Healthy Media for Youth Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants to nonprofit organizations to provide for the establishment, operation, coordination, and evaluation of programs to: (1) increase the media literacy of girls and boys; and (2) support the empowerment of girls or boys, including through extracurricular activities and programs. Permits grants to nonprofit organizations only if the organization agrees to make nonfederal contributions available toward the costs of the program (at least $1 for every $5 of awarded federal funds).
Directs the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and in coordination with the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, to review, synthesize, and conduct or support research on the role and impact of depictions of girls and women in the media on the psychological, sexual, physical, and interpersonal development of youth.
Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to convene a task force, to be known as the National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media, to develop voluntary steps and goals for promoting healthy and positive depictions of girls and women in the media for the benefit of all youth.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2513 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2513
To authorize grants to promote media literacy and youth empowerment
programs, to authorize research on the role and impact of depictions of
girls and women in the media, to provide for the establishment of a
National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 13, 2011
Ms. Baldwin introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize grants to promote media literacy and youth empowerment
programs, to authorize research on the role and impact of depictions of
girls and women in the media, to provide for the establishment of a
National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Healthy Media for
Youth Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Grants to promote media literacy and youth empowerment
programs.
Sec. 4. Research on the role and impact of girls and women in the media
on the development of youth.
Sec. 5. National Task Force on Girls and Women in the Media.
Sec. 6. Limitation.
Sec. 7. Definitions.
Sec. 8. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the 2010 study by the Kaiser Family
Foundation entitled ``Generation M\2\ Media in Lives of 8- to
18-Year-Olds'', most 8- to 18-year-olds spend about 10 hours a
day using recreational media.
(2) Sixty percent of teenage girls compare their bodies to
fashion models and almost 90 percent of girls say the media
places a lot of pressure on teenage girls to be thin, according
to the 2010 Girl Scout Research Institute report entitled
``Beauty Redefined''.
(3) Only 34 percent of girls report being very satisfied
with their bodies, according to the 2006 study by the Girl
Scout Research Institute entitled ``The New Normal? What Girls
Say About Healthy Living''. Body dissatisfaction can lead to
unhealthy eating and dieting habits. Fifty-five percent of
girls admit that they diet to lose weight, 37 percent know
someone who has been diagnosed with an eating disorder, and 31
percent admit to starving themselves or refusing to eat as a
strategy to lose weight.
(4) Fifty-four percent of young girls in grades 3 through 5
worry about their appearance, and 37 percent of such girls
worry specifically about their weight, according to the 2006
Girls Inc. report entitled ``The Supergirl Dilemma: Girls
Grapple with the Mounting Pressure of Expectations''.
(5) A 2007 report of the American Psychological
Association's Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls reported
that 3 of the most common mental health problems among girls,
eating disorders, depression or depressed mood, and low self-
esteem, are linked to sexualization of girls and women in
media.
(6) Sexualized messages and images of girls and women can
also negatively impact boys. According to the 2007 report of
the American Psychological Association's Task Force on the
Sexualization of Girls, frequent exposure to sexualized media
images of girls and women can create unrealistic and unhealthy
expectations of girls' and women's physical appearance for
boys, and may impair their ability to develop healthy
relationships with girls and women.
(7) Girls and women of color are disproportionately absent
from mainstream media. The Girl Scout Research Institute
report, ``Beauty Redefined'', states that only 32 percent of
African-American girls think the fashion industry does a good
job of representing people of all races and ethnicities.
(8) Women and girls continue to be underrepresented in
leadership roles in children's media. The Geena Davis Institute
on Gender in the Media reports that less than 1 in 3 speaking
characters in children's movies are female, and that the
majority of female characters in children's movies are praised
for their appearance or physical beauty rather than their
personality, intelligence, or other talents.
(9) Congress supports efforts to ensure that youth improve
their media literacy skills, and to promote positive messages
about girls and women that highlight healthy and diverse body
images, positive and active female role models, and equal and
healthy relationships between female and male characters.
SEC. 3. GRANTS TO PROMOTE MEDIA LITERACY AND YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
PROGRAMS.
(a) Media Literacy.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to
nonprofit organizations to provide for the establishment,
operation, coordination, and evaluation of programs to increase
the media literacy of girls and boys, including by--
(A) educating youth on how to apply critical
thinking skills when consuming media images and
messages;
(B) encouraging youth to consume healthy, balanced,
and positive media depictions of girls and women; and
(C) raising awareness about the perpetuation and
damaging effects of unhealthy images of girls and
women, gender stereotypes, and the sexualization of
girls and women.
