HR 5074119th CongressIn Committee

Protecting Young Minds Online Act

Introduced: Aug 29, 2025

Technology & Innovation

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Protecting Young Minds Online Act would amend title V of the Public Health Service Act to require the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) to develop and implement a strategy aimed at addressing the effects of new technologies on children's mental health, with a particular focus on social media. The bill envisions CMHS creating a strategy and then disseminating and applying it to help local communities respond to digital technology-related mental health concerns among children. Notably, the text does not specify any funding or enforcement mechanisms; it directs development and implementation but leaves budget and execution details to future action. The bill is introduced in the House (H.R. 5074) by Rep. Steil (with Rep. Balint as a co-sponsor) and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. It is titled the “Protecting Young Minds Online Act.”

Key Points

1Short title: The bill is intended to be cited as the “Protecting Young Minds Online Act.”
2Core mandate: Amends Section 520(b) of the Public Health Service Act to require the CMHS to develop and implement a strategy to address the effects of new technologies on children’s mental health, including social media.
3Scope of the strategy: Focuses on helping local communities address mental health effects arising from new technologies (explicit example: social media).
4Policy mechanism: The CMHS would be responsible for developing and implementing the strategy (with dissemination to communities), rather than creating a purely advisory report.
5Legislative status: Introduced in the House on August 29, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce; no funding details are included in the text.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Children and adolescents, and families, who could be impacted by policies guiding online technology use, digital media exposure, and mental health support.- Local communities, including schools, healthcare providers, and local health departments that would implement or adapt the CMHS strategy.Secondary group/area affected- Federal public health apparatus (CMHS within SAMHSA) and related agencies involved in mental health policy and youth health.- Professionals and organizations delivering mental health services to children, who may receive new guidance, training, or resources.Additional impacts- Potential development of guidelines, best practices, educational materials, and capacity-building at the local level.- Unspecified funding needs and potential requirement for future appropriations or authorization to implement the strategy.- Possible communications and collaboration with schools, parent groups, and technology platforms as part of disseminating and applying the strategy.- Unclear enforcement or accountability mechanisms since the text does not detail funding, oversight, or implementation timelines.

Generated by gpt-5-nano on Oct 8, 2025