03.31.26
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) celebrated the unanimous Senate passage of the 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. The ADS for Mental Health Act increases transparency around social media advertising by requiring platforms to report on their targeted ads and encouraging them to dedicate a portion of advertising to mental health public service announcements and community events, moving online platforms closer to the long-standing public-interest standards applied to television and radio broadcasters. The bill will now be voted on in the House.
The legislation responds to alarming findings highlighted by previous U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy in a 2021 advisory on youth mental health, citing a 2019 study showing that one in three high school students—and half of all female students—reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, a 40 percent increase since 2009. While many factors contribute to this troubling trend, the surgeon general pointed to social media as a significant driver, calling for stronger accountability, transparency, and action against bad actors, while recognizing the many positive ways online platforms connect people and communities. Senator Sullivan highlighted these findings in a mental health roundtable across Alaska with General Murthy in 2023.
“Since becoming senator, I’ve warned that the outsized role social media plays in the lives of our kids would be one of the biggest battles we face in this youth mental health crisis,” Senator Sullivan said. “It’s impossible to ignore the fact that something is deeply wrong when a whole generation can’t seem to look up from their phones, and when youth suicide rates have risen alarmingly alongside the growth of social media. I’m committed to fighting the vise grip these platforms have on our children. This legislation encourages transparency regarding the targeted ads online platforms show their viewers, and encourages platforms to dedicate a portion of those ads to highlight locally available mental health resources and community events that can reduce social isolation. We can have the strongest economy and the best quality of life in the world, but none of that means anything if our kids are depressed, isolated, or considering ending their lives because of what they’re consuming online.”
Below is a timeline of Sen. Sullivan’s work on Big Tech accountability and mental health:
In July 2024, Sen. Sullivan voted with his colleagues to pass the Kids Online Safety and Privacy Act, legislation to protect the health, wellbeing, and privacy of children online. 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, Senator 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 Senator 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. This legislation was signed into law by President Trump in December 2025.
In February 2023, Sen. Sullivan spoke to the Alaska Legislature during his annual address emphasizing the need to hold social media platforms accountable for the role they play in the ongoing youth mental health crisis.
In January 2023, Sen. Sullivan sent a letter to leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee calling for hearings and potential congressional action on TikTok related to privacy issues, national security concerns, and the troubling influence over youth associated with the platform.
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, with similar legislation for veterans introduced 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 members from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Veterans Health Administration, and several Alaska health care administrators.
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