[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 121 (Thursday, July 25, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H4933]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1130
               ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

  (Mr. BEYER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. BEYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of efforts to rein in 
deepfakes. This country, and especially our children, are in the middle 
of a mental health crisis.
  In 2021, 22 percent of high school students seriously considered 
attempting suicide, including nearly one in three girls. It is reported 
that 10 percent of high school students actually attempted suicide, and 
these trends have been going in the wrong, tragic direction for years.
  Now deepfakes are exacerbating these problems. Revenge porn wasn't a 
thing when I was in high school, but now AI allows anyone to create a 
pornographic image with the click of a button.
  AI is also being used to improve our mental health response. Lifeline 
988 volunteers are trained on artificial intelligence chatbots before 
interacting with individuals actually in crisis.
  As the co-chair of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus and Suicide 
Prevention Task Force chair, I have long been engaged in efforts to 
improve resources like 988 and their ability to address the mental 
health crisis.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to tackle the current 
youth mental health crisis. In different ways it touches every family.

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