
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that she will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, to participate in panel discussions and meet with with business leaders.
The Republican governor’s trip is scheduled for Wednesday through Friday.
For one of the panels, Sanders will join social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, author of “The Anxious Generation,” to discuss smartphones, social media, and the youth mental health crisis. For the other panel, she and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will discuss their priorities and the role of states in a presidential transition.
“Big Tech companies have driven massive increases in anxiety, depression, and suicide among our young people and I look forward to joining Jonathan Haidt in Davos to talk about this critical issue and how my administration is stepping up to hold Big Tech accountable,” said Sanders said in a statement. “I also look forward to joining Governor Beshear and speaking to major international companies to tell Arkansas’ success story and encourage more investment in our state.”
Sanders hosted Haidt in Arkansas at the end of last year for a two-day tour of speaking engagements and school visits. The visit inspired Sanders to launch a phone-free school pilot program in Arkansas last year, the governor’s office said in a news release. The program offered schools funding for pouches that prevent students from using smartphones during the school day.
Sanders has made banning smartphones in all Arkansas schools one of her policy priorities in the 2025 legislative session, which began Jan. 17.
The governor’s trip to Davos follows trips to the U.K., Germany, Korea and Japan in 2024, and to the Paris International Air Show in 2023. The governor’s office said those trips secured secured major investments from Dassault Falcon, Walther Arms and RTX.