Arkansas governor traveling to Switzerland next week for World Economic Forum

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is traveling to the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week, where she will be speaking on two panels, her office announced Friday.

Sanders’ office said the Republican governor will attend the forum in Davos from Jan. 22-24. She will be speaking on one panel about smartphones, social media and the youth mental health crisis.

The panel will include Jonathan Haidt, the author of “The Anxious Generation,” a book that came out last year looking at the impact smartphones and social media have on youth.

The other panel will focus on the role states play in presidential transitions and will include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Sanders’ office said.

Sanders is appearing at the forum after calling for a state ban on student cellphones in schools, an idea that is being pushed by governors in several other states. Sanders last year launched a pilot program providing grants to schools that ban cellphones.

Sanders is also meeting with business leaders and encouraging them to invest in Arkansas, her office said.

The Arkansas Economic Development Foundation, a nonprofit, and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission are paying for the governor’s travel, her office said. First Gentleman Bryan Sanders and Deputy Chief of Staff Judd Deere are accompanying Sanders on the trip.