Sens. Katie Britt and John Fetterman warn against inaction on social media guardrails

CongressSens. Katie Britt and John Fetterman warn against inaction on social media guardrails for young peopleThe Republican and Democratic senators sat down Thursday with Kristen Welker, moderator of NBC News' "Meet the Press," to talk about social media and the Iran war.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleKristen Welker in conversation with Sens. Fetterman and Britt28:17Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 23, 2026, 6:04 PM EDTBy Raquel Coronell UribeSens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Thursday pushed for more legislation to address social media use by children and teenagers in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The senators warned of social media's effects on mental health for young people, saying they've introduced and co-sponsored bills because they feel a need to put up guardrails for the next generation.“We did this together, not just as senators, but as parents because we have young children too,” Fetterman said alongside Britt in a sit-down interview with NBC News' “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker.Britt said that they approach legislation on the topic “not as Democrats or Republicans, but as concerned parents.”The senators' comments came at a Common Ground event, part of an NBC News franchise bringing together leaders with different perspectives to focus on solutions to pressing issues.In a separate interview at the event in Washington, Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., said social media has contributed to a rise in toxicity and polarization in Congress.“I mean just social media, I think changed everything, right? It made it made the job more miserable,” Malliotakis told NBC News' Ryan Nobles.She recounted the blowback she received on social media after siding with Democrats and a handful of Republicans to pass a House measure tha...