Add Art 25 Title 7-A §2596, Pub Health L; add §805, Ed L
Establishes a statewide youth mental health and social media campaign to promote public awareness of the impacts of social media usage on mental health; requires a course of study on social media usage for all students.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
5476
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 21, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. COMRIE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law and the education law, in relation
to establishing a statewide youth mental health and social media
campaign to promote public awareness of the impacts of social media
usage on mental health
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a
2 new title 7-A to read as follows:
3 TITLE VII-A
4 SOCIAL MEDIA
5 Section 2596. Statewide youth mental health and social media campaign.
6 § 2596. Statewide youth mental health and social media campaign. 1.
7 The commissioner, in conjunction with the commissioner of education, the
8 commissioner of mental health, and the director of the office of infor-
9 mation technology services, shall establish a statewide youth mental
10 health and social media campaign to promote public awareness of the
11 impacts of social media usage on mental health. Such program shall be
12 directed at children and young adults, their parents, and educators.
13 2. Such program shall include, but not be limited to:
14 a. educating people on the negative impacts social media can have on
15 young people's mental health;
16 b. promoting public awareness of existing research and statistics
17 regarding youth mental health and social media use;
18 c. educating people on techniques to reduce feelings of isolation and
19 anxiety, increase sleep quality, and reduce the effects on mental health
20 caused by cyberbullying;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09694-01-5
S. 5476 2
1 d. promoting healthy behaviors related to young people's use of social
2 media;
3 e. increasing awareness of and access to youth mental health
4 resources; and
5 f. promoting alternative methods of self-expression.
6 3. On or before July first of each year, the commissioner, in conjunc-
7 tion with the commissioner of education, the commissioner of mental
8 health, and the director of the office of information technology
9 services, shall submit a report to the governor, the speaker of the
10 assembly, and the temporary president of the senate on the effectiveness
11 of the statewide youth mental health and social media campaign and
12 recommendations on changes which should be made to any laws, rules, or
13 regulations relating thereto.
14 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 805 to read
15 as follows:
16 § 805. Courses of study on social media usage. 1. The regents shall
17 ensure that the course of instruction in grades kindergarten through
18 twelve includes a component on social media usage. Such component shall
19 instruct students on:
20 (a) the negative impacts social media can have on mental health;
21 (b) research and statistics regarding youth mental health and social
22 media use;
23 (c) techniques to reduce feelings of isolation and anxiety, increase
24 sleep quality, and reduce the effects on mental health caused by cyber-
25 bullying;
26 (d) healthy social media use behaviors;
27 (e) mental health resources available to students; and
28 (f) methods of self-expression other than social media.
29 2. The commissioner, in conjunction with the commissioner of health,
30 the commissioner of mental health, and the director of the office of
31 information technology services, shall provide technical assistance to
32 assist in the development of curricula for such courses of study which
33 shall be age appropriate and developed according to the needs and abili-
34 ties of pupils at successive grade levels.
35 3. The board of education or trustees of every school district shall
36 provide appropriate training and curriculum materials for the regular
37 teachers who provide such instruction.
38 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
39 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the
40 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
41 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized
42 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
