As long as there are big dollars available to change hands, Big Education vendors and politicians will take advantage of it. Once a crisis is created by the industry, lobbyists and marketers will pimp for the “solutions” which best add to their pocketbooks. Recently we were made aware of a mental health app supposedly designed to curb teen suicide, but instead tracks minors and directs them to strangers on the other end of the call.
Representative Travis Grantham stated Utah has an app he’d like Arizona to try, but he never followed up with us which one. After researching, we found the Bark app is often used in Utah. This may or may not be the same app Representative Grantham had in mind, but most follow a similar pattern as we discussed here. Circumstances surrounding Bark are becoming quite interesting as it is indeed making its way into Arizona, despite HB2635 quietly dying in the Arizona Legislature.
One of the chosen on the Arizona Legislature’s Mental Health Committee is Katey McPherson. According to her website, Ms. McPherson is an “Education Consultant”. There is more to it, she shares with readers she works for Bark.
Not only does Ms. McPherson sell Bark products, she admits the app uses artificial intelligence. Did Arizonans hear about artificial intelligence during any of the discussions about HB2635 at the Arizona Legislature? Or that a member of the Ad Hoc committee stands to profit from its use in Arizona?
Reading further into Ms. McPherson’s site, she has done quite a few talks at universities in Utah. That could be profitable. Is that why Bark is used in Utah?
This screen explains how money can be made through referrals.
Here are links from Bark’s website. It is no secret what agenda the producers and vendors have in mind. Do they share with elected officials the app is sending users to LGBTQ+ grooming sites without parental knowledge? Is sex education permitted in Arizona when available through local governing board apps? Sex ed is opt-in only in Arizona with a parent’s signature, and the material must be made available for review.
The Bark app also provides a link to guilt parents into going along with sexual grooming.
Once students are fully engaged and tracked by this app, look who gets the data–the CDC. We didn’t hear about that during discussion about mental health apps in the Arizona Legislature. Why not?
Although the mental health app bill died recently, its use in Arizona may come to fruition after all. On April 20, 2023, the Fountain Hills Town Council is overstepping its boundaries and is having a mental health meeting. But, alas, Fountain Hills cares.
Look who is one of the pre$enters.
Of course Ms. McPherson is looking forward to the event, it may turn out to be a big payday for her.
It’s so nice of the Bark team to offer discounts. Sign up now folks! Then your kiddoes can spend the summer perusing sexxxx links through the app and get data mined at the same time!
Arizona law requires high school and colleges to print the national suicide hotline number on student IDs. The controversial mental health app was to be developed for quick access to the 988 hotline. Here are some screenshots from 988’s website.
There is the CDC again. Within the 988 website is an option for local referrals. Here is an example of a treatment center in the East Valley recommended by the 988 hotline.
Look at the pronouns under the bios.
There are several rows of leadership and senior director bios on Solari’s website and all have pronouns listed. We only posted one row of each. No wonder our kids are having mental issues.
Meanwhile, Julie Lilli is still complaining because her financial opportunities funded by taxpayers via the Arizona Department of Education have dried up under the new administration.
These kid sexxx pushers are so desperate they are now saying the new Superintendent of Public Instruction is censoring them. Not so fast. Arizona taxpayers don’t want to pay for programs which don’t support academics, we had enough of that for four years under previous Superintendent. Ms. Lilli should review Arizona’s laws which protect parents’ rights to raise their children as they see fit. There are plenty of statutes in Arizona to protect the state’s children from adult material. This is not censorship, this is common sense and the law.
Money is indeed the root of all evil.
When I first read this article, I was hopeful that as a Republican, I would be able to support the views presented in the title. However, the author’s tendency to jump to conclusions made it difficult for me to fully endorse their arguments. I would like to know the author’s stance on whether they agree or disagree that children are facing mental health challenges. If they agree, then it makes sense for the state to seek solutions to address this issue. Although the author mentioned McPherson, they failed to acknowledge her expertise in youth mental health in Arizona and her valuable contributions to the committee she serves on. The author criticized Bark, but as a parent who uses this app on my children’s phones, I can attest that it does not groom children. Instead, it notifies me when my children search for inappropriate keywords or images. Furthermore, the author’s claim that Bark sells data to the CDC is unfounded, as their partnership is one of sharing resources, not exchanging data. The CDC’s Factsheet on partnering with businesses supports this claim: https://www.cdc.gov/partners/partnering.html
I must say that the author’s writing style appears to be focused on dog whistles and trigger words, and lacks substance or facts. I wish them the best of luck, but I hope readers can see through their tactics as easily as I did. Ignorance does not lead to solutions, and attacking people and organizations intent on finding solutions is not helpful. Our kids need help, and we should focus on constructive ways to address their mental health challenges.
This isn’t a partisan issue.
Please explain to readers how all of these expensive programs, apps, and curriculums have helped children. The situation has gotten worse. McPherson’s expertise is how to make money off a situation the adults have created. She’s not alone.
There is plenty of evidence Bark and other apps are selling your child’s information and tracking them. Choose to ignore if you like but I provided evidence. Better yet, take their phones away, take their tablets away, and start being a parent instead of allowing electronics to babysit and teach your gifts from God.
Thanks for reading!