CAMRA Act
Bill: S.971 | Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. (D-MA)
Policy area: Health

Summary:
Children and Media Research Advancement Act or the CAMRA Act
This bill requires the National Institutes of Health to fund research regarding the effects of media on infants, children, and adolescents. Such research must examine the impact of media (e.g., social media, television, video games) on cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development.

To amend the Public Health Service Act to authorize a program on 
children and the media within the National Institute of Health to study 
    the health and developmental effects of technology on infants, 
                       children, and adolescents.

    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 ``Children and Media Research 
Advancement Act'' or the ``CAMRA Act''.

SEC. 2. RESEARCH ON THE HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFECTS OF MEDIA ON 
              INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS.

    Subpart 7 of part C of title IV of the Public Health Service Act 
(42 U.S.C. 285g et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 452H. RESEARCH ON THE HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFECTS OF MEDIA ON 
              INFANTS, CHILDREN, AND ADOLESCENTS.

    ``(a) In General.--The Director of the National Institutes of 
Health, in coordination with or acting through the Director of the 
Institute, shall conduct and support research and related activities 
concerning the health and developmental effects of media on infants, 
children, and adolescents, which may include the positive and negative 
effects of exposure to and use of media, such as social media, 
applications, websites, television, motion pictures, artificial 
intelligence, mobile devices, computers, video games, virtual and 
augmented reality, and other media formats as they become available. 
Such research shall attempt to better understand the relationships 
between media and technology use and individual differences and 
characteristics of children and shall include longitudinally designed 
studies to assess the impact of media on youth over time. Such research 
shall include consideration of core areas of child and adolescent 
health and development including the following:
            ``(1) Cognitive.--The role and impact of media use and 
        exposure in the development of children and adolescents within 
        such cognitive areas as language development, executive 
        functioning, attention, creative problem solving skills, visual 
        and spatial skills, literacy, critical thinking, and other 
        learning abilities, and the impact of early technology use on 
        developmental trajectories.
            ``(2) Physical.--The role and impact of media use and 
        exposure on children's and adolescent's physical development 
        and health behaviors, including diet, exercise, sleeping and 
        eating routines, and other areas of physical development.
            ``(3) Socio-emotional.--The role and impact of media use 
        and exposure on children's and adolescents' social-emotional 
        competencies, including self-awareness, self-regulation, social 
        awareness, relationship skills, empathy, distress tolerance, 
        perception of social cues, awareness of one's relationship with 
        the media, and decision-making, as well as outcomes such as 
        violations of privacy, perpetration of or exposure to violence, 
        bullying or other forms of aggression, depression, anxiety, 
        substance use, misuse or disorder, and suicidal ideation/
        behavior and self-harm.
    ``(b) Developing Research Agenda.--The Director of the National 
Institutes of Health, in consultation with the Director of the 
Institute, other appropriate national research institutes, academies, 
and centers, the Trans-NIH Pediatric Research Consortium, and non-
Federal experts as needed, shall develop a research agenda on the 
health and developmental effects of media on infants, children, and 
adolescents to inform research activities under subsection (a). In 
developing such research agenda, the Director may use whatever means 
necessary (such as scientific workshops and literature reviews) to 
assess current knowledge and research gaps in this area.
    ``(c) Research Program.--In coordination with the Institute and 
other national research institutes and centers, and utilizing the 
National Institutes of Health's process of scientific peer review, the 
Director of the National Institutes of Health shall fund an expanded 
research program on the health and developmental effects of media on 
infants, children, and adolescents.
    ``(d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institutes of 
Health shall submit a report to Congress on the progress made in 
gathering data and expanding research on the health and developmental 
effects of media on infants, children, and adolescents in accordance 
with this section. Such report shall summarize the grants and research 
funded, by year, under this section.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section--
            ``(1) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 
        2024; and
            ``(2) $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 and 
        2026.''.
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