I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘llllll Act of 

5 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL ACADEMIES STUDY ON ADDICTION TO 

2 OR DEPENDENCE ON SOCIAL MEDIA APPLI3 CATIONS. 

4 (a) STUDY.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

6 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 

7 of the National Institutes of Health (in this section 

8 referred to as the ‘‘Director’’), in consultation with 

9 the Secretary of Health and Human Services and 

10 the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission, shall 

11 enter into a contract with the National Academies of 

12 Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (in this section 

13 referred to as the ‘‘National Academies’’) to conduct 

14 a study on the clinical aspects of addiction or psy15 chological dependence of social media applications. 

16 (2) TIMELINE.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 

17 the Director shall require the National Academies by 

18 the date that is 2 years after the date of enactment 

19 of this Act— 

20 (A) to complete the study under paragraph 

21 (1); and 

22 (B) to submit a report on the results of 

23 such study to the Secretary of Health and 

24 Human Services, the Director of the National 

25 Institutes of Health, the Director of the Office 

26 of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research of 


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1 the National Institutes of Health, the Chair of 

2 the Federal Trade Commission, the Chair of 

3 the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the 

4 Committee on Energy and Commerce of the 

5 House or Representatives, and the Committee 

6 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 

7 the Senate. 

8 (b) TOPICS OF STUDY.—The study described in this 

9 subsection shall address the following topics: 

10 (1) Whether use of social media applications re11 lease dopamine in a manner that could result in ad12 diction to such applications. 

13 (2) The levels of dopamine released during use 

14 of such applications and the rate of such release. 

15 (3) The level and rate of dopamine release that 

16 may increase the likelihood of addiction to such ap17 plications. 

18 (4) The areas of the brain that are stimulated 

19 when using such applications and what happens to 

20 such areas. 

21 (5) Whether use of such applications can result 

22 in addiction. 

23 (6) Whether addiction to such applications is 

24 more likely among certain age groups. 


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1 (7) Why individuals would become addicted to 

2 such applications. 

3 (8) Whether there are common features or 

4 functions of such applications that cause addiction 

5 to such applications without physical dependence. 

6 (9) Whether there is an amount of usage of 

7 such applications that affects the likelihood of addic8 tion to such applications. 

9 (10) Whether there are other risk factors that 

10 increase or decrease the likelihood of addiction to 

11 such applications. 

12 (11) The symptoms of addiction to or depend13 ence on such applications. 

14 (12) Whether there are withdrawal symptoms 

15 when an addicted or dependent individual stops 

16 usage of such applications. 

17 (13) Whether use of such applications nega18 tively impacts other mental health conditions. 

19 (14) The threshold at which such application 

20 can have an effect on other mental health conditions. 

21 (15) Steps that may be taken to mitigate or re22 duce the likelihood of addiction to such applications. 

23 (16) Areas of research, in the short term and 

24 long term, that may be useful in the future. 


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1 (17) What can be applied from other addiction 

2 situations, and approaches, to studying the topics 

3 listed in this subsection. 

4 (18) Such other topics relating to the clinical 

5 aspects of addiction or psychological dependence of 

6 social media applications as may be determined by 

7 the National Academies. 

Æ 


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