Teen Mental Health Harms Spur Senate Social Media Bill Reprise

Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) brought back a bill aimed at keeping minors safe from social media content that can spur suicide, eating disorders, and other harms.

The Kids Online Safety Act, reintroduced in the Senate on Tuesday, would direct social media platforms to prioritize the well-being of users under age 17 and protect them from harmful content. Blumenthal and Blackburn first introduced the bill in February 2022, but a push to pass it as part of a spending package late last year fell apart.

Since then, dozens of parents and school districts across the US ...