[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3852 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3852

  To authorize grants to promote media literacy and youth empowerment 
programs, to authorize research on the role and impact of depictions of 
  girls and women in the media, to provide for the establishment of a 
  National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 28, 2010

  Mrs. Hagan (for herself and Mr. Menendez) introduced the following 
  bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, 
                     Education, Labor, and Pensions

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize grants to promote media literacy and youth empowerment 
programs, to authorize research on the role and impact of depictions of 
  girls and women in the media, to provide for the establishment of a 
  National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Media for 
Youth Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Grants to promote media literacy and youth empowerment 
                            programs.
Sec. 4. Research on the role and impact of girls and women in the media 
                            on the development of youth.
Sec. 5. National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media.
Sec. 6. Limitation.
Sec. 7. Definitions.
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Media has become an integral part of the lives of 
        youth. According to the 2010 study by the Kaiser Family 
        Foundation entitled ``Generation M\2\ Media in Lives of 8- to 
        18-Year-Olds'', most 8- to 18-year-olds spend about 10 hours a 
        day using recreational media.
            (2) Girls feel pressure from the mainstream media to have 
        an ideal body type, and only 34 percent of girls report being 
        very satisfied with their bodies, according to the 2006 study 
        by the Girl Scout Research Institute entitled ``The New Normal? 
        What Girls Say About Healthy Living''.
            (3) Sixty percent of teenage girls compare their bodies to 
        fashion models and almost 90 percent of girls say the fashion 
        industry places a lot of pressure on teenage girls to be thin, 
        according to the 2010 Girl Scout Research Institute report 
        entitled ``Girls and Body Image''.
            (4) The 2010 Girl Scout Research Institute report ``Girls 
        and Body Image'' found that body dissatisfaction leads to 
        unhealthy eating and dieting habits. Fifty-five percent of 
        girls admit that they diet to lose weight, 42 percent of girls 
        know someone their age who forced themselves to throw up after 
        eating, 37 percent know someone who has been diagnosed with an 
        eating disorder, and 31 percent admit to starving themselves or 
        refusing to eat as a strategy to lose weight.
            (5) Fifty-four percent of young girls in grades 3 through 5 
        worry about their appearance, and 37 percent of such girls 
        worry specifically about their weight, according to the 2006 
        Girls Inc. report entitled ``The Supergirl Dilemma: Girls 
        Grapple with the Mounting Pressure of Expectations''.
            (6) A 2007 report of the American Psychological 
        Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls reported 
        that 3 of the most common mental health problems among girls, 
        eating disorders, depression or depressed mood, and low self-
        esteem, are linked to sexualization of girls and women in 
        media.
            (7) According to the 2007 report of the American 
        Psychological Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of 
        Girls, frequent exposure to sexualized media images of girls 
        can have negative consequences on the sexual health of, and 
        avoidance of sexual risk by, girls, including the dangerous, 
        new phenomenon known as ``sexting'', which means sending an 
        explicit message or photo over a cell phone (referred to in 
        this Act as a ``sext'').
            (8) The group AK Teens found that 30 percent of girls ages 
        9 to 15 have sent a ``sext''. The Campaign to Prevent Teen 
        Pregnancy found that 20 percent of youth ages 13 to 19 have 
        sent partially or completely nude pictures of themselves or 
        someone they knew over a cell phone.
            (9) Competition over narrow beauty standards and attention 
        from boys also damages friendships among girls, according to 
        the report of the American Psychological Association's Task 
        Force on the Sexualization of Girls. Damaging friendships among 
        girls can have serious health consequences since the 
        relationships of girls are crucial to the social and emotional 
        health of girls, according to the report of the Girl Scout 
        Research Institute, ``The New Normal? What Girls Say About 
        Healthy Living''.
            (10) Sexualized messages and images of girls and women also 
        negatively impact boys. These negative effects include the 
        development of unrealistic and unhealthy expectations of the 
        physical appearance of girls and women, and may impair the 
        ability of boys to develop healthy relationships with girls and 
        women, according to a 2007 report of the American Psychological 
        Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.
            (11) Girls and women of color are disproportionately absent 
        from mainstream media. A 2010 report of the Girl Scout Research 
        Institute entitled ``Beauty Redefined: Girls and Body Image 
        Survey'' states that only 32 percent of African-American girls 
        think the fashion industry does a good job of representing 
        people of all races and ethnicities.
            (12) Women and girls continue to be underrepresented in 
        leadership roles in the media. The Geena Davis Institute on 
        Gender in the Media reports that less than 1 in 3 speaking 
        characters in children's movies are female. According to the 
        2007 report of the American Psychological Association's Task 
        Force on the Sexualization of Girls, only 10 percent of Sports 
        Illustrated photographs published during a 3-year period were 
        of women. Fifty-seven percent of music videos feature a woman 
        portrayed exclusively as a decorative, sexual object.
            (13) The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in the Media found 
        that the majority of female characters in children's movies are 
        praised for their appearance or physical beauty rather than 
        their personality, intelligence, or other talents, and are 
        often short-sighted and narrowly fixated on romantic 
        relationships that lack substantial connections or courtships. 
        Girls and boys watching children's programming may learn that 
        beauty is an essential part of being female and critical for 
        gaining attention and acceptance.
            (14) The aspirations of girls are limited as they begin to 
        associate power, acceptance, and success with physical 
        appearance rather than academic or extracurricular 
        achievements, according to the American Psychological 
        Association.
            (15) Violence against women continues to be prevalent 
        throughout media. The Parents Television Council reports that 
        between 2004 and 2009, violence against women and teenage girls 
        increased on television programming at a rate of 120 percent, 
        compared with the 2 percent increase of overall violence in 
        television content.
            (16) The Parents Television Council warns that the 
        depiction of violence against women with increasing frequency 
        on television, or as a trivial, even humorous matter, may be 
        contributing to an atmosphere in which young people view 
        aggression and violence against women as normative, even 
        acceptable.
            (17) Due to the alarming side effects of the exposure of 
        youth to negative messages about girls and women in media, 
        Congress supports efforts to ensure that youth improve their 
        media literacy skills and consume positive messages about girls 
        and women that promote healthy and diverse body images, develop 
        positive and active female role models, and portray equal and 
        healthy relationships between female and male characters.

