Lawmakers and online safety advocates are touting their efforts this year to advance social media warning label legislation in California, Minnesota, New York and Texas, and expect to expand the push in 2026.
Texas Rep. Mary González’s (D) bill has made it the furthest so far, with the House passing it last month on a nearly unanimous vote. It would require platforms with more than 50 million active monthly users to display a warning message each time a user opened the app and to include information about how to reach suicide and crisis hotlines.
Warning label legislation is the latest angle lawmakers are taking to regulate social media platforms amid growing concern about young people’s health and well-being.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called on Congress last June to pass legislation that would require a surgeon general’s warning label on platforms. While Congress has not acted, state lawmakers are considering doing it themselves.
“When we work across the country in tandem on protecting our children, we are stronger,” California Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan (D), author of a warning label bill, said during a virtual news conference Monday. “Just like we put warning labels on cigarettes … we need to do that same thing with social media.”
Two California Assembly committees have advanced Bauer-Kahan’s bill with bipartisan support. It would require a “black box” warning to appear once a day that reads: “The Surgeon General has warned that while social media may have benefits for some young users, social media is associated with significant mental health harms and has not been proven safe for young users.”
The warning would also appear for 90 seconds after three hours of cumulative use in a day with no ability to bypass it, and every hour after that.
Minnesota Rep. Zach Stephenson’s (D) bill would go further and require warning notifications to users every 30 minutes they are on the platform. Like the Texas bill, Stephenson’s would require the inclusion of crisis contact information. It is still in committee, as is a Senate companion measure.
Legislation from New York Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D) and Assemblymember Nily Rozic (D) would require social media platforms with “predatory features” such as algorithmic feeds and push notifications to carry warning labels. Last year, the pair led to passage a first-in-the-nation law requiring chronological feeds for minors by default.
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And Vermont Rep. Angela Arsenault (D) said at the event that she is planning to introduce a version of the bill in 2026.
Murthy cited research in his New York Times op-ed last year that found teenagers who spend three or more hours a day on social media may face a higher risk for mental health problems. Common Sense Media founder James Steyer said his organization worked with Murthy on the issue and has now developed model legislation. Common Sense Media and state Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) are cosponsors of the California bill.
But opponents say these moves imply that all social media is harmful.
“The reality is more complicated,” said Stephen Balkam, founder and CEO of the tech industry-backed nonprofit Family Online Safety Institute. “Our research finds that young people report more positive than negative experiences online including feeling more connected to loved ones. A blanket warning label on all social platforms does not take into account the full scope of children’s experiences online and may have unintended consequences.”
Several states have passed laws restricting teen access to social media. Those laws triggered industry group lawsuits challenging their constitutionality. Many of those laws have been blocked or overturned.
Warning label legislation represents a more passive approach but one that nonetheless is drawing industry opposition.
“While well-intentioned, the legislation presents significant policy and legal concerns,” Amy Bos, director of state and federal affairs for NetChoice, wrote in a March letter to Texas lawmakers.
Bos said placing warning labels on protected speech would amount to attaching “stigma to lawful expression.” She also challenged the assertion that social media is dangerous to mental health, writing that “there is no scientific consensus.”
Advocates for social media warning labels include Mothers Against Media Addiction and the Kids Code Coalition, which organized Monday’s virtual event and has advocated for passage of Age-Appropriate Design Code laws in several states.