NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — The focus of a new bipartisan bill unveiled Wednesday is to protect kids from the dangers of social media.

The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media apps like Instagram, Facebook and TikTok and require parental consent for 13- to 17-year-olds.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) created the bill with three other U.S. Senators — Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and Katie Britt (R-Alabama).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 57% of high school girls and 29% of high school boys felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021, with 22% of all high school students reporting they had seriously considered attempting suicide in the preceding year.

“We are now more than a decade into the largest epidemic of teen mental illness on record, and we do know what’s driving it,” Schatz said.

If passed, it would be the first time a national age minimum would be set for social media users and require big tech companies to get parental consent.