Utah Gov. Cox wants you and your family to unplug this week. Here's why
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has declared this week as 'Family Connection Week' to encourage Utahns to put down their phones and 'disconnect to reconnect' with loved ones.
'Spending quality time together strengthens our bonds, fosters better communication and creates lasting memories that carry us through life's challenges,' Cox said in a prepared statement. 'This week is a chance to really listen, connect and to make sure the people around us know they are valued.'
From Monday to Friday this week, Cox wants Utahns to dedicate time to 'unplug from devices and reconnect through meaningful, screen-free activities,' he office said in a news release. 'This special week encourages families to be fully present with one another to create lasting memories and stronger bonds.
It's the latest way Cox has encouraged Utahns to cut back on social media. He's been an outspoken critic of the addictive nature of social media algorithms and especially their negative impacts on kids. In 2023, his office launched a public awareness campaign urging parents to learn about the harms social media can have on youth.
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That campaign announcement highlighted a 2023 survey of 609 Utahns conducted by Lighthouse Research that found Utah parents reported 76% of their children use social media in some capacity, 57% use it seven days a week, and 53% use it one to three hours a day.
That survey also found 88% of Utahns said social media had a detrimental impact on children and youth.
According to another study published last month, researchers at the University of California San Francisco found that as preteens used more social media, their depressive symptoms increased. Using data from nearly 12,000 kids ages 9 to 10 and then three years later at 12 and 13, the study found on average, kids' social media use rose from seven to 73 minutes per day over the three years of the study, and their depressive symptoms went up 35%.
In the announcement for 'Family Connection Week,' Cox's office data from the Utah Student Health and Risk Prevention (SHARP) survey that 'supports the importance of shared time, especially mealtime.'
'Mealtimes are critical to foster communication and connection. In fact, Utah youth who sit down to eat at least one meal a week with their family are 45% less likely to report feeling depressed, 70% less likely to use vape products and 54% less likely to consider suicide,' the governor's office said, citing the SHARP survey.
Social media companies applaud Utah's latest bill aimed at teen social media use
'At the same time, excessive screen time — especially on social media — can take a toll on mental health and family cohesion,' the governor's office added. 'Positive, in-person interactions lay the foundation for resilience and safety for children and adults alike. Family Connection Week encourages families to 'disconnect to reconnect' and take time to talk, laugh and connect without distractions.'
In a Youtube video announcing the 'Family Connection Week' declaration, First Lady Abby Cox said their family this week will be 'making a conscious effort to put down our screens and be fully present with one another, and we invite you to do the same.'
'We are carving out time to play board games, cook meals, and participate in recreational activities together,' Abby Cox said.
Encouraging Utahns to learn more about the effort, Cox's office pointed to a page on the state's website that offers a list of activities Utahns can do in their areas.
The website also offers resources for parents, including stress management advice, parenting tips, child development information, and a directory for assistance programs for food, housing, access to physical and mental health care, affordable child care, utilities assistance, and more.
