There’s been a spike in mental health challenges facing young people in our country. Between 2011 and 2019, the number of teens who felt depressed more than doubled and 22% of all high school students said they have seriously considered suicide.

Social media is playing a big role in this mental health epidemic, making kids vulnerable to bullies, predators, and toxic content. Brian knows firsthand the dangers social media poses to our kids, and he introduced a bipartisan bill to help protect kids online.

While kids are suffering, social media companies are profiting.

Using powerful algorithms, social media companies have determined they can get kids to stay on their platforms longer by pushing toxic content. The longer the companies keep kids on their platforms, the more ads they can serve them.

Brian’s bill would:

• Require users to be at least 13 to create social media accounts


• Require parental consent for kids 13 to 17 to create accounts


• Prevent social media companies from using personalized algorithms to feed addictive content to users under 18

Of course, Brian’s bill won’t solve all of the problems presented by the digital age we’re living in, but it’s an important starting point that will combat some of the worst abuses of social media companies and prioritize kids’ well-being over tech companies’ bottom lines.

Read the NPR article about Brian’s bill here, and then, add your name if you agree that we need to do something to protect our kids from the dangers of social media.

Thanks,

Team Schatz