[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 171 (Tuesday, November 19, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6618-S6620]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                          Youth Mental Health

  Mr. HELMY. Mr. President, our nation's youth are facing an 
unprecedented mental health crisis, and we need to take immediate 
action to address the root causes and ensure adequate access to care. I 
stand here today with my friend and colleague, Senator Katie Britt, to 
implore continued action to solve this crisis.
  This issue is one that is personal for me, as it is for Senator 
Britt. We both have young children, and so we see what they and their 
peers experience firsthand. There is no issue more urgent, more 
critical to our Nation's future than the health and safety of our next 
generation.
  The challenges are well-known; and, frankly, the data is shocking. 
Over the past decade, cases of severe depression among young adults 
have nearly doubled. In the 2010s, suicidal behaviors among high school 
students increased by more than 40 percent. And since 2017, the number 
of youth hospitalized for anxiety has increased by 50 percent; the 
proportion hospitalized for self-harm has nearly doubled.
  I repeat: The proportion hospitalized for self-harm has nearly 
doubled.
  Youth and young adults ages 10 to 24 account for 15 percent of all 
suicides--an increase of over 50 percent since 2000. It is the second 
leading cause of death among our young people.
  We can point to numerous stressors feeding this crisis. And I have 
discussed on this floor with great honor before, social media lands at 
the very top of that list. Social media has altered not only the way 
our young people interact but the very way in which they see themselves 
and even the way their brains develop.
  Senator Britt understands this issue and has been a leading voice in 
this Chamber and throughout Congress. I turn to her and thank her for 
her leadership.
  Mrs. BRITT. Senator Helmy, thank you so much for your leadership on 
this important issue from day one.
  Mr. President, you, yourself, have led on this issue significantly.
  I think it is important for our colleagues on both sides of the aisle 
to come together and understand just how pressing America's mental 
health crisis really is.
  I was honored when Senator Helmy came to me right after being sworn 
in and told me that he wanted to work together on mental health issues 
and social media. And that is what we are doing here today.
  And all of the statistics that Senator Helmy mentioned are not only 
horrifying but really challenging to even wrap our head around.
  The word ``crisis'' doesn't even begin to capture what we are up 
against. And while we should always be wary of pointing to just one 
culprit, there is one that stands out amongst the rest; and that is 
social media.
  As a mom of two teenagers, I see firsthand--and I hear from other 
moms--about the effects of social media on our country's children. And 
at the same time, those incredibly distressing trends that Senator 
Helmy detailed took place, social media usage became pervasive among 
America's kids. And the numbers back it up.
  So if you look, 54 percent of teenagers said it would be hard to give 
up social media. Half of all teens say that they are addicted to their 
phones.
  That was in a 2016 survey. I can't imagine what it would say today.
  And 35 percent say that they are almost constantly on YouTube, 
TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook.
  And for those of you who can't see, we are getting some shaking heads 
from our pages down front.
  Almost all of American teens have access to a smartphone. This near-
constant use of social media platforms has consequences.
  The U.S. Surgeon General wrote, this summer, that 3 hours of social 
media is 2 times the risk of anxiety and depression amongst our young 
people.
  The average American teenager spends nearly 5 hours a day on social 
media, and it is clearly having an impact. The Department of Health and 
Human Services studies show almost half of adolescents say that social 
media makes them feel worse about their bodies.
  Internal research on Instagram conducted itself showed that a third 
of teenage girls who use the app report that it ``made them feel 
worse,'' and they found themselves ``unable to stop.''
  And results of studies like the CDC's Youth Risk Behavior 
Surveillance System and the National Institute on Drug Abuse's 
Monitoring the Future survey shows teens and tweens today get less 
sleep, less exercise, and less in-person time with their peers than 
previous generations.
  It is long past time to do something about this crisis. And I would 
like to hand it back to Senator Helmy to talk about how this body is 
getting to work.
  Mr. HELMY. Thank you, my friend.
  The Senate, as divided as it may seem, can and has acted decisively. 
We have all witnessed this with the Kids Online Safety Act, led by my 
friends and Senators Blumenthal, Blackburn, Markey, and Cassidy, which 
sailed through the Senate unanimously. The bill protects both youth 
currently impacted by social media but also seeks to address the root 
causes of the danger: the addictive design of the algorithm. This 
decisive action shows me that this body can and will do big things 
together to protect our young people. This is proof that there is that 
hope.
  And I now turn back to my colleague Senator Britt for her leadership 
on yet another bipartisan bill that I hope will also pass through this 
Chamber.
  Mrs. BRITT. Yes. And, listen, I am so glad that you brought this up 
before we moved to the next one. The Kids Online Safety and Privacy 
Act, I think, really represents the best among us. It was a true 
bipartisan product. It showed progress on the issue. I am proud to have 
been a cosponsor and working alongside the Senators that you mentioned, 
their leadership--Blackburn, Blumenthal, Cassidy, Markey--who were 
willing to step up and truly say: Look, here is a path forward, and 
let's build consensuses and move it.
  So thank you for the effort, all of them, that they put into this 
legislation. I wasn't surprised, like you, that it passed the Senate in 
overwhelming fashion because this is not a red or a blue issue. This is 
an American issue. And that is exactly how this must be tackled. And it 
is clear that this body understands that.
  And I am looking forward to continuing to build more momentum, taking 
more steps on a bipartisan basis to move that ball even further down 
the field.
  Senator Helmy, you are a parent, just like I am. We are raising kids 
in this environment. We are seeing how social media affects them. And 
it is really a struggle that I think unifies us in an unprecedented 
way.
  I was proud to work along with Senator Brian Schatz and Ted Cruz and 
Chris Murphy as we also reflected on this problem as parents.
  That is why our bipartisan group introduced the Kids Off Social Media 
Act. It would prevent kids under 13 from