(2) Activities.--Programs funded under this subsection may
include--
(A) programs designed to encourage youth to develop
analytical skills that promote autonomy and critical
understanding of how girls and women are depicted in
the media;
(B) age-appropriate education about how the
sexualization of girls and women, stereotypical gender
roles, and unhealthy images of girls and women can
affect the body image of youth, the choice of role
models by youth, and relationships of youth among their
peers;
(C) programs designed to provide youth the skills
to take responsibility for their use of media;
(D) education on career opportunities within the
media;
(E) programs designed to teach youth how to create
and use media to contribute to social change,
especially in their communities;
(F) education for parents, educators, and other
adults on how depictions of girls and women in the
media impact youth; or
(G) support for public or private partnerships that
encourage businesses, advertisers, the entertainment
industry, and other media content providers to promote
media content that--
(i) encourages healthy body images;
(ii) depicts positive and active female
role models; and
(iii) portrays equal and healthy
relationships between female and male
characters.
(3) Report.--The Secretary shall require each grant
recipient under this subsection to submit to the Secretary a
report for each grant period that--
(A) describes how grant funds were used; and
(B) evaluates the effectiveness of the program
funded through the grant.
(b) Youth Empowerment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall award grants to
nonprofit organizations to provide for the establishment,
operation, coordination, and evaluation of programs to support
the empowerment of girls or boys in a variety of ways,
including by encouraging youth empowerment through
extracurricular activities and programs that--
(A) develop self-esteem, skills, and talents; and
(B) celebrate characteristics unrelated to physical
appearance, such as leadership and self-esteem.
(2) Activities.--Programs funded under this subsection may
include programs designed to--
(A) build confidence, self-efficacy, and leadership
skills of youth in single gender environments;
(B) develop values and skills of youth such as
respect, critical thinking, problem solving, and
collaborative team work; or
(C) facilitate opportunities for youth to interact
with adult role models, such as mentors and volunteers,
in their communities.
(3) Report.--The Secretary shall require each grant
recipient under this subsection to submit to the Secretary a
report for each grant period that--
(A) describes how grant funds were used; and
(B) evaluates the effectiveness of the program
funded through the grant.
(c) Matching Funds.--The Secretary may make a grant to a nonprofit
organization under subsection (a) or (b) only if the organization
agrees to make available non-Federal contributions toward the costs of
the program for which such organization revieves a grant in an amount
that is not less than $1 for every $5 of Federal funds awarded under
this section. Such contribution may be in cash or in-kind, fairly
evaluated, including equipment, training, curricula, or a preexisting
evaluation framework.
(d) Award Amounts.--No grant awarded under this section shall be
greater than $1,000,000 or less than $100,000.
(e) Priority.--In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary
shall give priority to nonprofit organizations or projects that are--
(1) focused on underserved communities and groups,
including racial and ethnic minorities, representatives from
different socioeconomic groups, and youth at risk for eating
disorders;
(2) gender-specific;
(3) culturally competent;
(4) developed in collaboration with subject matter experts,
community leaders, or youth serving organizations; and
(5) have demonstrated expertise in providing training and
evaluation of quality media literacy activities or youth
empowerment programs.
(f) Certain Requirements.--A grant may be made under subsection (a)
or (b) only if the applicant involved agrees to the following:
(1) Not more than 20 percent of the grant funds will be
used for administration, accounting, reporting, and program
oversight functions.
(2) The grant will be used to supplement and not supplant
funds from other sources for increasing the media literacy of,
and empowering, youth.
(3) The applicant will abide by any limitations deemed
appropriate by the Secretary on any charges to individuals
receiving services pursuant to the grant. As deemed appropriate
by the Secretary, such limitations on charges may vary based on
the financial circumstances of the individual receiving
services.
(g) Grant Period; Application for Assistance During Subsequent
Grant Years.--
(1) Grant period.--A grant awarded under this section shall
be for a period of 3 years.
(2) Application for assistance during subsequent grant
years.--After the first fiscal year for which an entity
receives a grant, the entity shall apply to receive grant funds
for a subsequent fiscal year during the grant period by
submitting an application to the Secretary at the beginning of
each such fiscal year. An application submitted under this
paragraph shall include such information as the Secretary may
require, including, at a minimum, a description of the progress
of the entity.
(h) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall prepare and
submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a report on the
grants awarded under subsections (a) and (b), including--
(1) a description of how the grant funds were used; and
(2) an evaluation of the effectiveness of such grants.
SEC. 4. RESEARCH ON THE ROLE AND IMPACT OF GIRLS AND WOMEN IN THE MEDIA
ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and in coordination with the
Director of the National Institutes of Health and the Director of the
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development, shall review, synthesize, conduct, or support research on
the role and impact depictions of girls and women in the media have on
youth in the following areas:
(1) The psychological, physical, sexual, and interpersonal
development of youth in the following areas:
(A) Cognitive areas such as mental health, self-
esteem, learning abilities, and problem solving skills.
