Norwich Free Academy students focus on 3 topics in questions to governor: How he answered

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont visited Norwich Free Academy Wednesday, and students were eager to hear from him.

After a short tour of the Slater Museum, Lamont and Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom held a discussion where NFA students got to ask them questions about topics they were concerned about.

Should TikTok be banned? Should kids be limited on social media?

The lion’s share of the conversation was about social media. One student, who will soon attend Eastern Connecticut State University, said it's helping her get to know the school and her future classmates. Another student was concerned about how much time is wasted on social media, and its negative mental health impact.

Junior Natalie Bezanson agreed social media is a distraction. It can be a source of communication, but there are better ways to do that, but banning it isn’t the right way to do it, she said.

“It’s what you make out of it,” she said.

Speaking of China, students were aware of proposed federal legislation that would ban TikTok unless it is sold to new owners due to the Chinese government's ability to gain data from the app. Bezanson understands why some are worried, but said other social media could still be influenced.

Another student asked if the situation would be different if TikTok were based out of a country that the U.S. has a better relationship with. Lamont said TikTok is comparable to a major TV network in stature, but it’s still a private company with American investors, he said.

“It’s a close call,” Lamont said.

Nystrom noted to students that free speech is important, and used Norwich’s story with Benedict Arnold to talk about the complexities of history.

One student added that they agreed with an age restriction. She was thankful she got her first social media account at 13, while her little sister got hers at 10 and is on social media all the time. Nystrom agreed that there should be age limits on it.

“Let the kid be a kid,” Nystrom said.

After the discussion, Bezanson said it was interesting that social media was on the mind of so many of her peers.

“It’s good that we’re thinking about that stuff,” Bezanson said.

How can we change the government's actions on the enviroment

Another student was concerned that the government wasn’t doing enough to care for the environment, instead pushing responsibility onto everyday people. Lamont agreed with the student that not enough is done.

The environment may be better now than when he was a kid, but policymakers have lost focus. Lamont also acknowledged his lack of success in the legislature on environmental issues, he said.

“When it comes to recycling and transportation, we’ve got a long way to go,” Lamont said.

Lamont appreciated the enthusiasm of the environmentally-concerned student, and encouraged the student to approach officials about environmental issues, he said.

Both Lamont and Nystrom said more young people need to voice their concerns to public officials and run for office themselves.

“I want you to think about public service; that’s the bottom line,” Nystrom said. “You can make a difference.”

School budget cuts: What can the city and state do?

A student also asked about what can be done about music education in the younger grade levels. Norwich Public Schools cut three music education positions among others. This was due to a loss of grant funding plus the district's proposed 2024-25 budget is $7 million more than the city wants to pay.

Nystrom said the remaining instructors will have to be spread between multiple schools in the Norwich Public Schools district, which does not include NFA. Nystrom also explained that meeting the budget is important, and the city is still talking with the district about the gap.

After the meeting, Senior Adrien Girard liked having the chance to interact with leaders face to face, he said.

“We all have opinions about how the world is run, but not all of us are willing to go out and do something, so taking the first step and going to a high school is important, Girard said.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich CT students discuss TikTok, social media with Gov. Lamont