Senate bill targets online fentanyl sales to minors

NORWALK — U.S. Senator Jon Husted is backing new bipartisan legislation aimed at addressing the role social media plays in allowing minors to access fentanyl. Husted, R-Ohio, joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-Del., in introducing the No Fentanyl on Social Media Act. The bill directs the Federal Trade Commission, working with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, to report to Congress on how minors are accessing fentanyl through social media platforms. "Illegally sold fentanyl has devastated communities across Ohio, and every life lost to it is a tragedy," Husted said in a statement released with the bill. "The disturbing reality is that drug traffickers are exploiting social media to target and manipulate our children — intentionally bypassing parents, teachers and other trusted adults who work every day to keep kids safe." According to the legislation, fentanyl is the leading cause of drug overdose deaths in the United States. The bill states that social media platforms have become a primary marketplace where teens may either knowingly seek out fentanyl or unknowingly purchase drugs that are laced with it, often without reliable data or a coordinated federal strategy to track the activity. Husted said Congress must act to address the issue. "Congress has a responsibility to protect children online from predators, and this bill is an important step toward understanding — and stopping— how traffickers use social media platforms to poison our kids," he said. The report would provide Congress with data on the scope of fentanyl trafficking involving minors online and include policy recommendations to address it. The bill specifies that the review should assess platform design features, trafficking tactics, the effectiveness of platform policies, and actions taken by law enforcement, medical experts and other stakeholders. Klobuchar said the legislation is intended to better inform lawmakers. "Social media has become a gateway to drugs, and we must do everything we can to prevent young Americans from having their lives ruined by fentanyl they get online," she said. "Our bipartisan legislation will mandate the FTC provide a report to Congress on youth access to fentanyl through social media, which will provide us with key information to effectively fight this epidemic." Cassidy said fentanyl marketing through social media brings the drug directly into homes. "Social media marketing fentanyl is allowing pushers to enter into our households," he said. "We need to stop it." Blunt Rochester said the bill focuses on protecting minors online. "As children spend more time online, we must prevent their exposure to harmful activity, including illicit drug sales," she said, calling the measure "critical to fighting the opioid crisis and better protecting the next generation online." Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House by Gabe Evans, R-Colo., and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich. The measure builds on previous fentanyl-related efforts including the HALT Fentanyl Act, signed into law in July 2025, which made permanent the class-wide scheduling of fentanyl-related substances.