Blumenthal Statement on President Biden's State of the Union Kids' Mental Health & Social Media Remarks

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, and lead sponsor of the Kids Online Safety Act issued the following statement on President Joe Biden’s planned remarks on the youth mental crisis and social media in this evening’s State of the Union address:

“President Biden is issuing a powerful call to action on the youth mental health crisis exacerbated by social media, addressed directly by my Kids Online Safety Act. I’m leading this measure with Senator Blackburn so kids and parents are empowered with tools and safeguards to protect against toxic online content like self-harm, eating disorders, and bullying—and to hold Big Tech accountable. This comprehensive bill culminates bipartisan hearings, and decades of work for me personally. I look forward to pushing for its swift passage to safeguard children online, putting them in better control of their online lives.”

In his first State of the Union address this evening, President Biden is expected to announce a national strategy to address our country’s mental health crisis, including a focus on the mental health crisis among kids and teens that has been accentuated by social media platforms. President Biden will call for stronger online protections for young people, including prioritizing safety by design standards and practices for online platforms, products, and services.

Blumenthal’s Kids Online Safety Act would accomplish these goals by creating a legal obligation on social media to protect children and teens, requiring safeguards against exploitation and other harms, and mandating independent audits of the steps social media platforms take to protect kids, among other provisions to enhance children’s safety online. Blumenthal introduced the legislation last month with U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). The bill’s introduction follows reporting and a series of five subcommittee hearings spearheaded by Blumenthal and Blackburn with social media companies and advocates on the repeated failures by tech giants to protect kids on their platforms and about the dangers kids face online.

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