Sullivan, Commerce Committee Advance Legislation to Protect Youth Online, Demand Accountability from Big Tech

08.06.26 Sullivan, Commerce Committee Advance Legislation to Protect Youth Online, Demand Accountability from Big Tech WASHINGTON —U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation (CST) Committee, yesterday voted with his committee colleagues to advance four pieces of legislation related to the safety of youth online, including the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), of which Sen. Sullivan was an original cosponsor. KOSA provides new safeguards and controls for parents and youth to protect their online experiences and creates accountability for social media companies by requiring them to mitigate against harmful content. “We can have the strongest economy and the best quality of life, but none of that matters if our kids are depressed, isolated, or considering ending their lives because of what they’re consuming online,” said Sen. Sullivan . “I want to commend my committee colleagues for coming together once again to advance serious legislation that protects young people online and shakes the vise grip that Big Tech has on our kids. When this bill comes to the floor, I’ll be working to incorporate my ADS for Mental Health Act , which would provide greater transparency around social media advertising targeting kids and promote mental health resources for users on these platforms. I urge my House colleagues to join us in passing these reasonable accountability safeguards and not allow the financial interests of Big Tech to override the well-being of our kids.” Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s work on Big Tech accountability and mental health: In March 2026, the Senate unanimously passed Sen. Sullivan’s Advancing Digital Support (ADS) for Mental Health Services Act , legislation to bring greater transparency to social media advertising and encourage online platforms to promote mental health resources and community engagement. In October 2024, Sen. Sullivan joined a roundtable discussion hosted by Alaska Children's Trust on the youth mental health crisis with educators, school administrators, law enforcement officials, youth mental health specialists, parents, and other experts. On July 30, 2024, Sen. Sullivan voted with 90 of his Senate colleagues to pass the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act . This bill combined provisions from the Kids Online Safety Act , of which Sen. Sullivan was an original cosponsor, and the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act to combat harmful online content targeted toward minors and to encourage parent and guardian involvement in their children’s online activities. In May 2024, Sen. Sullivan launched the “One Pill Can Kill – Alaska” campaign to combat the increase in fentanyl-related deaths in Alaska and across the country. In August 2023, Sen. Sullivan published an op-ed in the Anchorage Daily News encouraging Alaskans to unite to address the youth mental health crisis. In July 2023, Sen. Sullivan hosted U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in Anchorage for a series of town hall-style roundtables to discuss the mental health crisis among youth, how social media impacts the crisis, and what can be done to combat it. In July 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Advancing Digital Support (ADS) for Mental Health Services Act , which would require reporting on targeted advertising and encourage online advertisers to dedicate some of their ads to mental health PSAs. In April 2023, Sen. Sullivan introduced Bruce’s Law with Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to bolster federal prevention and education efforts surrounding fentanyl, a deadly synthetic opioid that is increasingly being incorporated into illicit street drugs. The measure was named after an Alaskan, Robert “Bruce” Snodgrass, who tragically passed away in 2021 at the age of 22 from fentanyl poisoning. In January 2023, Sen. Sullivan sent a letter calling for hearings and potential congressional action on TikTok related to privacy issues, national security concerns, and the platform’s troubling influence on youth. In March 2021, Sen. Sullivan introduced the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities (LINC) to Address Social Needs Act to expand collaborative care in Alaska to make it easier for health care and social service providers to work together for the benefit of patients’ whole health. This legislation was signed into law in December 2022. Sen. Sullivan introduced similar legislation for veterans in July 2023. In April 2018, Sen. Sullivan questioned Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg during a joint Senate Commerce and Judiciary Committee hearing about Facebook’s market dominance and responsibility for published content. In August 2016, Sen. Sullivan hosted an opioid summit to address Alaska’s unique challenges dealing with opioid and heroin abuse. The summit was attended by Dr. Murthy, as well as representatives from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Health Administration, and several Alaska health care administrators. # # # Print Email Tweet Next Article Previous Article