Assembly Bill A3941

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Establishes a public awareness campaign concerning the dangers of social media and cell phone use by school-age children

download bill text pdf

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Current Bill Status - In Assembly Committee

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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2025-A3941 (ACTIVE) - Details

Current Committee:
Assembly Mental Health
Law Section:
Mental Hygiene Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §7.09, Ment Hyg L

2025-A3941 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Directs the commissioner of mental health to establish a public awareness campaign concerning the dangers of social media and cell phone use by school-age children, including but not limited to the addictive qualities of social media, the stunting impact of social media usage on the development of social skills, increased feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression among adolescent users and the attendant amplification of peer on peer bullying, and increased rates of adolescent suicide and suicide attempts, as well as about how to recognize suicide risk factors and seek suicide prevention assistance.

2025-A3941 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   3941
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             January 30, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. WOERNER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
   tee on Mental Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation  to  establishing  a
   public  awareness  campaign concerning the dangers of social media and
   cell phone use by school-age children

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 7.09 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision (n) to read as follows:
   (N)  THE  COMMISSIONER  SHALL DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A PUBLIC AWARENESS
 CAMPAIGN ABOUT THE NEGATIVE MENTAL HEALTH IMPACTS OF  SOCIAL  MEDIA  AND
 CELL  PHONE USE ON SCHOOL-AGE CHILDREN, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
 ADDICTIVE QUALITIES OF SOCIAL MEDIA, THE STUNTING IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA
 USAGE ON  THE  DEVELOPMENT  OF  SOCIAL  SKILLS,  INCREASED  FEELINGS  OF
 ISOLATION, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AMONG ADOLESCENT USERS AND THE ATTEND-
 ANT  AMPLIFICATION  OF  PEER  ON  PEER  BULLYING, AND INCREASED RATES OF
 ADOLESCENT SUICIDE AND SUICIDE ATTEMPTS, AS WELL AS ABOUT HOW TO  RECOG-
 NIZE  SUICIDE RISK FACTORS AND SEEK SUICIDE PREVENTION ASSISTANCE.  SUCH
 CAMPAIGN SHALL UTILIZE PUBLIC  FORUMS,  SOCIAL  MEDIA  AND  MASS  MEDIA,
 INCLUDING  BUT NOT LIMITED TO INTERNET, RADIO, AND PRINT ADVERTISING AND
 SHALL INCLUDE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS  AND  INFORMATION  ON  THE  OFFICE'S
 WEBSITE.  THE  OFFICE SHALL CONSULT WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND CONSUMER ADVO-
 CATES TO ENSURE SUCH CAMPAIGN IS CULTURALLY COMPETENT AND LINGUISTICALLY
 APPROPRIATE. SUCH CAMPAIGN SHALL BEGIN WITHIN SIXTY DAYS  FOLLOWING  THE
 EFFECTIVE  DATE OF THIS SUBDIVISION AND SHALL END ON JUNE THIRTIETH, TWO
 THOUSAND TWENTY-EIGHT.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
 

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07336-01-5

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