A proposed bill seeks to remove algorithm-recommended content from social media for Massachusetts teens, allowing only content from subscribed or searched accounts. This initiative, led by Rep. Bill MacGregor and Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem, aims to combat the negative impact of social media on mental health. The bill addresses concerns about prolonged screen time leading to anxiety, depression, and sleep issues. Experts note that excessive social media can worsen mental health problems, particularly among teens with vulnerabilities, such as eating disorders.
"These changes are essential to protecting teen mental health and fostering a healthier relationship with technology - one that serves, rather than exploits."
"Right now, children across the Commonwealth are being targeted by social media companies who seek to take advantage of and profit from their impressionable minds and developing brains," MacGregor wrote in a statement to Boston.com.
"I filed this bill because social media companies are deliberately designing feeds that keep teens endlessly scrolling - fueling anxiety, depression, and sleep deprivation," Cynthia Creem wrote in a statement to Boston.com.
"I was taken on an inescapable spiral into an eating disorder, almost passively," said MacGregor's teenage intern, Mary Ferrari.
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