SEC. 3. GRANTS TO PROMOTE MEDIA LITERACY AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) Media Literacy.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to 
        nonprofit organizations to provide for the establishment, 
        operation, coordination, and evaluation of programs to increase 
        the media literacy of girls and boys, including by--
                    (A) educating youth on how to apply their critical 
                thinking skills when consuming media images and 
                messages;
                    (B) promoting healthy, balanced, and positive media 
                depictions of girls and women among youth; and
                    (C) countering the perpetuation and damaging 
                effects of narrow, restrictive gender roles, 
                stereotypes, and expectations, including the 
                sexualization of female children, adolescents, and 
                adults.
            (2) Activities.--Programs funded under this subsection may 
        include--
                    (A) education on analytical skills that promote 
                autonomy and critical understanding of how girls and 
                women are depicted in the media;
                    (B) age-appropriate education about negative 
                effects of the sexualization of female children, 
                adolescents, and adults;
                    (C) education about how traditional, restrictive 
                gender roles can be perpetuated through media;
                    (D) education about how depictions of girls and 
                women in the media can negatively affect the body image 
                of youth, the choice of role models, relationships 
                among girls, and relationships and expectations between 
                girls and boys;
                    (E) education on how to use media to positively 
                influence others and to affect healthier cultural norms 
                and practices;
                    (F) education of parents, educators, and other 
                adults on how depictions of girls and women in the 
                media impact youth; or
                    (G) support for public or private partnerships that 
                encourage businesses, advertisers, the entertainment 
                industry, and other media content providers to promote 
                media content that--
                            (i) encourages healthy body images;
                            (ii) develops positive and active female 
                        role models; and
                            (iii) portrays equal and healthy 
                        relationships between female and male 
                        characters.
            (3) Report.--The Secretary shall require each grant 
        recipient under this subsection to submit to the Secretary a 
        report for each grant period that--
                    (A) describes how grant funds were used; and
                    (B) evaluates the effectiveness of the program 
                funded through the grant.
    (b) Youth Empowerment.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to 
        nonprofit organizations to provide for the establishment, 
        operation, coordination, and evaluation of programs to support 
        the empowerment of girls or boys in a variety of ways, 
        including by--
                    (A) encouraging youth empowerment through 
                extracurricular activities and programs; and
                    (B) supporting youth in a variety of ways that--
                            (i) develop self-esteem, skills, and 
                        talents; and
                            (ii) celebrate characteristics unrelated to 
                        sexual appeal or physical appearance.
            (2) Activities.--Programs funded under this subsection may 
        include programs to--
                    (A) assist youth in critiquing and rejecting 
                sexualizing and objectifying messages within society;
                    (B) teach youth how to create and use media that 
                contribute to social change, especially in their 
                communities;
                    (C) build confidence and self-efficacy;
                    (D) build leadership skills; or
                    (E) facilitate connections between girls and women, 
                and boys and men, as mentors.
            (3) Priority projects.--In awarding grants under this 
        subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to projects that 
        are--
                    (A) focused in urban, rural, and other underserved 
                areas;
                    (B) gender-specific;
                    (C) focused on a variety of populations, including 
                racial and ethnic minorities and representatives of 
                several socioeconomic status groups;
                    (D) culturally and linguistically appropriate for 
                the populations being served; and
                    (E) developed in collaboration with the long-term 
                stakeholders.
            (4) Report.--The Secretary shall require each grant 
        recipient under this subsection to submit to the Secretary a 
        report for each grant period that--
                    (A) describes how grant funds were used; and
                    (B) evaluates the effectiveness of the program 
                funded through the grant.
    (c) Matching Funds.--In awarding grants under subsections (a) and 
(b), the Secretary may give priority to applicants who agree to provide 
matching contributions from non-Federal sources. Such contributions may 
be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including equipment, training, 
curricula, or a preexisting evaluation framework.
    (d) Certain Requirements.--A grant may be made under subsection (a) 
or (b) only if the applicant involved agrees to the following:
            (1) Not more than 20 percent of the grant funds will be 
        used for administration, accounting, reporting, and program 
        oversight functions.
            (2) The grant will be used to supplement and not supplant 
        funds from other sources for increasing the media literacy of, 
        and empowering, youth.
            (3) The applicant will abide by any limitations deemed 
        appropriate by the Secretary on any charges to individuals 
        receiving services pursuant to the grant. As deemed appropriate 
        by the Secretary, such limitations on charges may vary based on 
        the financial circumstances of the individual receiving 
        services.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and 
submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a report on the 
grants awarded under subsections (a) and (b), including--
            (1) a description of how the grant funds were used; and
            (2) an evaluation of the effectiveness of such grants.

SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF GIRLS AND WOMEN IN THE MEDIA 
              ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in coordination with the 
Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the 
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human 
Development, shall review, synthesize, and conduct or support research 
on the role and impact of depictions of girls and women in the media on 
the psychological, sexual, physical, and interpersonal development of 
youth in the following areas:
            (1) How depictions of girls and women in the media affect 
        youth in the following areas of childhood development:
                    (A) Cognitive areas such as mental health, self-
                esteem, learning abilities, and problem solving skills.
                    (B) Physical areas such as diet, nutrition, 
                exercise, body image, substance abuse, and sleeping and 
                eating routines.
                    (C) Social behavioral areas such as relationships 
                with peers, interactions with parents and family 
                members, aggression, high-risk behaviors, sexual 
                behavior and development, and positive social 
                behaviors.
            (2) How depictions of girls and women in the media affect 
        the perceptions of girls and of boys in the following areas:
                    (A) The perceptions and attitudes of girls about 
                the abilities, equity, appearances, and leadership 
                potential of girls and of boys.
                    (B) The perceptions and attitudes of boys about the 
                abilities, equity, appearances, and leadership 
                potential of girls and of boys.
            (3) How the sexualization and objectification of girls and 
        women in the media affects girls and boys.
            (4) The impact of depictions of girls and women in the 
        media on the academic performance of youth.
            (5) The impact that depictions of girls and women in the 
        media has on girls and boys of diverse racial and ethnic 
        backgrounds and developmentally across age.
            (6) How factors such as format, length of exposure, age of 
        youth, and nature of parental involvement impact youth.
            (7) How food marketing and obesity campaigns affect the 
        body image, nutrition, and exercise of girls and of boys, 
        especially among eating-disordered youth populations.
            (8) Additional areas as designated by the Secretary.
    (b) No Duplication.--The Secretary shall ensure that research 
activities under this section do not duplicate other Federal research 
activities.
    (c) Reports.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall 
prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a 
report that--
            (1) synthesizes the results of--
                    (A) research under this section; and
                    (B) other related research by the private or public 
                sector, including the Federal Government;
            (2) disaggregates such results by gender, race, and 
        socioeconomic background;
            (3) includes a compendium of key existing research on the 
        role and impact of depictions of girls and women in the media; 
        and
            (4) outlines gaps in research on the role and impact of 
        depictions of girl and women in the media and identifies areas 
        where future research is needed.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON GIRLS AND WOMEN IN THE MEDIA.

