Calls for Social Media Companies to Publicly Disclose Revenue from Transactions Involving Users Aged 21 or Younger
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator George Helmy (D-NJ) today introduced legislation to increase disclosure requirements for social media companies regarding profits made off our nation’s youth. The bill requires social media companies to disclose revenue driven by users under 21 and funds spent on marketing towards users under 21. The Youth Revenue Transparency Act would hold these companies accountable for profiting off of users aged 21 and younger while giving investors more information to increase transparency and help drive efficient markets.
“Fighting for the mental health of our children nationwide has been a top priority of mine. One of the biggest drivers of the youth mental health crisis in America has been the rampant usage of social media. Just in the last decade, cases of severe depression in our youth have nearly doubled,” said Senator Helmy. “To combat this, I am calling for some of the largest social media companies to publicly disclose profits they have made from our children’s data. This transparency will help us better understand marketing strategies targeting our nation’s youth, inform future policy decisions, and aid investors seeking to support publicly traded companies with ethical standards.”
The United States Surgeon General has warned that social media has altered the way American youth see themselves as well as the way their brains develop. Frequent users of social media are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges, while 95 percent of young people in the United States report using social media almost constantly in their day-to-day lives.
“Young people across the country are facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, often exacerbated by social media usage. Social media platforms that profit off of youth in crisis must be held accountable, and Senator Helmy’s important legislation will bring much needed transparency to the problem –the first step towards accountability,” said Sara Cullinane, Make the Road New Jersey director.
Since taking office, Senator Helmy has worked across the political aisle to co-sponsor several bills pertaining to youth mental health, including:
The Stop the Scroll Act, which would require social media platforms to display a mental health warning label to users. 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.
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.
The Pride in Mental Health Act, which would award grants to assess and improve mental health and substance use outcomes of LGBTQ+ youth. These grants would develop and provide behavioral health and crisis intervention resources as well as issue school bullying guidelines, among other provisions.
The full text of the bill can be read here.
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