(B) Physical areas such as diet, nutrition,
exercise, body image, substance abuse, and sleeping and
eating routines.
(C) Social behavioral areas such as relationships
with peers, interactions with parents and family
members, aggression, high-risk behaviors, sexual
behavior and development, and positive social
behaviors.
(D) Academic performance.
(E) The perceptions and attitudes of youth about
the abilities, equity, appearances, and leadership
potential of girls and boys.
(2) How the effects of depictions in the media of girls and
women vary from such depictions of boys and men, and by race,
ethnicity, and age group.
(3) How the sexualization and objectification of girls and
women in media affects the healthy development of girls and
boys.
(4) How food marketing and obesity campaigns affect the
body image, nutrition, and exercise of girls and of boys,
especially among youth with eating disorders.
(5) Additional areas as designated by the Secretary.
(b) No Duplication.--The Secretary shall ensure that research
activities under this section do not duplicate other Federal research
activities.
(c) Reports.--Not later than 2 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall
prepare and submit to the appropriate committees of the Congress a
report that--
(1) synthesizes the results of--
(A) research under this section; and
(B) other related research by the private or public
sector, including the Federal Government;
(2) disaggregates such results by gender, race, age, and
socioeconomic background;
(3) includes a compendium of key existing research on the
role and impact of depictions of girls and women in the media;
(4) outlines gaps in research on the role and impact of
depictions of girls and women in the media and identifies areas
where future research is needed; and
(5) identifies how factors such as the format of media,
length of exposure to media, age of youth, and nature of
parental involvement impact such results.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL TASK FORCE ON GIRLS AND WOMEN IN THE MEDIA.
(a) Purposes.--The Federal Communications Commission shall convene
a task force, to be known as the National Task Force on Girls and Women
in the Media, to develop voluntary steps and goals for promoting
healthy and positive depictions of girls and women in the media for the
benefit of all youth.
(b) Membership.--The Task Force shall include representatives of
the media industry, nonprofit and youth-serving organizations, academia
and research entities, psychologists and other child health
professionals, Federal agencies, and any other public or private entity
designated by the Federal Communications Commission.
(c) Responsibilities.--The Task Force shall identify--
(1) trends with respect to how the media regulated by the
Federal Communications Commission portrays girls and women;
(2) how such trends impact the healthy growth and
development of youth; and
(3) voluntary measures and goals that the public and
private sectors can develop to promote healthy and positive
media depictions of girls and women for the benefit of all
youth.
(d) Initial Meeting.--The Federal Communications Commission shall
ensure that the Task Force holds its first meeting not later than 90
days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(e) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the first
meeting of the Task Force, the Federal Communications Commission shall
submit a report to Congress that contains--
(1) the findings of the Task Force under subsection (c);
and
(2) recommendations for areas of improvement regarding
depictions of girls and women in the media.
SEC. 6. LIMITATION.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, the Secretary may
not use amounts made available under this Act to conduct or support
activities or programs that are duplicative of activities or programs
otherwise carried out through the Department of Health and Human
Services or the Department of Education.
SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``media'' includes television programs, motion
pictures, video games, music and music videos, the Internet,
social media, digital video recorders, cell phones, magazines,
newspapers, books, advertisements, and other emerging
technologies designed for communication, entertainment,
education, or information.
(2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Health
and Human Services.
(3) The term ``sexualization'' means a circumstance when--
(A) a person's value comes only from his or her
sexual appeal or behavior, to the exclusion of other
characteristics;
(B) a person is held to a standard that equates
physical attractiveness (narrowly defined) and personal
value with appearing, acting, and being sexy;
(C) a person is sexually objectified, or made into
a thing for others' sexual use, rather than seen as a
person with the capacity for independent action and
decisionmaking; or
(D) sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a
person.
(4) The term ``Task Force'' means the National Task Force
on Girls and Women in the Media convened under section 5.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
For the purpose of carrying out sections 3 and 4, there are
authorized to be appropriated, in addition to any other amounts
available for such purpose--
(1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2012, of which--
(A) $2,000,000 shall be allocated to the program
under section 3(a);
(B) $2,000,000 shall be allocated to the program
under section 3(b); and
(C) $1,000,000 shall be allocated to the program
under section 4; and
(2) $2,000,000 for each fiscal years 2013 through 2016, of
which--
(A) $500,000 shall be allocated to the program
under section 3(a);
(B) $500,000 shall be allocated to the program
under section 3(b); and
(C) $1,000,000 shall be allocated to the program
under section 4.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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