Speaker Information
Utah Coalition Against Pornography
St. George Conference
Opening Keynote Speaker:
Spencer J. Cox
Utah Lt. Governor
Lt. Governor Spencer J. Cox connected with the audience at our conference in Salt Lake earlier this year, when he discussed our need to approach the topic of pornography with empathy and understanding, instead of shame. His vulnerability and passion made us eager to hear from him again in St. George.
Wholesome, Fearless Relationships: Recovering from Addiction
Hope is the ultimate vehicle for recovery, and hope can only be established by fostering relationships that permit and encourage honest conversations. Relationships where you feel safe acknowledging and embracing vulnerability are critical to building trust. Recovery is not a solitary journey – families, spouses, friends, communities, and state government all play a role in addressing and strategically responding to this health crisis.
Lt. Governor Cox and his family enjoy spending time in Utah’s amazing back country. He also plays the bass guitar with his brother in a local rock band.
Closing Keynote Speaker:
Collin Kartcher
Save the Kids
The #1 way kids today are first being exposed to pornography is not on pornography websites– but on social media apps like Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok and video games. Recent research done by Collin shows these apps target porn to kids to hook the next generations of users. Still, parents continue to hand their children untethered access to smart phones at a younger and younger age. Handing children smart phones is like handing them a venomous snake. How then are parents getting mad when their kid gets bit? Our culture of shaming must end, and parents need to wake up to the long-term damage unmonitored smart phone access will have on their children.
Collin Kartchner created a popular parody Instagram account simply to poke fun at social media, and used that account to raise awareness of the harmful effects social media can have on our self-esteem and self-worth. Instead of using his large following to earn paid sponsorship dollars, he used his platform to raise $100,000 for hurricane victims, cancer kids, and now has become a social activist raising awareness of social media’s effect on teen mental health. He travels the country speaking to kids, parents, educators and more on the connection between social media and screen addiction, and the epidemic rise in teen anxiety, depression, and suicidality. This past year, Collin has presented to 300,000+ individuals at over 500 speaking engagements. His movement to #SavetheKids has gained national attention, earning him a spot on Utah Valley’s Top 40 Under 40, an audience at the NIKE and Adidas Headquarters, and a spot on the TEDx stage in September 2018. Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said that “Collin is a WARRIOR for our kids.” He and his high school crush Elizabeth live in Pleasant Grove, UT, with their 4 amazing un-plugged kids.