LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced today that she will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, from January 22nd to January 24th, 2025.
While there, the Governor will participate in two panels: one with The Anxious Generation author Jonathan Haidt to discuss smartphones, social media, and the youth mental health crisis, and the other with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear to discuss the governors’ priorities and the role of states in a presidential transition. Governor Sanders will also meet with business leaders, encouraging them to invest in Arkansas.
“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 Governor Sanders. “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.”
Governor Sanders hosted Jonathan Haidt in Arkansas at the end of last year for a two-day tour of speaking engagements and school visits. Inspired by Haidt’s research, the Governor launched a phone-free school pilot program in Arkansas last year, offering schools funding for pouches that prevent students from using smartphones during the school day.
In her 2025 State of the State address, the Governor expanded on her plans to hold Big Tech accountable, including by banning smartphones in all Arkansas schools, bell to bell, updating Arkansas’ Social Media Safety Act so it is no longer held up in court, and giving Arkansas parents the right to sue Big Tech companies under state law so they can hold bad actors accountable.
The Governor’s economic engagement in Davos follows prior trips to the United Kingdom and Germany and Korea and Japan in 2024, and to the Paris Air Show in 2023. During those visits, the Governor secured major investments from companies like Dassault Falcon, Walther Arms, and RTX.