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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§285g–11 Research on the Health and Development Effects of Media and Related Technology on Infants, Children, and Adolescents

Title 42 › Chapter 6A— PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter III— NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES › Part C— Specific Provisions Respecting National Research Institutes › Subpart 7— eunice kennedy shriver national institute of child health and human development › § 285g–11

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must fund or do research on how media and related technology affect the health and growth of babies, children, and teens. That includes long-term effects and covers things like social media, apps, websites, TV, movies, artificial intelligence, phones, computers, video games, virtual and augmented reality, and other internet or broadcast platforms. The NIH Director must make a research plan that looks at thinking and learning, physical health (like diet, activity, sleep), and mental health (like self-image, relationships, bullying, and mental disorders). The Secretary can work with federal research centers, outside experts, and hold workshops to shape the plan. By December 29, 2024, the NIH Director must send a report to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions showing progress and listing the grants and studies funded each year.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §285g–11

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) shall, as appropriate, conduct or support research related to the health and developmental effects, including long-term effects, of media and related technology use on infants, children, and adolescents, which may include the effects of exposure to, and use of, media and related technology, such as social media, applications, websites, television, motion pictures, artificial intelligence, mobile devices, computers, video games, virtual and augmented reality, and other content, networks, or platforms disseminated through the internet, broadcasted, or other media technologies, as applicable.
(b)In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Institutes of Health, shall, as appropriate, develop a research agenda to assess the effects of media and related technologies on infants, children, and adolescents, which may include consideration of the following, as appropriate:
(1)The cognitive development of infants, children, and adolescents, which may include effects related to language development, learning abilities, and other areas of cognitive development.
(2)The physical health of infants, children, and adolescents, which may include effects related to diet, exercise, sleeping and eating routines, and other areas of physical development.
(3)The mental health of infants, children, and adolescents, which may include effects related to self-awareness, social awareness, relationship skills, decision-making, violence, bullying, privacy, mental disorders, and other areas related to mental health.
(c)In developing the research agenda under subsection (b), the Secretary may consult with appropriate national research institutes, academies, and centers, relevant consortia, and non-Federal experts, as appropriate. The Secretary may utilize scientific workshops, symposia, and other activities to assess current knowledge and identify relevant research opportunities and gaps in this area.
(d)Not later than 2 years after December 29, 2022, the Director of the National Institutes of Health shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate a report—
(1)on the progress made in improving data and expanding research on the health and developmental effects of media and related technology on infants, children, and adolescents in accordance with this section; and
(2)that summarizes the grants and research funded under this section for each of the years covered by the report.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 and also as part of the Health Extenders, Improving Access to Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP, and Strengthening Public Health Act of 2022, and not as part of the Public Health Service Act which comprises this chapter.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 285g–11

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60