In the wake of landmark rulings against social media giants, the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee advanced bipartisan legislation Tuesday (April 14) that would require mental health warning labels on social media platforms.
Led by U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., the Stop the Scroll Act aims to blunt the harms associated with social media use for those under the age of 18. The bill now heads to the full Senate for consideration.
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“When you look at the continual elevation of this issue in various ways in the public, whether it be AI chatbots and our young people, sextortion, bullying, et cetera, I think parents are becoming more and more aware, and Americans will demand we do something,” Britt told Alabama Daily News.
“I am hopeful that people will finally rise to the occasion, because our young people are certainly counting on us to,” she added.
Exposure to bullying, abuse
The bill cites that extensive use of social media can lead children toward “exposure to bullying, online harassment and abuse, discrimination and child sexual exploitation.”
Under the legislation, social media platforms would be required to display warning labels that would pop up for minors and would describe the potential harms of using that app. Underage users would then have to accept the mental health risks before accessing the platform.
The bill also details that the label must be clear and accessible and follow the wording advised by the U.S. surgeon general. It would also provide minors with mental health resources.
The Federal Trade Commission would be responsible for enforcing the proposed law.
If a user acknowledges the risk on the label and begins using the platform, the bill calls for the warning label to pop up every hour while an individual is using a social media app.
But the federal legislation could face pushback from social media companies. A federal judge recently blocked a similar state law in Colorado from taking effect after a tech trade group, which counts Meta and Google as members, sued over the labels infringing on First Amendment rights.
Concerns
When asked about concerns that big tech could interfere with advancing the legislation past the committee level, Britt said she wants her colleagues to be reminded that they are accountable to the people.
“I think it’s incumbent upon us to do something, so I hope that my colleagues remember who they work for, Britt told ADN. “ I certainly do. And I want to see something done for the next generation.”
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who has been vocal about his mental health struggles, is a cosponsor with Britt. The pair also introduced the legislation last Congress, but it did not advance.
“Those same struggles many of our kids are facing, with plenty of evidence of addiction, anxiety, depression, and suicide rates increasingly directly linked to social media platforms,” Fetterman said in a statement. “…I know we need laws that protect our children and give them the necessary mental health resources they might need.”
On the state level, the Alabama Legislature passed a bill this year that requires app stores to verify a user’s age and link parent accounts for minors.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Alex Angle and originally published by Alabama Daily News.
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