WASHINGTON — Sens. Katie Britt and John Fetterman called on Congress to pass additional legislation regulating social media use by children and teenagers during a Common Ground event in Washington on April 23, 2026. The two lawmakers warned that social media is affecting the mental health of young people and said they had introduced and co-sponsored bills to establish guardrails for the next generation.

"We did this together, not just as senators, but as parents, because we have young children too," Fetterman said at the event, which is part of a franchise that brings together leaders with different perspectives. Britt framed the effort in similar terms. "Not as Democrats or Republicans, but as concerned parents," she said.

Britt also urged lawmakers to act without further delay. "Other countries have stepped up and stepped up to the plate, and we continue to kind of walk past it, and the time to do something is now," she said.

The senators discussed two bills they have worked on together to protect youth mental health and regulate social media. Britt introduced the Stop the Scroll Act in the Senate last year, a bipartisan bill that would require social media platforms to post a mental health warning label. Fetterman co-sponsored the bill alongside Sens. Elissa Slotkin, Maggie Hassan, and Jon Husted.

Both senators are also co-sponsors of the Kids Off Social Media Act, introduced by Sen. Brian Schatz. That bill would require platforms and children's schools to implement restrictions on social media usage, including banning children under 13 from creating accounts. Neither the Stop the Scroll Act nor the Kids Off Social Media Act has come to the Senate floor for a vote.

Fetterman, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, has been open about mental health struggles he experienced after taking office. He said he avoids spending too much time on social media.

Other lawmakers have also addressed the platforms. "Social media changed everything, right? It made the job more miserable," Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said.