A2367

An Act establishing a public awareness campaign on the dangers of social media use to minors, supplementing Title 18A of the Revised Statues, and making an appropriation.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. The United States Surgeon General released an advisory on social media and youth mental health in May 2023, which finds:

(1) social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95 percent of American minors between ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly”;

(2) childhood and adolescence represent critical stages in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media;

(3) usage of social media can become harmful depending on the amount of time children spend on platforms, the type of content they consume or are otherwise exposed to, and the degree to which it disrupts activities that are essential for health, such as sleep and physical activity;

(4) recent research shows that adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety;

(5) social media may also perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, social comparison, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls;

(6) extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content continues to be easily and widely accessible by children and adolescents, and in certain cases, childhood deaths have been linked to suicide- and self-harm-related content and risk-taking challenges on social media platforms;

(7) almost two-thirds of adolescents are “often” or “sometimes” exposed to hate-based content, and nearly three quarters of adolescents say social media sites are doing a fair to poor job of addressing online harassment and online bullying; and

(8) social media platforms can be sites for predatory behaviors and interactions with malicious actors who target children and adolescents.

b. Parents and guardians of young people would benefit from increased awareness about the dangers that social media use pose to minors. Increased awareness would help parents and guardians to utilize current research findings and recommendations to better respond to the needs of minors while encouraging safe social media practices.

2. The Commissioner of Education shall establish a public awareness campaign about the dangers of social media use to minors, including content arising from the findings and recommendations reported by the Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents established pursuant to P.L.2023, c.126.

a. The purpose of the campaign shall be to increase public awareness, particularly among parents and guardians, about the dangers that social media use pose to minors. Increased awareness would help parents and guardians to utilize current research findings and recommendations to better respond to the needs of minors while encouraging safe social media practices.

b. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, shall develop and implement a public awareness campaign on the dangers of social media use to minors through media outlets which include, but are not limited to: Statewide newspapers, radio, public service announcements, social media, television ads, and any other media outlets deemed appropriate by the Commissioner, no later than 180 days after the enactment of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).

c. The Commissioner shall report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991. c.164 (C.52:14-19.), no later than 24 months after the effective date of this act, on the activities and accomplishments of the public awareness campaign.

3. The Department of Education may accept, for the purposes of the public awareness campaign, any special grant of funds, services, or property from the federal government or any of its agencies, or from any foundation, organization or other entity.

4. There is appropriated from the General Fund $500,000 to the Department of Education to develop and implement the public awareness campaign, and effectuate the provisions of this act.

5. This act shall take effect on the first day of the third month next following the date of enactment, except that the Commissioner may take such anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the implementation of the act.

STATEMENT

This bill requires the Department of Education to establish a public awareness campaign on the dangers of social media use to minors. The purpose of the campaign is to help the public, and in particular parents and guardians, better respond the needs of minors, and utilize current research findings, including those arising from the United States Surgeon General’s May 2023 advisory on social media and youth mental health which finds that up to 95 percent of American minors between ages 13-17 report using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.”

The Surgeon General’s advisory cautions that childhood and adolescence represent critical stages in brain development that can make young people more vulnerable to harms from social media, and its use can disrupt activities that are essential for health, such as sleep and physical activity. Adolescents who spend more than three hours per day on social media face double the risk of experiencing poor mental health outcomes, such as symptoms of depression and anxiety. Social media use can also perpetuate body dissatisfaction, disordered eating behaviors, and low self-esteem, especially among adolescent girls. Extreme, inappropriate, and harmful content continues to be easily and widely accessible by children and adolescents, and some minors’ deaths have been linked to suicide- and self-harm-related content and risk-taking challenges on social media platforms. Online harassment and online bullying occurs and is only partially addressed. Finally, social media platforms can be sites for predatory behaviors and interactions with malicious actors who target children and adolescents. Parents and guardians of young people would benefit from increased awareness about the dangers that social media use pose to minors. Increased awareness would help parents and guardians to utilize current research findings and recommendations to better respond to the needs of minors while encouraging safe social media practices.

Under the bill, the Department of Education, in consultation with the Commissioner of Health, will develop and implement a public awareness campaign on the dangers of social media use to minors through media outlets which include, but are not limited to: Statewide newspapers, radio, public service announcements, social media, television ads, and any other media outlets deemed appropriate by the Commissioner, no later than 180 days after this bill is enacted. The public awareness campaign builds on the progress of the Commission on the Effects of Social Media Usage on Adolescents established by law on July 24, 2023.

The Commissioner of Education will report to the Governor, and to the Legislature, no later than 24 months after the effective date of this act, on the activities and accomplishments of the public awareness campaign.

Finally, the bill appropriates, from the General Fund to the Department of Education, $500,000 to develop and implement the public awareness campaign.