U.S. Senators Katie Britt, John Fetterman Take Action During Mental Health Awareness Month
Reintroduce Bill to Create Warning Label Requirement for Social Media Platforms
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and John Fetterman (D-Pa.), this Mental Health Awareness Month, are reintroducing the Stop the Scroll Act, which would create a mental health warning label requirement for social media platforms. This bipartisan legislation would ensure all users are aware of the potential mental health risks posed by social media usage and are provided access to mental health resources.
“Senator Fetterman and I are taking action during Mental Health Awareness Month on an issue that’s directly correlated to our nation’s deteriorating mental health – the rise of social media. The Stop the Scroll Act follows through on the Surgeon General’s call last year to create a warning label for social media platforms,” said Senator Britt. “Knowing how critical it is to provide help to individuals struggling with the challenges of social media, we also require the warning label to point users to mental health resources. Equipped with the knowledge of the dangers and empowered with the resources to address it, this simple solution will help parents and kids thrive.”
Last year, the Surgeon General recommended a warning label be placed on social media platforms. The Stop the Scroll Act would require the Surgeon General to develop and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to implement a label that warns each user of potential mental health impacts of accessing a respective social media platform.
“As a Senator, but more importantly, as a dad to three young kids, I feel a duty to address how dangerous unchecked social media use can be for our mental health. I’ve experienced it in my own life, and the evidence is right in front of us – addiction, anxiety, depression, and suicide rates are on the rise, and it’s directly linked to these platforms,” said Senator Fetterman. “I’m proud to partner with Senator Britt to reintroduce the Stop the Scroll Act so our laws catch up to the reality we find ourselves in. By providing resources to people experiencing mental health crises due to social media, it will ensure all Americans can access the help they need.”
The warning would appear in a pop-up box format upon opening a social media platform. Each user would then need to acknowledge the potential mental health risks in order to proceed to use the platform. The warning label could not be hidden or obscured, and its exact language would adhere to requirements established by the Surgeon General.
Additionally, the label would provide an avenue for users to be connected with available mental health resources. The full text of the bill can be viewed here.
Last Congress, Senators Britt and Fetterman joined Brett Baier’s Common Ground to discuss their bill. “When children are on social media, they’re rate of anxiety and depression increases. We know our kids aren’t on social media for minutes or even a few hours, they’re on social media on average five hours a day. Knowing what we know, it’s imperative that we give people a proper warning . . . one thing we’re really proud about our bill is it also gives people access to help,” Senator Britt stated, explaining the necessity of their legislation.
Since taking office, Senator Britt has been committed to addressing the plethora of challenges posed by social media. In a recent Senate Judiciary subcommittee hearing to address the proliferation of child sexual abuse material online, Senator Britt stated, “In addition to reforming Section 230 and passing bills such as STOP CSAM Act, I am of the view that one of the things that Congress needs to do is ensure that social media platforms verify the ages of their users, rather than relying on them to do that themselves . . . typically what [social media platforms] say, you can’t be on there until you’re 13, but they never verify that, so that’s just meaningless.”
In addition to the Stop the Scroll Act, Senator Britt introduced the bipartisan Kids Off Social Media Act to set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding algorithmically-targeted content to users under the age of 17. The legislation, which was included in the first legislative markup in the 119th Congress by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman and bill co-lead Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), passed out of committee this February.
Senator Britt spoke on the Senate floor this year regarding the Kids Off Social Media Act, saying, “a survey conducted by the Count on Mothers group showed that over 90% of mothers agreed that there should be a minimum age of 13 on social media platforms, and 87% of mothers agreed that social media companies should not be allowed to use personalized algorithms to deliver content to our children.”
“There is nothing more important we can do as a body than protect the people we serve. So, let’s do it. Let’s get the Kids Off Social Media Act through Congress and to the President’s desk. There are parents across this country that are counting on us to step up, to put the proper guardrails in place so their children can be safe, and their children have an opportunity to both explore and to succeed,” the Senator emphasized.
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