Trending
Shortly after Attorney General Dave Sunday announced last week that Pennsylvania is pursuing legal action against TikTok, a key state senator proposed a resolution to designate Aug. 17-23, 2026, as Social Media and Parental Awareness Week in Pennsylvania.
It's just the latest move in what has become a multifaceted response by lawmakers and other state officials scrambling to school leaders and parents to adjust to the danger posed by the rapidly changing technology and its ubiquitous use by young people.
Sunday alleged that TikTok violated Pennsylvania's Consumer Protection Law by failing to protect children from accessing adult-themed content and using tactics designed to encourage addictive use of its app.
In addition to the attorney general's action, the resolution comes as lawmakers debate whether to enact a bell-to-bell ban on cellphones in school, a measure proponents touted as a means of better protecting young people from the stress of constant social media consumption.
Both chambers of the General Assembly have passed cellphone ban bills, but the Legislature ended its spring session without lawmakers reaching a compromise to get a final bill to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
House Bill 1814, approved by the House on June 1, would require school districts to ban cellphone use during the school day, with a few exemptions for things, such as if the student is an English-language learner and needs a cellphone for translation purposes, or if the student uses a cellphone as part of an individualized education plan.
Shapiro indicated in his budget speech in February that he would sign a school cellphone ban legislation if it reaches his desk. The state Senate passed a school cellphone ban bill the same day. Senate Bill 1014 was later amended by the House Education Committee to mirror the language in HB 1814.
However, the House has yet to hold a final vote on the amended SB 1014 and the Senate has yet to move HB 1814 out of the Education Committee.
Social Media and Parental Awareness Week
The designation, outlined in Senate Resolution 356, comes as lawmakers and state officials increasingly focus on the potential risks children face online.
First created last year, the week-long designation is the first of its kind in the country and aims to encourage parents, guardians and students to better understand the digital risks children face.
Sen. Scott Martin, R-Lancaster, introduced the bipartisan resolution Thursday as a way to combat growing online threats such as cyberbullying, sextortion and grooming.
"There are new threats emerging online at a rapid pace, and it can be extremely difficult for parents and young people to keep informed about all the different ways criminals seek to exploit children," Martin, the majority chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a press release. "This designation recognizes the dangers facing young people online and the importance of protecting them from those who target them through social media, gaming platforms and other digital mediums."
The lawsuit and resolution are part of a broader effort by state officials to protect children and teens from potential harms on social media. In 2021, the General Assembly established the Task Force on Child Porngraphy. In 2024, the General Assembly passed Act 125 of 2024 to combat AI-generated child sexual abuse materials. In 2025, legislation to classify deepfakes as digital forgery was signed into law as Act 35 of 2025.
In 2025, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children CyberTipline received 21.3 million reports of suspected child exploitation, up from 20.5 million the previous year, according to the press release from Martin's office.
Though the Senate is not set to be in session until September to potentially vote on the resolution, Martin and other authors of the resolution still plan to use the week to raise awareness of the issue to help more parents and children navigate dangers in the digital world, according to a spokesperson from Martin's office.