ICYMI: Congresswoman Schrier Joins Roundtable Discussion with Local Health Leaders, Patients on Social Media’s Impacts on Youth Mental Health

SEATTLE, WA - On Tuesday, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08) joined scholars, patients, and healthcare leaders to discuss the impacts of social media on youth mental health, and policy solutions to protect children and hold Big Tech accountable.

Included in the discussion were Seattle Children's CEO Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS; Founding Director of the Stanford Social Media Lab Jeff Hancock, PhD; former Seattle Children's patient Emme Leonard; Children's Alliance Executive Director Soleil Boyd, PhD; Seattle Children's Chief of Psychiatry & Mental and Behavioral Health Services Ray Hsaio, MD; and Seattle Children's Adolescent Medicine Division Head Yolanda Evans, MD, MPH.

BACKGROUND: Congresswoman Schrier is the first and only pediatrician in Congress, and has used her experience to advocate for the safety, health, and security of children online. This Congress, Congresswoman Schrier introduced Sammy's Law - a bill that would improve kids' online safety by requiring social media companies to cooperate with third-party watchdog apps that would alert parents if their children have been exposed to harmful messages or interactions online. Congresswoman Schrier additionally introduced the Kids Off Social Media Act, which prohibits kids under the age of 13 from being on social media and bans companies from recommending content using algorithms for users under the age of 17.

Congresswoman Schrier also recently joined her colleagues in the House of Representatives to advance the KIDS Act, a bipartisan bill that takes historic steps to protect our kids and their data online and hold Big Tech accountable.

"As a pediatrician and member of Congress, I have seen first-hand the dangerous impacts social media has on our kids' mental, physical, and emotional health," said Congresswoman Schrier. "Finding solutions to protect kids online and hold Big Tech accountable has always been a top priority of mine, and I was glad to join local healthcare leaders, scholars, and patients today to hear about their experiences working directly to address this public health and safety crisis. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress to keep our children safe from the many harms social media platforms are causing in Washington state and across our country."

"The evidence is clear: social media has a profound impact on youth mental health, and the data reinforces what we see in young people seeking care at Seattle Children's," said Christopher Longhurst, MD, MS, CEO at Seattle Children's. "Protecting our youth is a responsibility we all share, and I'm grateful Representative Schrier, Attorney General Brown, state legislators and other community partners have joined Seattle Children's in discussing the issue and necessary solutions to keep our children and teens safe."

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