U.S. Sen. Katie Britt introduced bipartisan legislation on Tuesday to put warning labels on social media platforms.
Britt, R-Ala., said she is especially concerned with the mental health risks for children and adolescents who use social media.
“We know that warning labels won’t prevent the American people from using the app, and that’s not the point,” Britt told reporters. “But they’re able to have their eyes wide open before they engage with the product.
The bill, which is co-sponsored by Sen. John Fetterman, D-PA, would require the Federal Trade Commission to come up with a warning statement that users of all ages must acknowledge before they can access any social media platform.
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy first called for warning labels on social media in June, writing in the New York Times that “the mental health crisis among young people is an emergency — and social media has emerged as an important contributor.”
Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety and depression symptoms., The average daily use among people 12 to 15 in 2023 was 4.8 hours, according to the surgeon general.
Suicide was the second leading cause of death among kids between the ages of 10-14 and the third leading cause of death among individuals between the ages of 15-24, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s most recent data.
In 2021, Alabama had a higher rate of high schoolers experiencing hopelessness and suicide ideation than most other states in the nation, according to the Youth Risk Behavior survey conducted by the CDC. Alabama stopped participating in the survey, which collects data from young people about their health and mental health, in 2022.
Murthy said that while a warning label alone won’t make social media safe for use, it would “regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe.”
According to Britt, the surgeon general’s call is what inspired the legislation.
She said warning labels, like those on cigarettes, “do have a track record of success.”
Experts have said that the most effective warning labels are ones that include graphic images instead of only words, though overall they are often ineffective because people typically ignore them.
Along with a warning label, the bill will also require social media platforms to include links to mental health resources, like the 988 suicide hotline.
“It is a cautionary measure that will provide those most in need with necessary resources. It’s an important step towards creating a safer internet for all Americans, and doing so without limiting our freedom to use social media,” Britt said.
The senator said she expects broad bipartisan support on this bill and opposition from tech companies.
“If Big Tech has the best interest of its users in mind, I think a proper warning about the effects is something they should be on board with; but I unfortunately don’t expect them to put people over profits,” Britt said.
Britt has also sponsored recent legislation that would prevent children from using social media apps until they turn 13 and prevent algorithms from targeting children. She has also called supported legislation that would require schools to block social media sites from their Wi-Fi in order to receive federal funding.
“As adults, there have been moments that we have had that are challenging as a result of being connected on social media. You put those challenges on an adolescent or a teenager, and you realize how hard this is to navigate through,” Britt said. “I am hopeful that we can get it over the finish line, I think that the next generation deserves that promise.”
