Section 1556. Social Media Literacy Education.--(a) The standards adopted by the State Board of Education in accordance with 22 Pa. Code Ch. 4 (relating to academic standards and assessment) shall include:
(1) The effects of social media and mobile device usage on students, including potential mental, psychological and physical impacts.
(2) The potential impacts of social media and mobile device usage on academic growth and learning.
(3) How to use social media safely, including how to identify suspicious online behavior such as cyberbullying, predatory behavior and potential human trafficking.
(4) How to maintain personal security on mobile devices.
(b) The State Board of Education:
(1) may review the existing State standards for health, safety and physical education, as specified in 22 Pa. Code Ch. 4, to revise the standards as necessary to implement the provisions of this section; and
(2) shall consider the recommendations provided by the Joint State Government Commission's Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age under subsection (d) when developing the standards under subsection (a).
(c) The department shall:
(1) Develop and make available to school entities and nonpublic schools materials on social media literacy.
(2) Make available social media literacy programming in the continuing professional education hours developed in accordance with section 1205.2(f).
(3) Consider the recommendations of the Joint State Government Commission's Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age under subsection (d).
(d) The Joint State Government Commission's Task Force on Child Protection in the Digital Age established under Senate Resolution 244 of 2026 shall provide recommendations to the State Board of Education and the Department of Education no later than December 31, 2026. The recommendations shall address the criteria specified in subsection (a)(1), (2), (3) and (4), as well as any additional matters that the task force considers important to ensure that students can critically evaluate, ethically create, responsibly share and safely access and use information across digital platforms.
(e) Nothing in this section shall supersede or preempt any provision of a collective bargaining agreement between a school entity and an employe organization.
(f) As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Department" shall mean the Department of Education of the Commonwealth.
"Nonpublic school" shall mean a school, other than a public school located within this Commonwealth, in which a resident of this Commonwealth may legally fulfill the compulsory school attendance requirements of this act and that meets the requirements of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241).
"School entity" shall mean a school district, intermediate unit, area career and technical school, charter school, regional charter school or cyber charter school.
(1556 added July 12, 2026, P.L.220, No.20)