Fetterman, Britt Bill to Help Protect Mental Health of Minors Passes Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Katie Britt's (R-AL) Stop the Scroll Act passed the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee by voice vote. The bipartisan bill would create a mental health warning label requirement for users under the age of 18 on social media platforms, ensuring minors are aware of the potential mental health risks posed by social media usage and are provided access to mental health resources.

"I know firsthand what it's like to experience mental health struggles and the dark space it can put you in. 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. My good friend and colleague Senator Katie Britt and I know we need laws that protect our children and give them the necessary mental health resources they might need," said Senator Fetterman. "As a member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, I've continuously urged advancing the Stop the Scroll Act to finally require social media companies to display a mental health warning label on different platforms. This is an important bill and I thank my colleagues for helping pass it out of committee."

"Every child deserves the chance to live their own personal American Dream, but our nation's youth mental health crisis-fueled by the rise in social media-is getting in the way for far too many," said Senator Britt. "While Congress needs to do much more to protect the next generation online, I am proud to lead a step in the right direction with Senate Commerce Committee passage of the Stop the Scroll Act. Senator Fetterman and I are following through on the former Surgeon General's call to create a warning label for social media platforms, but we're going further by requiring the warning label to also point users to mental health resources. I'm grateful for his partnership on this issue which affects children, teens, and families from Alabama to Pennsylvania and every community in between. Equipped with the knowledge of the dangers and empowered with the resources to address it, we believe this is a simple solution that will help parents and kids thrive."

Following the previous Surgeon General's recommendation that a warning label be placed on social media platforms, the Senators introduced the Stop the Scroll Act. Their bill would require social media companies to display a label that warns underage users of potential mental health impacts of accessing a respective social media platform. The warning would appear in a pop-up box format upon opening a social media platform. Users under the age of 18 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 warnings expressed by the Surgeon General. Additionally, the label would provide an avenue for users to be connected with available mental health resources.

Background on Senator Fetterman's Social Media Safety Efforts

Senator Fetterman has consistently sounded the alarm about the mental health crisis in our country, especially among youth. In Pennsylvania and across the country, rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide among adolescents have risen sharply-and experts agree that social media is playing a major role.

The Senators have appeared on Common Ground with Bret Baier to discuss the need for urgent action. Research shows the average teen spends around five hours a day on social media, and those who spend the most time online are more likely to report poor mental health outcomes.

Additionally, Senator Fetterman co-sponsored Chairman Ted Cruz's Eyes on the Board Act, which would require schools that receive federal broadband funding to block access to social media apps on school devices and networks. The legislation is designed to minimize distractions and help students focus on learning during school hours. He also supported the Kids Off Social Media Act, which sets a minimum age of 13 for social media use and bans the use of addictive algorithms targeting users under 17. Both bills address the growing mental health crisis among young people, particularly by tackling the harmful effects of algorithm-driven content that can fuel addiction, anxiety, and depression.

The Senate passed the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, a legislative package Senator Fetterman supported that included both the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children's and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act to protect children online. He worked with his colleagues to address concerns that KOSA could violate First Amendment rights if weaponized by state attorneys general. Senator Fetterman also cosponsored the revised version of the bill, which ensures that LGBTQ+ social media content cannot be interpreted as harmful by the Act, if passed.