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Public Advocate Williams provides overview of subway surfing problem and current prevention efforts

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Public Advocate Jumaane Williams provides an overview of the subway surfing issue, highlighting recent fatalities and the surge in popularity due to social media. He discusses current prevention strategies and their limitations.

Williams notes 6 lives lost to subway surfing this year and the role of social media in promoting the dangerous trend.
He mentions city and state strategies, including PSA campaigns and efforts to remove subway surfing videos from social media platforms.
The Public Advocate expresses skepticism about the effectiveness of PSAs alone and suggests the need for alternative, exciting activities for young people.

Jumaane Williams

0:16:34

Thank you, madam chair.

0:16:35

So I mentioned my name is, Jumaane Williams, public advocate for the city of New York.

0:16:39

Thank you, chairs Joseph Stevens, Salam, and Brooks Powells, and the committee members for holding this hearing this morning.

0:16:45

As was mentioned, this year alone, we lost 6 lives in subway surfing and even more have suffered injuries.

0:16:50

This decades old dangerous trend has surged in popularity in part due to social media.

0:16:56

Through though the city and the state have launched multiple strategies to prevent subway surfing, the behavior persists.

0:17:02

I often ask myself ask myself, would I listen to me as a young person?

0:17:06

I'm not sure I have the full answer to that.

0:17:09

Although I never subway surfed, I did hang on to the train on the on the, track, which was dangerous enough.

0:17:15

And that was before platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, promoting videos of subway surfing It's just one of the many dangerous viral challenges that are proliferating on social media.

0:17:27

Some attorneys generals and families of victims have resorted to suing the social medias, rightfully so, for spreading dangerous trends.

0:17:34

The city, state, and MTA have worked with these platforms to take down videos of subway surfing and spread the city's ride inside Stay Alive public service announcement campaign as seen on screens and posters and heard via announcements throughout subway stations.

0:17:47

I am happy that we are trying to do something.

0:17:49

I do know that some experts say that the impact of PSAs alone are minimal on young people who are more susceptible to peer pressure unless able to assess risk.

0:17:59

Young people should also be directed to an alternative exciting activity in addition to warning them against subway surfing.

0:18:05

As Kevin Dayhill, Fochul, executive director of counseling in the school said, to chalk me, just say no doesn't work so much because you're not seeing what to say yes to.

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Public Advocate Williams raises concerns about NYPD tactics and surveillance in subway surfing prevention