Summit on Screen & Social Media Harms

​The MAHA Institute will convene a Summit on Screen & Social Media Harms on October 21, 2026 at The Willard Hotel in Washington, DC. This full-day event will bring together policymakers, researchers, and advocates to examine the mounting evidence linking excessive screen time and social media use to childhood developmental harm and chronic disease.  This issue was formally identified by the MAHA Commission's federal strategy report as one of four key drivers of the childhood health crisis, alongside poor diet, chemical exposures, and overmedicalization. Speakers will explore the full landscape of concern from the neurological and developmental effects of excessive device use on children to the policy questions around age verification, parental rights, and the limits of government intervention.  The Summit will emphasize family-empowerment solutions that protect children without compromising civil liberties or privacy.

​Speakers Include:

• ​Stephanie Haridopolos, M.D., DABFM, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health Policy and Director of National Health Communications, Office of the Surgeon General

• ​Arielle Roth, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)

• ​Michele Reneau, State Representative for Tennessee’s 27th District

• ​Casey Sacks, Acting Assistant Secretary, Department of Education

• ​Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, NIH National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA)