Washington, DC – Congressman Bryan Steil (WI-01) and Congresswoman Becca Balint (VT-AL) introduced the Protecting YoungMindsOnline Act, which requires the Center for Mental Health Services to develop and disseminate a strategy to address the effects of new technologies, like social media, on children’s mental health.
“Social media and emerging technologies can have a harmful impact on children, driving depression, anxiety, and in worst cases, self-harm and suicide,” said Steil. “The federal government should work alongside families, teachers, and children to provide the tools necessary to promote positive mental health and keep our children safe.”
“The loneliness crisis in this country affects us all one way or another. And young Americans are relying on social media and technology to find a sense of connection. But we know social media exposure can also have negative effects on mental health,” said Balint. “As a mom of two teens, and a former teacher, I’m deeply concerned about the mental health impact of social media on our youth. It’s critical we act to better understand the potential harms. I’m proud to reintroduce this bipartisan legislation to take the important step to promote positive use of social media and protect our youth.”
Background:
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in mental health disorders in youth, including depression, anxiety, and thoughts of suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 15-24. Approximately one out of every 10 high school students reports attempting suicide each year.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, nearly one in three teenage girls seriously considered attempting suicide, and 40% of all students reported persistent sadness or hopelessness. In total, approximately 850,000 youth aged 12-17 and 1.5 million adults attempted suicide in 2023.
Recent studies have also shown that social media use can negatively affect youth, distracting them, exposing them to bullying, rumor spreading, unrealistic views of other people’s lives, and more.
Congressman Steil previously introduced similar legislation in 2023.
To read the full text of the legislation, click here.
