Sens. John Fetterman and Katie Britt's bill wants to put warning labels on social media platforms
A bill from Sens. John Fetterman and Katie Britt wants to put warning labels on social media platforms. It comes following increasing scrutiny over the negative effects the sites have on the mental health of young people.
Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Britt, a Republican from Alabama, want to create a mental health warning label requirement for users 18 and under on social media platforms. They both have previously been open about their own struggles with depression and online networks.
"It doesn't make your life any better. It definitely didn't make mine any better, you know, in a time in my life," Fetterman said in a video post on his X account in 2025.
With Britt, he introduced a bill called the "Stop the Scroll Act" following a recommendation from the previous surgeon general, who cited in a public advisory a study that found adolescents who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of poor mental health outcomes.
The bill would require media companies to show a pop-up box on their platforms, similar to the labels on tobacco and alcohol, warning users under age 18 of the potential mental health effects of using their outlets. Users would then need to acknowledge the possible risks before getting access, and with the label, there would be a way for users to connect with mental health resources.
"You can't really enjoy things when you're comparing yourself to somebody else and figuring out what you don't have," Allegheny Health Network child psychiatrist Dr. Gary Swanson said.
The sharing of these tools is important for Christine Michaels with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Keystone Pennsylvania.
"This is a warning against this site, but here's an alternative site that might be helpful to you," Michaels said. "Maybe you would ignore it, but at the same time, maybe not, and there's only so many opportunities to make a difference."
After failing to move through Congress last session, the bill passed the U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on Tuesday.
"Does that warning actually keep people from using it? I suspect a warning won't," Dr. Swanson said.
The thing is, right now, the platforms are still, for the most part, unregulated, and Michaels and Dr. Swanson are glad to see leaders recognizing the greater crisis.
"Clearly, it's a step in the right direction, but there's a lot more that probably needs to be done," Dr. Swanson said.
Britt's office told KDKA the bill will now head to the U.S. Senate floor for a full vote, but it's unclear when that will happen. It would still need to pass the U.S. House before being signed into law.