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Utah homelessness rose 18% in 2025, state report says
People congregate around the Geraldine E. King Women's Center in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) Though Utah's rate of homelessness remains below the national average, a new report shows the state's homeless population is continuing to rise — and the start of 2025 marked a significant uptick. 'It's a big jump,' Wayne Niederhauser, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox's state homeless coordinator, told Utah News Dispatch ahead of the report's release Wednesday. 'We haven't seen that kind of jump for years.' The annual 2025 Point-in-Time Count — which is a national tally of sheltered and unsheltered people on a single night in January — showed 4,584 Utahns were experiencing homelessness in January 2025, up by 715 people from last year, an 18% increase. Utah's homelessness rate is now 13 per 10,000 people, up from 11 per 10,000. But even though Utah is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation and has faced skyrocketing housing prices over the past five years, its rate of homelessness is still well below the 2024 national rate, which was 23 per 10,000. Though Niederhauser said it's concerning to see an 18% jump, he said there is a 'silver lining.' 'The silver lining is that 95% of those extra individuals were in shelter and not unsheltered,' he said. Under Code Blue temps and increased camping enforcement, volunteers count Utah homeless In the past several years, Niederhauser said Utah has typically seen only a 4% or 5% rate increase, but about 80% of those people were unsheltered. This year, he said, 'the good part about that data point is that most of those individuals were sheltered.' Of the 715 additional people experiencing homelessness during the 2025 Point-in-Time Count, 677 (95%) were sheltered and 38 (5%) were unsheltered, which the Utah Office of Homeless Services described in the report's key findings as a 'dramatic shift' from 2024, when that year's count rose by 131 people, but only 23 (18%) were sheltered while 108 (82%) were unsheltered. 'This year's dramatic increase in sheltered individuals compared to unsheltered is largely attributed to the expansion of winter shelter capacity, which allowed more individuals experiencing homelessness to access shelter,' the report says. This year's Point-in-Time Count took place during Code Blue temperatures, which prompted expansion of shelter capacity. Volunteers also questioned whether increased anti-camping enforcement, along with the frigid temperatures, could have factored into seeing fewer people on the streets. The report also includes several other notable findings, including: Rising child homelessness: The number of Utah children experiencing homelessness increased from 589 to 662, a 22% increase. Children now make up 14% of Utah's total Point-in-Time Count, which is still below 2024 national data, when children accounted for 19% of people experiencing homelessness across the U.S. More unhoused seniors: The number of Utahns over the age of 64 experiencing homelessness rose from 251 to 356, an increase of 42%. The increase, state officials wrote, 'may reflect broader demographic shifts,' with Utah's population of those 65 and older growing by nearly 58% from 2013 to 2023 and expected to double by 2060, according to the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. But at the same time, 'more seniors are being priced out of housing, often living on fixed incomes that can't keep pace with rising rents and property costs,' state officials wrote. 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'This highlights the continued need for supportive services for individuals with disabilities and long histories of homelessness, while also confirming that chronic homelessness remains a minority of the overall homeless population in Utah,' the report says. The report also showed, however, that supportive housing has continued to be a 'key driver of long-term stability' for people exiting homelessness. For example, state data shows: 93% of people in permanent supportive housing 'either retained their housing or moved on to other permanent options.' 2024 marked the 'fourth consecutive year this success rate has held steady.' In 2024, the percentage of people returning to homelessness within two years of exiting to permanent supportive housing declined slightly from 25% to 24%. 'These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of permanent supportive housing with wrap-around services in keeping Utah's most vulnerable residents stably housed,' the report said. In recent years, while lawmakers have put more money toward homeless services than they have in the past, there are still plenty of requests for more money that have gone unfunded. In 2025, lawmakers approved some but not all of the funding requests Niederhauser and his office asked for, leaving funding gaps that local officials have had to find ways to fill. As his office prepares for another budget proposal, Niederhauser said his message to lawmakers for the upcoming 2026 general session in January is to acknowledge Utah's homeless population is increasing. He also noted that the data shows the length of time people are staying in shelters has increased, indicating there's a 'gap' that needs to be filled when it comes to providing options for people to cycle out of emergency shelters. 'That's the service that we really need to focus on,' he said, including additional beds at the Utah State Hospital or expanding capacity in other areas of the state's mental health system, as well as increasing capacity for supportive housing. 'That is a good message for all of us, and it's a good takeaway for the Legislature — for us to really focus on that big gap that we have for some of those services,' Niederhauser said. 'If those are available, then the nights (people) spend in shelter goes down.' For the first time, Utah's Point-in-Time Count this year also included survey questions asking unsheltered people what type of shelter they would use if available. Its findings said: 610 preferred private rooms 568 preferred 'bring-your-own setups (cars, tents, RVs) with shared facilities' 511 said they would use small units with shared bathrooms 356 were open to congregate shelters 236 said none of the above. 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Pay It 4Ward: Librarian fills shelves with joy for Stillwater students
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