Online Health and Safety for Children and Youth: Best Practices for Families and Guidance for Industry
Helping Kids Thrive Online Health, Safety, & Privacy
Letter from the Task Force Co-Chairs
Digital technology is ubiquitous in the lives of today’s youth. The vast majority of young people regularly use social media and other online platforms to communicate, explore, and learn about topics and express themselves.
In many cases, digital media can be beneficial to youth, allowing them to build community, connect with others, and learn. However, a growing body of research, coupled with the testimonies of parents, caregivers, and young people themselves, indicate that kids can also be negatively impacted by an array of harms that can occur or be facilitated online. These include harassment, cyberbullying, child sexual exploitation and abuse, and exposure to content that exacerbates mental health issues, such as the promotion of eating disorders. These harms threaten the safety and well-being of young people.
In response to these concerns, on May 23, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a new interagency Task Force to advance the health, safety, and privacy of youth online, as well as identify measures and methods for addressing the adverse health effects minors experience while using online platforms.
The Task Force has been led in partnership by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Department of Commerce, through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). It included a cross-section of leaders and experts from across the federal government.
The report that follows represents the output of this Task Force’s efforts. It offers an overarching summary of young people’s use of online platforms and the risks and benefits to their health, safety, and privacy. As requested, it provides key Task Force guidance, including:
- Best Practices for Parents and Caregivers,
- Recommended Practices for Industry to Promote Youth Online Health, Safety, and Privacy,
- a Research Agenda identifying domains of further inquiry.
Online Health and Safety for Children and Youth: Best Practices for Families and Guidance for Industry Report
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The report concludes with a section outlining areas of future work for various stakeholders, including the federal government.
We would like to thank the many people—including youth advocates, civil society organizations, academic researchers, and other experts—who so generously provided input and contributions to the Task Force. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication to youth health and safety in digital environments.
The issues discussed here are complex and important. We are proud of the ongoing work on these challenges at the federal level. But as our report indicates, there is a need for further efforts—including bipartisan legislation to promote accountability for online platforms, as the President has repeatedly underscored. We look forward to further collaboration to protect and strengthen the mental health, safety, and privacy of youth.
Thank you,
Assistant Secretary for Mental Health
and Substance Use and Administrator,
Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and Administrator, National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA)