Congress proposes content limit for teens on social media
CHICAGO, Illi. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - Studies have found strong links between social media and mental health in teens across the country. There is now a proposal in Congress that might limit content going to teenagers.
Nea Cortez sees it in her therapy sessions with teens.
"I've had it where kids have told me like, 'Oh, I'm on TikTok,' and then I'm watching videos on funny animals and then here I am watching you know, somebody talks about their depression and anxiety and eating disorder now, 'Do I have an eating disorder? I don't know,'" Cortez spoke.
A therapist for teens ages 13 to 18 in Wheaton, a suburb of Chicago, Cortez says teens she talks with often go online looking for community.
"I do think it is part of their lives and a big piece as to why they do struggle with themselves and trying to...you know...love themselves and figure out 'Do I belong here or not?'" Cortez detailed further.
Protecting Kids on Social Media Act
The teen mental health crisis is the reason behind the Protecting Kids on Social Media Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate in April.
It would prohibit anyone under the age of 13 from accessing social media platforms.
"Someone, as young as 10, has no business being on any social media account. They're still young," Cortez added.
It would also prohibit platforms from using algorithms to recommend content to anyone under the age of 18.
Kids Too
"You like a video, you like a post, you're gonna get more of that post...more of that content and draws you in and sometimes takes us in terrible places. Well, that's what's been doing to all of our kids," said Tania Haigh, Founder of Kids Too, a non-profit focused on child protection.
Kids Too supports the legislation.
"We are way past due, to be honest, about two decades, and now there's so much that we need to fix, including the mental health of our kids," Haigh expressed.
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act it's just one of multiple bills before Congress right now in response to the teen mental health crisis.
"Sometimes they overlap and it's kind of off to the races to see which ones are gonna get signed first," Haigh spoke.
Parent's choice
Critics says social media access should be a parent's choice. Not Congress.
"If we did have parents who did step up and take that responsibility, then maybe we wouldn't have government trying to step in and do that part," Cortez exclaimed.
Cortez tells parents of kids with access to social media to focus on these two things.
"First and foremost, know what they are on. Just like you would in an in-person interaction. Know their friends online as well," Cortez explained.
