[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9058 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9058

 To require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to enter 
 into a contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
   and Medicine to study addiction to and dependence on social media 
                 applications, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 31, 2020

 Mr. Kennedy introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the Director of the National Institutes of Health to enter 
 into a contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, 
   and Medicine to study addiction to and dependence on social media 
                 applications, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``______ Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL ACADEMIES STUDY ON ADDICTION TO OR DEPENDENCE ON 
              SOCIAL MEDIA APPLICATIONS.

    (a) Study.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this Act, the Director of the National 
        Institutes of Health (in this section referred to as the 
        ``Director''), in consultation with the Secretary of Health and 
        Human Services and the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, 
        shall enter into a contract with the National Academies of 
        Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (in this section referred 
        to as the ``National Academies'') to conduct a study on the 
        clinical aspects of addiction or psychological dependence of 
        social media applications.
            (2) Timeline.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the Director 
        shall require the National Academies by the date that is 2 
        years after the date of enactment of this Act--
                    (A) to complete the study under paragraph (1); and
                    (B) to submit a report on the results of such study 
                to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
                Director of the National Institutes of Health, the 
                Director of the Office of Behavioral and Social 
                Sciences Research of the National Institutes of Health, 
                the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, the Chair of 
                the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the Committee 
                on Energy and Commerce of the House or Representatives, 
                and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
                Transportation of the Senate.
    (b) Topics of Study.--The study described in this subsection shall 
address the following topics:
            (1) Whether use of social media applications release 
        dopamine in a manner that could result in addiction to such 
        applications.
            (2) The levels of dopamine released during use of such 
        applications and the rate of such release.
            (3) The level and rate of dopamine release that may 
        increase the likelihood of addiction to such applications.
            (4) The areas of the brain that are stimulated when using 
        such applications and what happens to such areas.
            (5) Whether use of such applications can result in 
        addiction.
            (6) Whether addiction to such applications is more likely 
        among certain age groups.
            (7) Why individuals would become addicted to such 
        applications.
            (8) Whether there are common features or functions of such 
        applications that cause addiction to such applications without 
        physical dependence.
            (9) Whether there is an amount of usage of such 
        applications that affects the likelihood of addiction to such 
        applications.
            (10) Whether there are other risk factors that increase or 
        decrease the likelihood of addiction to such applications.
            (11) The symptoms of addiction to or dependence on such 
        applications.
            (12) Whether there are withdrawal symptoms when an addicted 
        or dependent individual stops usage of such applications.
            (13) Whether use of such applications negatively impacts 
        other mental health conditions.
            (14) The threshold at which such application can have an 
        effect on other mental health conditions.
            (15) Steps that may be taken to mitigate or reduce the 
        likelihood of addiction to such applications.
            (16) Areas of research, in the short term and long term, 
        that may be useful in the future.
            (17) What can be applied from other addiction situations, 
        and approaches, to studying the topics listed in this 
        subsection.
            (18) Such other topics relating to the clinical aspects of 
        addiction or psychological dependence of social media 
        applications as may be determined by the National Academies.
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