AUGUST 2026
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, 8/12 at noon - Coalition meeting. Everyone is welcome to join us in person or online. See details/register. Catch up by reading July meeting minutes.
August - Month-long Family Challenge! See below for details and get started today!
Webster Headlines
Happy birthday to these WHEN members celebrating in August:
Dave H., Lynne M., Jill W., Penny S., Colleen H., Judi S., and Kaitlyn C!
Webster UCC's Caring Community Concert benefitting WHEN was July 29. Many thanks to all who came out to support us and enjoy the music of Red Hot & Blue! The weather held out and it was a great evening. We handed out lots of WHEN merch and Narcan at our busy table, and received $1,173.00 in donations! We can't thank Webster UCC enough for their support by including us in their summer concert series!
You may have recently received a mailer advertising local cannabis sales and wondered how that’s possible when Webster opted out of cannabis retail. The retail store in question is located within the town boundary of Penfield, but has a Webster mailing address. The mailer advertised online ordering, prompting renewed concern around the ease of ordering cannabis online. We recommend that parents be extra vigilant when checking their credit card statements, and be sure to talk to kids about the reasons cannabis is only legal for people 21 and older. This material makes it easy!
If you are aware of cannabis being sold within the town boundary of Webster, please make a report to the state and to Webster PD.
A Challenge Before the Routine Returns
“Protective factors are conditions or attributes in individuals, families, and communities that promote the health and well-being of children and families.” - ChildWelfare.gov
By WHEN member, Dana Buccieri, MEd
"'Cause a little bit of summer is what the whole year is about." —John Mayer
My goal this month was to share an update on global policy changes to online safety regulations for social media. Many countries are implementing laws that limit its use by minors due to continuing concerns about their mental health and the cultural phenomenon of increased digital use and its toll on our youth. However, despite my desire to continue to communicate these concerns, we know that change takes time and our kids are growing up now. They are a product of our present culture with no fault to them or anyone else. Parents, you are not to blame! Parenting today is beyond difficult when going up against a digital screen versus family fun. My challenge for you is about being digital free, but for just a period of time.
As with anything in life, when it appears that something may be fun, we are, by nature, enticed! Isn’t having fun a phase in life that we all seek; not sure about you, but sometimes I ask myself, “When can my life just be fun?! Why are we all so over-extended, exhausted, with packed schedules and no time to let our hair down, smell the roses, be carefree and freely rejoice in a moment?!” I recently had a mom share with me that when she finally has alone time, she spends hours on her apps just mindlessly scrolling. However, in the same breath, she mentioned how overwhelmed she felt with no restorative habits and was also struggling enjoying family time with her husband and three children.
If this sounds familiar, read on as I have a FUN challenge for you. It is really simple. I promise. Yes, you are going to read about a simple challenge. Really, you will not have to read the challenge twice, take notes, look up any meanings, or research it on ChatGPT.
The challenge is this: have fun with your family.
Yep, that is it. Make life fun. Fun is definitely subjective; what one family finds fun another family may not.
Think about how your family thinks of fun. What makes you all laugh? What slows you down to communicate with each other with ease? What do you all have in common that you may enjoy? Find one day a week in which you are going to let everything go (worries about health, financial strain, household chores etc.) and just do your best to focus on fun. One day a week in August, that is only FOUR days of FUN! Everyone in the household deserves this restorative challenge. If you cannot commit a day, commit a half day. If that seems impossible for your family, commit an hour or a meal! If this challenge is SO very daunting for your family because you will not agree on what is fun, have every person submit what would be fun for them into a FUN JAR and you will pick from that jar to determine your chosen footloose and fancy free FUN time. Make the intention transparent, talk with your family about the goal.
The challenge this last month of summer is for your taking! Four days of FUN, four ½ days of FUN, four hours of FUN, or four meals that are FUN! The most important part of this challenge is to actually do it and make it FUN!
Consider some guidelines such as:
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No arguing during this time period
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No complaining during the time period
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No calling each other out for complaining or arguing (tough, I know)
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Each person is responsible for themselves to commit to the guidelines set
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Only happy joking is allowed
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Agree to little sarcasm (typically sarcasm can be biting or hurtful)
When we think of really fun times in our lives, I guarantee you that the above guidelines were naturally occurring. Moods were content and even joyful. While we cannot make someone have fun, we can at least try and set conditions in which fun and joy can occur.
“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Finally, if this whole idea seems so far-fetched with what you and your family are capable of doing, challenge yourself for a time period (even 10 minutes with the guidelines) and intentionally increase this time as a personal family goal. Sometimes, fun needs practicing. 🙂
ENJOY!
"Rejoice as summer should... chase away sorrows by living." – Melissa Marr
For those of you who were intrigued by my original intent and your curiosity was piqued, here are the current policies that are happening in other countries for your reading pleasure:
United States - government failed to reach a vote on a bill that would prohibit social media platforms from allowing children under the age of 13 to have social media accounts and prohibit social media companies from recommending content using algorithms to users under the age of 17.
Similarly the “Take It Down Act” that sought to require platforms to remove non-consensual intimate visual depictions, including deep-fakes, did not pass before the House.
Australia - youth 16 years old and under have been banned from using major social media services: Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.
Republic of Ireland - Online Safety Code- rules applying to video sharing platforms to protect children from harmful content such as pornography and violence online and requires parental controls on content for children under 16 years of age.
China - Smartphone game addiction policies in November 2019 and August 2021 - The National Press and Publication Administration of China implemented policies that emphasized real-name registration and logins, and online game companies could provide no more than one and a half hours of service to minors on ordinary days. Also, games are required to be classified for different age levels, make age-appropriate warnings and take measures to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate games.
Malaysia - Online Safety Bill passed- regulates harmful content and imposes duties on service providers.
Global Online Safety Regulators Network - has a 3 year strategic plan and a network of 25 members from 6 continents. Three key priorities are: regulatory coherence across jurisdictions, enhancing the evidence base for on-line safety and promoting sharing for compliance.
References:
Australia has banned social media for kids under 16. How does it work? BBC, H. Livingstone, January 22, 2026.
Community Response to Internet Addiction among Minors: An Overview, Findings, Challenges, HSOA Journal of Addiction & Addictive Disorders, W. Jieli, February 12, 2024.
Effect of online game policy on smartphone game play time, addiction, and emotion in rural adolescents in China, BMC Psychiatry, O. Yang, et al, November 8, 2023.
Global legislation and policy changes keeping children safe online, nwg, February 4, 2025
Internet addiction: A Case Study, International Journal of Research in Paediatric Nursing, F.C. Fernandes, 2022.
Social Media Algorithms and Teen Addiction: Neurophysiological Impact and Ethical Considerations, Cureus: Publishing Beyond Open Access, D. De, M. El Jamal, E. Aydemir, A. Khera, January 8, 2025.
“Summertime and the livin' is easy.” — Porgy and Bess
Spotlight
This month we’d like to spotlight all our local and national partners – each contributing to the health and well-being of Webster kids in their own way. Check them out! It truly takes the loving support of a whole community to grow generation after generation of healthy, focused, young people who contribute positively to their community in return. WHEN is committed to that effort by empowering Webster youth to grow up strong and substance-free.
Would you like to become a partner or be recognized on our Parters webpage? Shoot us an email and we’ll get you all set up! Everyone is welcome – and needed – in this important mission. We are in it together!
Upcoming Meetings
Our next meeting is Wednesday, August 12 at noon. Register here to receive details for both in-person and online options.
We meet in person AND online via Google Meet the second Wednesday of each month at noon. Many of us join during our lunch break. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate. In fact, our goal is to have representation from all walks of life, to better meet the needs of the whole community.
Read last month's Coalition Meeting Minutes.
Quick Resources
Dana said, “Sometimes, fun needs practicing”, so here are a few places to find inspiration: