Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P. President | St. John's University website

St. John’s University hosted a forum for area high school students on May 4 in St. Augustine Hall, home of The Lesley H. and William L. Collins College of Professional Studies. The event, titled “Democracy Roundtable: A New Forum for Youth Engagement,” brought nearly 30 students from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, NY, and William H. Maxwell High School in Brooklyn, NY, to the University’s Queens campus.

The four-hour event featured discussions, policy debates, and small-group presentations on the topic “Local Government Approval of Age Verification for Social Media Use.” This subject explored age-restriction strategies governments might employ if shown that social media use before a certain age impacts students’ mental health.

This forum was the first in a series of democracy roundtables planned by the Collins College of Professional Studies before November’s presidential election. They aim to provide students with an opportunity to learn about American democracy while offering a secure and nonpartisan environment to express opinions.

The roundtables are part of St. John’s commitment to the America The Possible project, dedicated to revitalizing young people’s engagement with democracy. According to a 2023 The Economist/YouGov poll, barely half of Americans ages 18-29 believe democracy is the best form of government. While the high school sophomores and juniors who attended are not likely to vote in November, they should be eligible shortly after that, including for president in 2028.

Students in the small-group competition evaluated requirements, rationale, and enforcement strategies for age-related social media restrictions. The topic was chosen as an example of a policy debate impacting young Americans' lives. Dean Iandoli, alumnus Steve Farella ’77SVC, and Martin Puris served as judges. A team from Maxwell High School won by recommending that children younger than eight should not have social media access without parental permission and that all youth accounts should require mandatory parental registration.

“Events like this are the essence of the American idea of debate,” said Mr. Puris, an advertising industry icon who recently donated his professional catalog to St. John’s. “To understand what the Constitution says and why it says it, you need to know that it was written by people––mostly teenagers and 20-somethings––who did not particularly trust or like each other. The one thing they had in common was an almost religious belief in the idea of America.”