[[Page S6619]]

creating a social media account--something that social media companies 
say they do anyway, so that shouldn't be a problem. It would prohibit 
the use of algorithms--as the Senator mentioned these algorithms, 
really getting to the heart of that--it would prohibit the use of 
algorithms on all social media users who are under the age of 17. It 
would also require schools to block and filter social media on their 
Wi-Fi networks if they receive Federal funding.
  I also worked alongside Senator Amy Klobuchar, and we introduced the 
Youth Mental Health Research Act. It would create a national youth 
mental health research initiative to guide long-term mental health care 
efforts and better target preventive interventions for those at risk of 
developing mental health challenges.
  These are many bipartisan pieces of legislation that are here right 
now. Unfortunately, we are in a place in this world where the media 
believes so often that it is their job to sell the news instead of to 
tell the news.
  So, Senator Helmy, your putting this together today for us to tell of 
the work that is being done in this Chamber in a bipartisan way to 
address this issue I think is so critically important, and we must keep 
talking about it.
  I want to mention one other piece of legislation that the Senator is 
a cosponsor of, and I am so grateful, and that is my work with Senator 
John Fetterman.
  Following the Surgeon General's calling for a warning label on social 
media, Senator Fetterman and I put our heads together to create a bill 
that did that and then a little bit more. Our bill, the Stop the Scroll 
Act, would require a warning label when people open up a social media 
platform--almost like a pop-up--that would also include links to mental 
health resources. We want to ensure that resources are at the 
fingertips of those who need it most.
  Quickly after being sworn in, Senator Helmy joined our effort and our 
call to fulfill the Surgeon General's recommendation. I am thankful for 
Senator Helmy in joining Senator Fetterman's and my bill. His passion 
to help America's kids is truly inspiring. While he and I might not 
agree on every issue, at the end of the day, we both see the obvious, 
and that is that social media is harming our kids, and America faces a 
mental health crisis.
  Senator Helmy, would you mind speaking about why you felt like it was 
so important to join Senator Fetterman's and my effort with the Stop 
the Scroll piece of legislation?
  Mr. HELMY. I will, Senator Britt, and thank you.
  I just want to say that I applaud your leadership, and while I 
appreciate your mentioning our wanting us to come together, I would 
just make a point that all of the bills you have mentioned have one 
thing in common--not only the general thematic but that they are 
bipartisan. I think what that says--and it is a tribute to your 
leadership, your thoughtfulness, and your doggedness on this issue--is 
that this Chamber reflects and recognizes that there is a serious 
crisis and is willing to come to hold Big Tech accountable but also 
make them a part of the solution in the resolution. So I applaud your 
leadership.
  So why Stop the Scroll? I think this is also a tribute to the success 
of this Chamber with the Kids Online Safety Act. Senators like Senator 
Britt and others were able to make the case for the issue and come up 
with real solutions that helped Americans understand the problem. It 
passed through this Chamber, and I hope it will pass through the other 
Chamber.
  But like that bill, Stop the Scroll seeks in a bipartisan way to 
address issues we have heard from our great mental health and medical 
professionals.
  Like the warning linking cigarettes to cancer and mortality, the 
Surgeon General issued a truly unprecedented warning last year 
confirming the serious risks to our youth from social media. In an 
effort to learn more, I reached out and spoke to him just last month, 
and the data and the science that I was presented and that he explained 
are clear. There is an urgent need to act now and raise awareness on 
the issues of social media use. Just like we have warning labels on 
cigarettes, we must also have them on social media, and that is why I 
was so proud to join Senator Britt and other cosponsors to Stop the 
Scroll.
  While I will leave the Senate in a few weeks at a time when partisan 
divisions may run high, when I go home, however, I will tell many 
doubters that despite what the partisanship is that they see on the 
news, there is indeed reason to be incredibly hopeful for our next 
generation and generations to come. This piece of bipartisan 
legislation is proof of that hope, as are the many other pieces of 
legislation that my friend Senator Britt discussed. We must hold on to 
and continue fighting for a better future for all of our children.
  Senator Britt, I thank you again for your leadership here, and thank 
you for reaching out to me across the aisle, even before I was 
appointed, on this important issue.
  I turn it back to you.
  Mrs. BRITT. Well, to Senator Helmy, if I may say, I think Stop the 
Scroll is a great example of a small bill that can make a tremendous 
impact, and I am grateful for his support of it.
  Overall, I hope what America sees today is that we have faith that we 
can do the right thing by America's kids. Here we are, two people quite 
far apart on several issues but willing to come together to address 
this urgent problem.
  Senator Helmy, I am grateful that you came to me as soon as you were 
sworn in to say: Hey, how can we work on this particular issue? You hit 
the ground running. I hope the people of New Jersey and America know 
that.
  This man got to work before day one, and when he gave his address to 
this Chamber, his maiden speech, he said: I will tackle this issue. 
That is exactly what he did.
  As a brandnew Senator, you immediately sprang into action, seeking 
out partners on both sides of the aisle to address something that you 
knew was critically important. You were willing to bring different 
opinions and a different perspective to the table in order to achieve a 
result.
  Senator Helmy, I am proud to have worked with you on this critical 
topic and on so many other things during your tenure here in the U.S. 
Senate. It is truly an honor to have served with you, and I hope the 
people--the great people--of the State of New Jersey and the people of 
this Nation understand the leadership you have exhibited during your 
short tenure here and the impact you have made on colleagues like me 
who may sit across the aisle but who are given hope by our ability to 
come to the table and move important things forward.
  It is an honor to serve with you, and I thank you for allowing me to 
be a part of this today in helping you tackle such a critical issue.
  Mr. HELMY. Thank you so much for your kind words, my friend. I am 
honored, frankly, to be by your side--two former staffers uniting on an 
important issue here on the floor of the U.S. Senate. It is like ``The 
Avengers'' uniting. Working with you on this issue has been a highlight 
of my time here and foundational to the hope I feel being back in the 
institution.
  I would be remiss if I didn't note the presence of a great leader of 
this institution, a storied Senator from Texas who is in the Chamber.
  In my 100-day plan, I had vowed to spring toward progress with youth 
mental health, which, again, is an issue that I had seen firsthand with 
my own experience. In addition to speaking with the Surgeon General, I 
know Katie and I both spoke with key government leaders, nonprofit 
organizations, and youth leaders who truly told us what they were 
experiencing as young people and the experiences of their friends, 
which are vastly different than the experience I may have had as a 
child, growing up.
  We worked across the aisle to cosponsor and lead legislation with not 
only Senator Britt but with my mentor, senior Senator, and friend Cory 
Booker, and tremendous colleagues, like Senators Casey, Butler, 
Klobuchar, Fetterman, Durbin, Wyden, and Coons, to name a few.
  I go back home, and I am working with these nonprofits and young 
activists to learn the issue better and understand both on the front 
and the root cause of the issues related to access to care when they do 
present with a problem, and what I have seen is incredible.
  As a former staffer, I believe in this institution, and I believe in 
the U.S.

[[Page S6620]]

Senate. I have always believed in this country--especially now--but 
still there is obviously more work to do.
  As I stand on this floor, asking for continued action, we need to 
pass Senator Britt's and Senator Fetterman's Stop the Scroll Act, and 
their counterparts in the House should pass the Kids Online Safety Act, 
which, as mentioned, passed unanimously through this storied Chamber.
  Finally, I note that just yesterday, I introduced a new piece of 
legislation--the Youth Revenue Transparency Act--to hold Big Tech 
accountable.
  We know that technology companies are finding profit in this crisis. 
These companies can quantify how much their revenue is driven by 
minors, and they can certainly quantify how much marketing they are 
putting into targeting minors. We know the transparency in big 
corporations is critical for efficient markets, as it is critical for 
accountability, and I believe both investors and parents have the right 
to quantify this as well. They need to know how the investments and 
business decisions made by Big Tech are driving the youth mental health 
crisis. That is why, in my bill, the Youth Revenue Transparency Act, I 
am asking Big Tech to disclose data on the share of revenue driven by 
our kids and the amount they spend targeting our children with 
marketing.
  Why, you ask, introduce legislation with just a few weeks left in 
this Congress? Because, as a former staffer, I believe in the role of 
this institution, and I believe in the role of a Senator and maybe in 
the role of all Americans to raise our voices for what is right--that 
one day these small acts will, I hope, rise to a crescendo of action 
and create meaningful and lasting change for this generation and the 
generations of Americans to come. We may start small, but we can do big 
things. We can hold these companies accountable for their actions and 
for their harm to the next generation. We can and we must.
  I look forward in the coming years--maybe not in this institution but 
alongside the storied Senators in this Chamber--to working on this 
vital issue regardless of our politics, cheering you on and supporting 
these efforts. As John F. Kennedy powerfully said, children are the 
world's most valuable resource, and it is our only and best hope for 
the future.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Texas.
  Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak for up to 
15 minutes prior to the scheduled vote.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.