In honor of World Mental Health Day, Senator George Helmy (D-NJ) today announced he will co-sponsor the Stop the Scroll Act. Introduced last month by Senators Katie Britt (R-AL) and John Fetterman (D-PA), the bipartisan bill would require social media platforms to display a mental health warning label to users upon opening the technology. The Surgeon General would develop the label aimed at warning users of the potential mental health impacts of using the social media platform and the Federal Trade Commission would be charged with implementing and enforcing the bill. The legislation would also require social media companies to provide information to connect users to available mental health resources.
“Our children are facing challenges that have never been experienced by generations prior. The constant exposure to social media is creating great harm on their mental health. As we recognize World Mental Health day, it’s important that we continue to keep our nation’s youth mental health as a top priority,” said Senator Helmy. “I thank Senators Britt and Fetterman for their continued efforts to crack down on social media platforms that have a major impact on our children. This bill is a commonsense bipartisan measure that can make a real change in the lives of our youth.”
“Every child deserves the chance to live their own personal American Dream, but our nation’s youth mental health crisis is getting in the way for far too many,” said Senator Britt. “With the Stop the Scroll Act, Congress can follow through on the Surgeon General’s call to create a warning label for social media platforms while also requiring the warning to point users to mental health resources. Equipped with the knowledge of the dangers and empowered with the resources to address it, this simple solution will help parents and kids thrive. I’m grateful Senator Helmy will be joining Senator Fetterman and me on this important effort to protect our children and safeguard our future.”
Since taking office, Senator Helmy has co-sponsored several bills pertaining to youth mental health, including:
- The Youth Mental Health Data Act, which would create a federal youth mental health task force to develop a national strategy for youth mental health improvement data systems. The task force would be comprised of representatives from federal agencies, medical societies and nonprofits, youth with relatable experience, and media and technology companies. The task force would submit a report to state governors sharing opportunities for partnerships at the local and state levels. These streamlined processes would help policymakers achieve maximum effectiveness by targeting resources where they will have the most impact.
- The Supporting All Students Act, which would establish a youth peer-to-peer support line that is integrated with 988, the national mental health crisis and suicide prevention number. Specifically aimed at youth ages 10-25, this line would provide youth with support from a trained peer responder, supervised by licensed mental health professionals, on a variety of issues such as relationship or family problems, academic or athletics-related stress, feelings of depression or anxiety, and bullying. This bill would also establish a new grant program run through the U.S. Department of Education (ED) for schools to hire mental health coordinators, with priority given to schools in high-poverty areas.