Sens. John Fetterman, of Pennsylvania, and Katie Britt, of Alabama, are introducing the Stop the Scroll Act, a measure that would require social media platforms to show users mental health advisories. The measure, announced Tuesday, intends to inform users of the mental health hazards of using social media by presenting a pop-up window displaying a warning.
Users would have to dismiss the window before proceeding to access the platform. “The surgeon general has said there needs to be a warning sign on social media apps,” Britt said. “People deserve to know what they’re about to enter into.
” “This is a red issue, this is a blue issue,” Fetterman added. “I have seen what it has done to my own family and how difficult it is.” Last week, Instagram introduced its “Teen Accounts” feature aimed at younger users.
Such accounts will feature privacy restrictions limiting account visibility and who teen users can receive direct messages from. “We hope these changes give parents peace of mind about how their children use our apps and provide them with a clear, manageable way to keep tabs on their child’s smartphone use,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. Fetterman has been an open critic of social media giant Meta.
The Pennsylvania Democrat took aim at the Meta Oversight Board earlier this month for deciding that “from the river to the sea” is not hate speech. “It’s blatant antisemitic hat.