# Safe Social Media Act: Plain Language Summary

This bill asks the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)—the government agency that protects consumers—to study how teenagers use social media and what effects it has on them. The FTC would work with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to investigate social media use among anyone under 18 years old. The study would look at what personal information these platforms collect about young people, how the platforms' algorithms use that information to decide what content to show them, and how much time teenagers spend on these apps each day. It would also examine whether usage patterns differ based on age and investigate potential mental health effects and other harms that might come from spending a lot of time on social media.

The bill covers major social media platforms—defined as any website or app with at least 30 million active monthly users in the United States, which includes services like social networks, video sharing sites, search engines, and email services. Within one year of the bill becoming law, the FTC would need to submit a report to Congress with their findings and recommend any policy changes that might be needed based on what they discover.

Essentially, this bill doesn't change any rules or restrict what teenagers can do on social media right now. Instead, it's a fact-finding mission to better understand the current situation so lawmakers can make informed decisions about whether new protections are needed. The study could provide evidence that influences future legislation about teen privacy, data collection practices, and social media safety.

Safe Social Media Act

Bentz, Cliff

Safe Social Media Act This bill requires a study on the use of social media platforms among individuals under age 18. A social media platform is a public-facing website, internet application, or mobile internet application (e.g., social network, search engine, or email service) with at least 30 million active monthly users in the United States. The Federal Trade Commission must coordinate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to carry out the study, and the study must address matters such as frequency of usage, mental health effects linked to such usage, and policy recommendations.