A legislative panel approved two bills Tuesday that would create a social media research center in New Jersey and call for it to work with state health officials to study and possibly recommend warning labels to help kids avoid addictive online behavior.
The bills passed the Assembly Appropriations Committee with Democratic support alone; the four Republican members all abstained or voted no, with several citing concerns the legislation would violate free speech, an issue also flagged by trade groups critical of the measures.
Amy Bos, the vice president of government affairs with NetChoice, a tech lobbying firm, said requiring companies to post warnings would violate constitutional protections.
“No matter how well intentioned this bill may be, forcing a private platform to display a government message puts it on the wrong side of the First Amendment,” she said.
No supporters testified Tuesday.
The bills, both championed by Assemblywoman Andrea Katz (D-Burlington), cite growing research connecting obsessive use of social media platforms with anxiety, depression, body image issues, and other mental health concerns among youth. The issue is also a chief concern of Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat who has prioritized child mental health and online safety in her first budget proposal and praised related bills sponsored by Katz.
One of the bills approved Tuesday calls for state officials to select a four-year public college to host the research center, which would study the negative impacts of social media and make recommendations to lawmakers, the governor, and other stakeholders.
The second measure calls for the research center to collaborate with the state Department of Health’s office of online youth mental health to examine the impact of addictive social media on children’s health, the impact of repetitive warning labels to steer kids away from addictive online behavior, and make recommendations on what should be done in New Jersey. The state would then need to implement the recommendations under the bill.
Senate versions of the two proposals, sponsored by Sens. Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson) and Linda Greenstein (D-Mercer), have both passed one panel and now face votes in the Senate Budget Committee.
The bills cite a 2025 report from a commission established under former Gov. Phil Murphy that studied the impact of social media on youth. The panel recommended banning phones from schools — a change Murphy signed into law in January — and called for parents to delay children’s access to social media. The commission also said social media companies need to better police bullying and restrict under-age use.
“This report is a roadmap for action. Social media has rewired childhood, and the stakes could not be higher,” commission co-chairs Pearl Gabel and Charles Gelinas said in September, when the report was released. “New Jersey has the opportunity to lead the nation and prove that when it comes to our children, safety and well-being come first.”
