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U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-AL, continues to advocate for legislation looking to address America’s growing youth mental health crisis. Most recently, the senator appeared on CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper to discuss her involvement in bipartisan efforts surrounding the issue.
“[Mental health] is not a Democrat issue. This is not a Republican issue. This is an American issue. We have an obligation to tackle it as such,” Britt told Tapper during the interview.
Britt has spoken openly and frequently about her concern over the rising rates of mental illness and suicide among young Americans. The CDC reports that youth suicide rates grew by over 50 percent between 2000 and 2021 and that suicide is currently the second leading cause of death among 10-24 year-olds. Britt herself highlighted statistics showing that one in three female high schoolers report considering suicide and that 9 percent of all youth in high school have actually attempted suicide.
Britt also shared the story of Katie Meyer, a Stanford University student and national champion soccer player, who died by suicide in 2022. She described a recent meeting she had with Meyer’s parents, Gina and Steve, as “one of the most impactful meetings I’ve had as a U.S. Senator.”
“[The mental health crisis] literally knows no bounds,” Britt continued. “I was just talking to a wonderful woman right before I came on. And when I told her Katie’s story, she said, ‘That reminds me of what I tell people,’ she said, ‘I tell them check on your strong friends, too.'”
Britt went on to stress the importance of open and honest discussions surrounding mental health, encouraging Americans to “talk to people, to break down the stigma, to talk about 988, if you need it.”
“You are never alone. We are always here for you and we need to make sure that our students on college campuses know that too, Jake,” Britt said.
“The time for action is now,” Britt later added.
In September, Britt joined her Senate colleague John Fetterman, D-PA, in introducing the “Stop the Scroll Act” — a new piece of legislation which aims to create a required mental health warning label for social media platforms. The bill was inspired by United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s recommendation for a social media warning label that would increase users’ awareness of the potential mental health risks posed by social media usage. The bill also looks to increase accessibility to mental health resources through the labels.
“When you look at what the warning labels have done in the industry, like tobacco, warning people of the challenges and the health challenges that can occur from using—that’s exactly what we want in the social media space,” Britt said during the interview. “So essentially a warning label would pop up—it wouldn’t prevent anyone from using it. It would just make [users] aware of the mental health challenges that can occur by usage.”
“The one thing Senator Fetterman and I said is we want to make sure that there is a link to help included on that warning. And we envision that in being something like 988. Telling people, ‘if you are struggling, we want you to click here. We want you to call this number,'” Britt added. “We’re both parents, and as Senator Fetterman and I look at these issues, we look at it very similar to Gina and Steve—as parents who want to do what we what we can to put up the proper guardrails that will allow our children to flourish and ultimately achieve their American dream.”
The Stop the Scroll Act is not the first piece of mental health legislation Britt has been involved in.
In May, Britt joined Senators Brian Schatz, D-HI, Ted Cruz, R-TX, and Chris Murphy, D-CT, in introducing the “Kids Off Social Media Act”, which in-part proposes that children under the age of 13 be barred from accessing social media.
Additionally, Sen. Britt is a cosponsor of Senators Marsha Blackburn, R-TN, and Richard Blumenthal’s, D-CT, “Kids Online Safety Act” (KOSA), a version of which passed the Senate in July. KOSA looks to create a “duty of care” for online platforms that minors are likely to use, requiring those companies to prevent and mitigate harm to younger users.
And, last month, Britt and Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-MN, introduced the “Youth Mental Health Research Act.” The bill would create a national Youth Mental Health Research Initiative to “guide long-term mental health care efforts, better target preventive interventions for those at risk of developing mental health challenges, and improve treatments for children.”
