Washington (TND) — Senators John Fetterman (D-PA) and Katie Britt (R-AL) have introduced a bill called the Stop the Scroll Act that would require social media platforms to provide mental health advisories to users.
The measure, announced on Tuesday, aims to inform users of the dangers that social media use can pose to their mental health by displaying a pop-up window with a warning, which users must close before proceeding to access the platform.
“The Surgeon General has said we need warning signs on social media apps,” Sen. Britt said in the video. “People have a right to know what they’re getting into.”
“This is a red issue and it’s a blue issue,” Senator Fetterman added. “I’ve seen how it’s affected my family and how difficult it is.”
Last week, Instagram introduced a “teen account” feature aimed at younger users, which will have privacy restrictions that limit the account’s visibility and who teens can receive direct messages from.
“We hope these changes will give parents more peace of mind about how their kids are using our apps and give them a clear and manageable way to monitor their kids’ phone usage,” Meta’s president of global operations, Nick Clegg, said in a post on X.
Senator Fetterman has been an outspoken critic of social media giant Meta. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Democrat blasted the Meta oversight board for determining that “From the River to the Sea” was not hate speech.
“Damn it,” Senator Fetterman posted on X. “This is blatant anti-Semitic hate speech calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.”
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