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PSA Pathos, Day 23

TW: A child drowning, as it says in the title of the PSA.

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This St. Patrick’s Day, please slow down.

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ugh

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whut

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My favorite Pokemon is:

LAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAXXXXXXXXXXXXX!

My favorite pokemon is HYAH.

HYAH

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Los Angeles (1980)

Source: Flickr/Thomas Hawk

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Me about to watch an ASMR vid or early music concert on YT:

The unskippable 15-second ad:

Me:

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Me watching a recipe, crafts, or classical music video on YT but have to endure 15 minutes of this:

Me:

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pikachu tessellation puzzle

x

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How many of you called 911 other than in an emergency as kids?

Lead a Child Outside or to a Bookshelf Zazzle Design

Of course, when it comes to getting your kids to take mini-social media or digital detoxes, the old saying of leading a horse to water applies.

I created this design out of necessity. At the time - on January 19, 2025 - TikTok went on the process of restoring access to the app on the eve of President Donald Trump's second inauguration.

2 days before, the Supreme Court ruled that ByteDance, a media company, would either sell it to an investor outside China or cease downloads of the app stateside. They ordered it to do the latter, much to the distressing chagrin of 170 million American users.

When the app went dark between January 17 and January 19, 2025, some youths in mostly Oregon, Ohio, Minnesota, California, and Alabama who were facing then-imminent severe ennui even went as far as calling 911 to voice their dissent to emergency services. Some rational, sane netizens couldn't help but either laugh or rant in response.

"This is sadly a meltdown from addiction to that app, @XRP_Tiffany sniffed, "These kids need to touch grass."

@cesar_224455's comment is the most golden response to the articles on X. He quipped, "Great - now kids can pick up a book and read."

The articles of youths calling 911 SOLELY due to a social media platform going dark reminded me of the time when I called 911 at random - out of curiosity rather than me doing it just for kicks. I was 5 or 6 years old, and it took place in mid-90's New Jersey, when social media had yet to exist and NJ PBS was New Jersey Network (le sigh).

My DM reprimanded me for making that call, mostly because I was too naive - like many kindergartners, naturally - to understand that the act could've hindered first responders from responding to ACTUAL emergencies. My strict teacher at school also didn't take my wrongdoing lightly the next day. She sternly told me:

"NO 911."

My hot take on the articles was that I wished my straitlaced kindergarten teacher would knock on the parents' doors; call the children and teens who called emergency services JUST BECAUSE TikTok went dark; and tell them straight to their faces:

"NO 911."

Stemming out of the memories, the articles of youths calling 911 when TikTok went dark, and its comments from sane commenters, the Zazzle collection Lead a Child Outside or to a Bookshelf was born.

Aptly, the design involves a book on a patch of grass, symbolizing the many activities children can do offline, especially going outdoors and reading. The text is the TFB reword of the old saying: you can lead a child outside or to a bookshelf, BUT you can neither make your child touch grass nor read more books.

And I did include the words "touch grass," which according to Hootsuite is a phrase that indicates that "the person spends too much time online, and they physically need to get outside and… reconnect with the real world."

The design urges parents to take preliminary steps before getting their kids to unplug. The first step is to acknowledge AND validate their feelings.

"Have an open discussion about the benefits and drawbacks of these apps and ask them how these apps have made them feel and what emotions have surfaced when using TikTok, "Pam Allyn, a literacy advocate and author of Every Child a Super Reader, advised on Parents, "Does it bring them joy? Anxiety? Maybe it helps them combat loneliness."

One of the vital methods to clear any emotional resistances to social media/digital detoxes is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It's the practice of tapping on various parts of the body to release any emotional energy blockages - especially the ones that the times spent on TikTok or digital devices in general have erected in children.

"This desire to stay informed and connected can become overwhelming, building into a media fixation or a Facebook (or TikTok) addiction, EFT expert Nick Ortner explained, "essentially, some form of escapism that indirectly allows you to procrastinate on a project at hand. The first thing to take a hit is your productivity."

"On top of that, there seems to be a surprising connection between a degree of insecurity and social media addiction. Sometimes, this deep need to know exactly what’s going on with everyone we know reflects a sense that everything that everyone else is doing is more important or more interesting that what we’re up to. If you think you’re spending too much time looking at whatever pops up every day, you’re probably addicted. It could be insightful to find out why."

Those EFT tapping scripts and videos form other influences behind the design. Items in the collections - split into stationery lines in the Construction Paper Eras Nostalgic Stationery & Supplies store and apparel, decor, and accessory lines the Construction Paper Eras Nostalgic Apparel & Life Stuff one - are also excellent for EFT therapists and parenting experts AS MUCH as concerned parents AND teachers alike THEMSELVES.

"(The) interesting thing is likely to happen once you get past your Facebook addiction or whatever’s been such a distraction," Ortner concluded, "There’s a good chance you and your work (as well as your kids AND their schoolwork and lives in general) are going to become a lot more interesting, not just to you, but to everyone else you (and your kids) were previously tuning into!"

Lead a Child Outside or to a Bookshelf Stationery https://www.zazzle.com/collections/lead_a_child_outside_or_to_a_bookshelf_stationery-119907994466785649?rf=238359978314987621

Lead a Child Outside or to a Bookshelf Life Stuff https://www.zazzle.com/collections/lead_a_child_outside_or_to_a_bookshelf_life_stuff-119188382735828430?rf=238359978314987621

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To reword the old saying, getting much of the US TikTokers to touch grass is a horse-to-water situation.

That’s why Brad Yates is here to help them release any mental and emotional blocks that keep them reluctant to do so post-TikTok ban! Happy tapping!

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1980S REIMAGINED LOGOS x

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Here’s my result

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I found the TikTok reels of the people moving to China because the said app will be banned from the USA HILARIOUS. And most of them use either the audio from Scary Movie 4 or a snippet of the song “Kurang China Apa Aku.” Those using the latter one (including and specifically DUOLINGO’S) make me WHEEZE!

On the more serious side, there are other nations aside from China in which you can relocate AND STILL access your TikTok accounts! And I highlighted the ones that are much cheaper than that.

But if you don’t wish to relocate (I don’t use Rednote), diversify your platforms. If you have those in at least 3 platforms (IG, YouTube, Facebook, etc.), then shift your foci on them.

That’s my 1 PHP on the US TikTok ban.

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TW: blood, guns, crying family members, white caskets, funerals

Ironically, Peter, Paul, and Mary's reworking of "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" for this 1997 PSA is my favorite of the group's songs. It even beats out "Puff, the Magic Dragon," TBH.