporting on the youth mental health crisis, journalist and mom of three Julie Scelfo launched Mothers Against Media Addiction last year to fight back against one likely culprit: screen addiction. She started with the goal of establishing six chapters in MAMA’s first year. Today, MAMA has 32 chapters in 18 states with a growing waitlist — including requests for international expansion. Modeled after the success of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MAMA has already notched a number of legislative wins: In New York, the group helped pass nation-leading legislation to combat addictive social media feeds and protect kids online, and it’s engaged in similar measures in Colorado and Florida. The group has mobilized support for the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), federal legislation that would require social media platforms to take measures to prevent kids from seeing harmful content and disable addictive product features. It’s also at the forefront of the growing movement to ban personal devices during the school day. Thanks to Scelfo’s leadership, in less than a year, MAMA has rallied more than 10,000 parents and advocates nationwide to create a world where real-life experiences remain at the heart of a healthy childhood.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo