Husted leads bill to protect children from fentanyl

WASHINGTON - Sens. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) today introduced the bipartisan No Fentanyl on Social Media Act. This bill would direct the Federal Trade Commission, in coordination with the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services, to report to Congress on minors' access to fentanyl through social media, with recommendations to address this growing threat.

Fentanyl continues to be the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States.

"Illegally sold fentanyl has devastated communities across Ohio, and every life lost to it is a tragedy. The disturbing reality is that drug traffickers are exploiting social media to target and manipulate our children-intentionally bypassing parents, teachers and other trusted adults who work every day to keep kids safe. Congress has a responsibility to protect children online from predators, and this bill is an important step toward understanding-and stopping-how traffickers use social media platforms to poison our kids," said Husted.

"Social media has become a gateway to drugs, and we must do everything we can to prevent young Americans from having their lives ruined by fentanyl they get online. Our bipartisan legislation will mandate the FTC provide a report to Congress on youth access to fentanyl through social media, which will provide us with key information to effectively fight this epidemic," said Klobuchar.

"Social media marketing fentanyl is allowing pushers to enter into our households. We need to stop it," said Cassidy.

"The internet has the power to drive innovation, connection, and opportunity, but it also poses risks to its most vulnerable users. As children spend more time online, we must prevent their exposure to harmful activity, including illicit drug sales. The bipartisan No Fentanyl on Social Media Act is critical to fighting the opioid crisis and better protecting the next generation online," said Blunt Rochester.

The report would provide Congress with clear and accurate data on the scope of this crisis, along with a series of policy recommendations to help address it. It would also assess platform design features, drug trafficking tactics, the effectiveness of platform policies and actions taken by law enforcement, medical experts and other stakeholders to combat the spread of fentanyl.

As social media platforms continue to grow, teens are both knowingly seeking out fentanyl and unintentionally purchasing drugs laced with fentanyl through social media apps. Despite these platforms serving as a primary marketplace for minors to access fentanyl, there remains a lack of accurate data and a comprehensive federal strategy to track and address this issue.

Reps. Gabe Evans (R-Colo.) and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) introduced the companion bill to the No Fentanyl on Social Media Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.

This bill builds on Husted's work to crack down on fentanyl trafficking and protect children online.

Husted previously supported the HALT Fentanyl Act, which the president signed into law on July 16, 2025. The law makes the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent, closing a dangerous loophole that drug traffickers continue to exploit.

Husted also introduced the CHAT Act to protect kids online. The CHAT Act would require owners and operators of artificial intelligence companion chatbots to bar minors from accessing sexually explicit content and implement age verification and safety measures to ensure that minors cannot access chatbots without consent from their parents.

Full text of the bill is available here.