The U.S. Senate candidates in Texas could hardly be more different:
, a former seminarian turned Democratic state lawmaker who speaks in calm cadences about love and empathy, and , the pugnacious Republican state attorney general who speaks about a refusal to compromise.
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who → turn → refusal
They share an enemy, though.
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They → share → enemy
They dislike social media's effects on children's mental health.
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They → dislike → health
Talarico, who did not respond to a request for comment, has endorsed a social media ban for kids under 16, while denouncing "predatory algorithms that divide us on an hourly, daily basis."
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that → respond → basis
As a legislator, he co-
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he → co → legislator
authored a bill targeting explicit deepfakes — digital imitations of individuals that are often made or manipulated by artificial intelligence and used for harassment on social media.
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that → author → media
Paxton has been suing Big Tech, alleging the companies hook youth on their apps or don't restrict sensitive videos from being viewed by kids.
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companies → sue → kids
"When elected to the U.S. Senate, he will continue his proven record of advancing policies that protect children online, strengthen parental rights, and hold Big Tech accountable when it breaks the law," Paxton campaign spokesperson Madison Cercy said in a statement to KFF Health News.
is in decline.
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Cercy → elect → decline
Even as researchers explore what's causing the problem, momentum is gathering among policymakers from both parties to crack down on social media companies.
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momentum → explore → companies
Several major companies are being sued, investigated, and, soon, potentially regulated.
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companies → sue → ?
That they may be harming kids' mental health is a key reason.
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harming → harm → health
Companies are starting to feel the bite.
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Companies → start → bite
In late August, the social media conglomerate Meta reached a $17 billion settlement with a coalition of 48 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories and promised to change its policies and settings to protect children.
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conglomerate → reach → children
Meta immediately took out advertisements in major newspapers, pressuring its competitors to adopt similar guardrails.
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Meta → take → guardrails
Children's health advocates want to go further, with federal legislation.
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advocates → want → legislation
Indeed, at least 35 nominees for the U.S. Senate this year have sponsored bills to curb social media, initiated investigations, or publicly lambasted Big Tech firms that, in their telling, have exploited teens and kids.
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that → sponsor → teens
"We're protecting our children, not those profiting off their online presence," Juliana Stratton, the Democratic lieutenant governor and Senate candidate in Illinois, posted in June, trumpeting state legislation.
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Stratton → protect → legislation
Congress is edging closer to passing the Kids Online Safety Act, the vanguard social media regulation bill.
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Congress → edge → Act
The bill would require social media companies to implement various safeguards, such as limiting users' ability to communicate with minors.
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bill → require → minors
One attempt to pass a version of the bill earned 91 yes votes in the Senate.
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attempt → pass → Senate
Donald Trump Jr., the president's son, tweeted in December 2024 that the bill needed to be passed "ASAP."
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bill → tweet → December
Amid the momentum toward new federal regulations, Big Tech companies are lobbying for their preferred policy.
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companies → lobby → policy
Apple supports the bill, a spokesperson told KFF Health News, while Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has spent $10 million on television advertising touting its teen accounts.
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which → support → accounts
"Any youth safety legislation must put parents in the driver's seat — blanket social media bans do not do that," said Meta spokesperson Ed Patterson, who argued blanket bans push youths onto less safe platforms.
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bans → put → platforms
"We support legislation that empowers parents — not the government — to approve the apps their teens can download from the App Store.
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teens → support → Store
Meta and other industry groups are scrambling to shape regulations for social media, and tech in general.
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Meta → scramble → media
The Wall Street Journal reported Meta also gave some $10 million to a President Trump-aligned campaign nonprofit, Securing American Greatness.
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Meta → report → nonprofit
Based on a KFF Health News search of the Senate's lobbying database, about 70 corporations, trade groups, nonprofits, and other groups have been lobbying senators about the bill.
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corporations → base → bill
According to The Washington Post, the Trump administration has tried to tie the online safety bill to other parts of its AI agenda, which includes legislation that would make it harder to regulate the technology at the state level.
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it → accord → level
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
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House → respond → comment
The public's views of major tech firms are souring.
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views → sour → firms
In 2024, the Pew Research Center found 78% of Americans said tech companies had too much influence in politics, while 64% said social media had a mostly negative effect on the country.
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media → find → country
A widespread movement encompassing much of the public health establishment, parents' groups, attorneys general, and whistleblowers is calling for greater regulation, as parts of the tech industry fight back by spending big on lobbying and marketing.
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parts → encompass → lobbying
"You have the whole industry and all their lobbying dollars," said Allison Ivie, chief policy officer at the Eating Disorders Coalition.
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Ivie → have → Coalition
Many experts believe that social media, by showing kids images of unrealistically thin peers and by amplifying content encouraging extreme diets, helps fuel eating disorders.
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media → believe → disorders
"It's not a balanced fight by any means," Ivie said of the lobbying muscle.
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Ivie → say → muscle
"How do you compete against that on any given day?"
Growing up online, breaking down offline
According to 2025 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a third of youth have persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness — about 10% more than a decade earlier.
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third → compete → sadness
But many researchers question whether social media is causing the trouble.
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media → question → trouble
(Other metrics tracked by the agency show improvement.)
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metrics → track → improvement
"The science is crude and messy," said Sandro Galea, dean of public health at Washington University in St. Louis, who previously chaired a National Academy of Sciences report on the effects of social media on kids' mental health.
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who → say → health
…and 35 more, not listed.
The Aporia
