'Design It for Us' tour visits UNC, discusses social media use

The Campus Y hosted a discussion last week with Design It For Us, an advocacy coalition that promotes youth involvement in the design of online spaces.

The coalition formed in 2022 in support of the bipartisan California Age Appropriate Design Code, formed by organizations Tech(nically) Politics and Log Off Movement.

Arielle Geismar, a recent graduate from George Washington University, and Zamaan Qureshi, a recent graduate of American University, serve as co-chairs for the coalition. Geismar said the group is made of young people with a passion for digital wellness solutions to the amount of time spent on social media. 

One way the coalition promotes their cause is through touring  the U.S. to educate college students about safe technology usage and awareness, featuring presentations and guest speakers.

The next stop for Design It For Us’ campus tour is on Sept. 30 at Columbia University.

Geismar said she hopes that attendees will learn more about technology and how it has impacted them. 

“We're not here to say that technology is inherently bad or one thing over the other,” she said. “But the young people have a right to start deciding how it shows up in our lives.”

On the day of the event, Geismar opened with an interactive activity featuring open-ended questions regarding social media usage. The event then transitioned into a panelist segment where two UNC students and guest speakers discussed how technology has affected their lives. 

Sophomore Keegan Lee discussed her experiences during the pandemic and how the virus, along with the usage of technology, particularly social media, heavily affected her mental health. 

“I found [technology] became a barrier in my relationships and my productivity, an assortment of things,” Lee said. 

First-year Lucy Wang said  she developed an obsession with technology from a young age. 

“I hear so many voices from my parents, my parents’ friends, they always tell us just to stop looking at social media and that's simply unrealistic,” Wang said. “Especially how these days we are using social media so much, not just to scroll Instagram reels, for example, but also to connect to friends.”

Before the event concluded, Geismar announced the coalition's plan to create “Declaration of Digital Rights,” a document that would allow for young people to be a part of the decisions that can regulate social media and make platforms safer. 

After the event, attendees took photos for the coalition's social media, grabbed free food and free merchandise.

First-year Frances Byrne, an attendee at the event, said she connected with what she heard at the presentation.

“I think what was so striking to me is that I feel I've had this lived experience that was so profound, to the point that so much of what was being said felt like I knew it because it resonated with what I've known,” Bryne said. 

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