WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
HermistonHerald.com
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
EQUALLY
GOOD,
EQUALLY
HORRIBLE
Ben Lonergan/Hermiston Herald
Jara Montez poses for a portrait during a passing period
Monday, Oct. 11, 2021, at Umatilla High School in Umatilla.
Montez, like other youths, uses social media to connect to
friends, yet also feels some platforms hurt her quality of life.
Social media troubles
teens, increases anxiety,
depression, more
By BRYCE DOLE and
ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
or Laylah Lucas, it all
started with YouTube.
At 9 years old,
she watched toy reviews
on the popular video plat-
form. Then she turned to
Pinterest to view other art-
ists’ work. Then, in eighth
grade, she got a cellphone
and felt more independent.
So, she started her Insta-
gram account, seeking con-
nection with other teens.
She started spending
more and more time on
social media. She turned to
TikTok, where she fell down
rabbit holes, watching video
after video. She was hooked.
Over time, her mental
health suff ered.
The Instagram infl uenc-
ers, their perfect lives and
bodies, made her feel inse-
cure about her own life and
body. She watched videos
from her friends and felt
she always was missing
out. She said she’s bisex-
ual, so when threats against
F
Kathy Aney/Hermiston Herald
Laylah Lucas, junior at Hermiston High School and advocate for mental health, struggles with
depression and anxiety, which she attributes in part to experiences on social media.
the LGBTQ community
spread across social media
during Pride month in June,
she was terrifi ed.
“That’s scary, because
you don’t know if that’s true
or a rumor,” said Lucas, a
16-year-old Hermiston High
School junior who struggles
with depression and anxiety.
“And that rumor spread like
the plague. And that’s a lot
of mental bog. Because now
you’re afraid. Especially if
you’re like me.”
Lucas realized what has
long been understood but
has reached the national
spotlight again in recent
weeks: Social media plays
a major role in the declining
mental health of teens.
“I feel like if you’re a
teen and you say that you
haven’t then you’re lying,”
said Lucas. “It’s impossi-
ble to not be intimidated or
insulted or made to feel bad
about yourself because of
social media.”
A national dilemma
Recent revelations from
Facebook
whistleblower
Frances Haugen and a Wall
Street Journal investigation
that sparked national out-
rage has reinvigorated dis-
cussions over how the plat-
forms infl uence teenage
mental health.
The revelations, uncov-
ered through a trove of the
company’s internal docu-
ments, show that leader-
ship among the social media
giants knew for years that
platforms such as Instagram
were having serious eff ects
on the mental well-being of
teens — especially young
women. Yet the company
chose not to disclose that
information and has made
meager eff orts to stop it.
Oregon U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden, D, called Haugen’s
Senate testimony “a great
public service” in reveal-
ing how platforms like
Facebook and Instagram
use private information to
manipulate young consum-
ers, a practice he describes
as “predatory.”
“These are impres-
sionable young people,”
Wyden told the Hermiston
Herald, adding that Face-
book is “taking advantage
of them.”
Wyden, a proponent of
digital privacy legislation,
is pushing forward the Algo-
rithmic Accountability Act,
which requires that compa-
nies audit “high-risk sys-
tems” such as artifi cial intel-
ligence for decisions that
contribute to harmful con-
tent. The act is meant to curb
the spread of misinforma-
tion, bias or discrimination,
and he said he believes it will
attain bipartisan support.
But the activity in Wash-
ington D.C., only hints at
what teens are experienc-
ing in rural Eastern Oregon.
Teens, counselors, school
district offi cials and politi-
cal fi gures around Umatilla
County said although social
media has impacted teen-
age mental health for years,
the toll has worsened during
the pandemic. All that has
shifted is the question of
who’s to blame.
Teens, counselors speak out
“I feel social media has
made unrealistic standards
for what people should look
like or be like,” said Jara
Montez, a 17-year-old senior
at Umatilla High School.
Montez estimated she
spends about seven or eight
hours a day on social media.
She checks the apps between
classes. Like Lucas, she
See Teens, Page A9
Grand openings begin new Umatilla County peer centers
By ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
Three drop-in peer cen-
ters opened Wednesday, Oct.
6, cutting ribbons on a new
resource to help people suf-
fering addictions.
The Oregon Washing-
ton Health Network cen-
ters in Hermiston, Pendle-
ton and Milton-Freewater
off er support and guidance
from peers. These peers will
be able to share their stories
and direct people to assis-
tance, whether that help is
for addiction recovery or
not. Some people may want
assistance in making their
addictions less problematic,
and other people will want
aid for dealing with family
members who are addicts.
“We want everyone who
comes here to feel loved,”
said Kathleen Pollard, one
of the Hermiston center’s
peer mentors.
INSIDE
Other people at the grand
opening shared her senti-
ment, celebrating the open-
ing with cake and laughter.
Amy Ashton-Williams,
the network’s executive
director, was present at the
Hermiston grand opening,
which also included Herm-
iston city offi cials, OWhN
employees and interested
health care workers.
“I think this is monumen-
tal,” Ashton-Williams said,
also explaining the centers
will be able to off er help,
untied to treatment. Services
are free, and a good place for
people who are troubled and
unaware of what to do next.
OWhN has a medical
clinic in Pendleton and has
off ered limited peer mentor-
ship there. Ashton-Williams
said the organization have
helped around 50 people in
the past few months. The
offi ces, with more peers, she
said, will be able to serve
A3  Area cakemaker takes up
painting
even more people.
Hermiston City Council-
ors Jackie Myers and Doug
Primmer joined Ashton-Wil-
liams for the ribbon cutting.
“We are very excited
for this,” Myers said. “This
absolutely fi lls a need that
Hermiston has far gone
without. Having some-
one here for those in need
and their families is a great
service.”
Primmer added, based
on his experience in law
enforcement, he has seen the
damage drugs have had on
people’s lives.
“Having access to this
type of thing, this network,
is going to help us out,” he
said, because the centers
provide police a resource to
direct people to.
Stanfi eld resident Luis
Ibarra is the peer mentor
supervisor for all three cen-
ters and oversees local oper-
ations. He trains peers and
makes sure clients have a
positive experience.
As the child of an alco-
holic, he said he has a strong
feeling for his work. He wit-
nessed domestic violence in
his home and abuse. This
made him angry and bit-
ter, leading to rebellion and
dropping out of high school.
Even when his home life
improved, he said he still
had anger issues in need
of rehabilitation. Now, he
intends to help other people
with similar problems.
Megan Torres, another
peer supervisor, also is
working with the centers,
going from one to the other,
as well as local hospitals.
She will direct people with
substance use disorder to the
peer centers.
She said she is happy with
the new centers and grateful
for the opportunity to work
A6  Hermiston Chamber of
Commerce welcomes visitors
See Openings, Page A9
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Doug Primmer and Jackie Myers, Hermiston city councilors, cut
a ribbon Oct. 6, 2021, in front of the new Oregon Washington
Health Network center in Hermiston. They share the cutting
with Amy Ashton-Williams, the network’s executive director.
A7  Local woman celebrates
100th birthday
A10  Seventh-day Adventists
host a grand opening