SARAH MCCAMMON, HOST:
At least a dozen states have tried to keep kids off social media with bills requiring apps to verify ages. But courts have blocked most of those attempts. So lawmakers in Minnesota tried something different. Next summer, Minnesotans of any age will see a mental health warning label when they log on. That is, unless tech companies block the new law. Here's Minnesota Public Radio's Dana Ferguson.
DANA FERGUSON, BYLINE: Imagine you're getting ready to hop on your Instagram, Facebook or TikTok account. You hit the screen on your phone, and in seconds, you're directed to the latest pictures, stories or posts. This time next year...
ZACK STEPHENSON: The only change is going to be that you're going to see a message before you can interact with the app.
FERGUSON: State Representative Zack Stephenson wrote the new Minnesota law requiring social media companies to add warning labels, flagging risks of mental health harm from excessive use.
STEPHENSON: I think the evidence is very clear that social media use is linked with depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, all sorts of terrible mental health conditions.
FERGUSON: The Democrat likens them to warnings for tobacco products.
STEPHENSON: So I believe you'll see a message telling you that prolonged use of social media can lead to those outcomes.
FERGUSON: Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for warning labels last year. He pointed to the research on prolonged social media use and mental health. Minnesota is the first state to require them, but New York may not be too far behind. Stephenson says the warnings could prompt some to spend less time scrolling.
STEPHENSON: If you had expected big tobacco to make cigarettes less addictive in the '50s and '60s, you would have been sorely mistaken. They would never have done that. Addiction was their business model, and the same thing is true for Big Tech.
FERGUSON: Failure to add the labels could be met with investigation and civil punishment. Social media platforms would also have to provide resources to address adverse mental health outcomes, like the suicide and crisis hotline, 988. That's something suicide prevention advocates fought for. NetChoice is an industry group representing social media companies. It says it will ask lawmakers to roll back the law over the next year. Paul Taske is codirector of the NetChoice Litigation Center. He says if that fails, the group could take Minnesota to court.
PAUL TASKE: It does, I think, force the companies to essentially denigrate themselves in ways that they would otherwise choose not to. And we've had courts across the country say that you can't compel private actors to act as the mouthpiece for the state to promulgate the state's preferred message.
FERGUSON: Taske said, rather than compelling the companies to post warning labels, the state should educate people about possible risks. Olivia Kanavati said she likes the idea of a warning label. She's a rising high school senior in a Twin Cities suburb.
OLIVIA KANAVATI: Like, if it's saying stuff about mental health and how going on that app can hurt your mental health, that might make a bigger impact on people and make them think even more like, nope, I'm not going to go on this.
FERGUSON: Kanavati already has an app that tracks how many times she opens a given social media app each day. Before she can log on, it prompts her to take a deep breath and read an inspirational quote.
KANAVATI: I think it's helpful for people to just take a second and, like, pause and be like, hmm. Like, think about this action. Why am I doing this? What is this purpose?
FERGUSON: Kanavati is part of the digital well-being club at her school that emphasizes intentional screen time. So is Evangeline Fuentes, who is also heading into her senior year. She agrees it's worth giving people the chance to think twice.
EVANGELINE FUENTES: Obviously, you know, there's always going to be the people who don't. And the best that we can do is just offer the outlet for them to change.
FERGUSON: Barring a successful legal challenge, the law will take effect July 1 of next year. For NPR News, I'm Dana Ferguson in St. Paul.
MCCAMMON: If you or someone you know is in need of mental health support, reach out to the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing or texting 988.
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