File #: Int 0443-2024    Version: * Name: Requiring the city to report on the impact of social media on the mental health of young people.
Type: Introduction Status: Committee
Committee: Committee on Children and Youth
On agenda: 2/28/2024
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law in relation to requiring the city to report on the impact of social media on the mental health of young people
Sponsors: Althea V. Stevens, Kevin C. Riley, Nantasha M. Williams, Julie Menin, Mercedes Narcisse, Farah N. Louis, Lynn C. Schulman, Yusef Salaam, James F. Gennaro, Lincoln Restler, Chris Banks, Amanda Farías, Selvena N. Brooks-Powers, Chi A. Ossé, Diana I. Ayala, Rita C. Joseph, Shekar Krishnan, Pierina Ana Sanchez, Inna Vernikov, Kristy Marmorato, Vickie Paladino
Council Member Sponsors: 21
Summary: This bill would require the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), in consultation with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, to report on the effects that social media has on mental health for youth. Such report would include recommendations on appropriate use, age, and hours per day for youth’s use of social media.
Indexes: Report Required, Sunset Date Applies
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 443, 2. Int. No. 443, 3. February 28, 2024 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 4. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 2-28-24, 5. Minutes of the Stated Meeting - February 28, 2024

Int. No. 443

 

By Council Members Stevens, Riley, Williams, Menin, Narcisse, Louis, Schulman, Salaam, Gennaro, Restler, Banks, Farías, Brooks-Powers, Ossé, Ayala, Joseph, Krishnan, Sanchez, Marmorato, Paladino and Vernikov

 

A Local Law in relation to requiring the city to report on the impact of social media on the mental health of young people

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Reporting on impacts of social media a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Department. The term “department” means the department of youth and community development, in consultation with the department of health and mental hygiene.

Social media. The term “social media” means any website or application of which the primary purpose is to enable users to create and share content and participate in social networking with other users that are also creating and sharing content and participating in social networking.

Youth. The term “youth” means any person under the age of 18.

b. Report. No later than October 1, 2023, and annually thereafter for 5 consecutive years, the department shall submit to the mayor and the speaker and post on its website, a report relating to the impact of social media on youth. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to:

1. The impacts that social media has on the mental health of youth;

2. A list of the most used social media applications for youth;

3. A detailed description of the social media applications and types of use of such applications that cause the greatest harm to youth;

4. The department’s recommendations, based on their findings, of what age is appropriate for youth to start using social media and how such use should look;

5. The department’s recommendations, based on their findings, of how much time per day or week is a safe and healthy amount for youth to be using social media; and

6. The negative impacts of advertisements on youth that target youth through social media.

§ 2. This local law will take effect immediately and is deemed repealed upon submission of the final report required by paragraph b of section 1 of this local law.

 

 

 

 

 

CY

LS #12362

05/02/23 3:30 pm