    (a) Purposes.--The Federal Communications Commission shall convene 
a task force, to be known as the National Task Force on Girls and Women 
in the Media, to develop voluntary steps and goals for promoting 
healthy and positive depictions of girls and women in the media for the 
benefit of all youth.
    (b) Membership.--The Task Force shall include representatives of 
the media industry, nonprofit and youth-serving organizations, academia 
and research entities, psychologists and other child health 
professionals, Federal agencies, and any other public or private entity 
designated by the Federal Communications Commission.
    (c) Responsibilities.--The Task Force shall identify--
            (1) concerns with how the media regulated by the Federal 
        Communications Commission portrays girls and women;
            (2) the impact of negative depictions of girls and women on 
        the development of youth; and
            (3) voluntary steps and goals that the public and private 
        sectors can take to promote healthy and positive media 
        depictions of girls and women for the benefit of all youth.
    (d) Initial Meeting.--The Federal Communications Commission shall 
ensure that the Task Force holds its first meeting not later than 90 
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the first 
meeting of the Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission shall 
submit a report to Congress that contains--
            (1) the findings of the Task Force under subsection (c); 
        and
            (2) recommendations for areas of improvement regarding 
        depictions of girls and women in the media.

SEC. 6. LIMITATION.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary may 
not use amounts made available under this Act to conduct or support 
activities or programs that are duplicative of activities or programs 
otherwise carried out through the Department of Health and Human 
Services or the Department of Education.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) The term ``media'' includes television programs, motion 
        pictures, video games, music and music videos, the Internet, 
        social media, digital video recorders, cell phones, magazines, 
        newspapers, advertisements, and other emerging technologies 
        designed for communication, entertainment, education, or 
        information.
            (2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health 
        and Human Services.
            (3) The term ``sexualization'' means a circumstance when--
                    (A) a person's value comes only from his or her 
                sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other 
                characteristics;
                    (B) a person is held to a standard that equates 
                physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) and personal 
                value with appearing, acting, and being sexy;
                    (C) a person is sexually objectified, or made into 
                a thing for others' sexual use, rather than seen as a 
                person with the capacity for independent action and 
                decisionmaking; or
                    (D) sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a 
                person.
            (4) The term ``Task Force'' means the National Task Force 
        on Girls and Women in the Media convened under section 5.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    For the purpose of carrying out sections 3 and 4, there are 
authorized to be appropriated, in addition to any other amounts 
available for such purpose, $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 
through 2015, of which--
            (1) $18,000,000 shall be allocated to the program under 
        section 3(a);
            (2) $18,000,000 shall be allocated to the program under 
        section 3(b); and
            (3) $4,000,000 shall be allocated to the program under 
        section 4.
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