2026 -- H 8345 SUBSTITUTE A

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2026

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H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE USE AND

IMPACT OF DIGITAL AND ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND

ON MENTAL HEALTH

     Introduced By: Representatives Caldwell, Cotter, and Spears

     Date Introduced: March 25, 2026

     Referred To: House Education

     WHEREAS, The use of digital and electronic technology in public education has

increased significantly over the past decade; and

     WHEREAS, This increased use has taken place in areas that rely on digital and electronic

technology, and the extent or depth to which teachers, students, and parents/responsible adults are

learning and interacting with this technology has also increased; and

     WHEREAS, Along with the increased breadth and depth of use of digital and electronic

technology, there has been even greater advancements, enhancements and updates to this

technology, which in many ways outpaces the ability of schools to fully vet, review, and analyze

these changes, and for parents/responsible adults to be aware of the technologies their children

are accessing and utilizing; and

     WHEREAS, The increased use of this technology has impacted the way classes are

taught, the way students learn, and the way schools are administered; and

     WHEREAS, While this increased use of such items as third-party digital platform

technologies, social media, and the machine learning commonly referred to as “Artificial

Intelligence” potentially give third-party vendors and providers, social media content creators,

and others who operate in “cyberspace” great influence in the way education is delivered in

Rhode Island and the way children learn, there has been little study of the impact and changes the

use of these platforms and technologies might have on public education in Rhode Island; and

     WHEREAS, These same concerns about the use of technology and its possible effects on

children in education can also arise as an issue in mental health care, particularly on persons who

may be in a vulnerable position; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That a special legislative commission to study the use and impact of digital

and electronic technology in public education and on mental health is hereby created consisting of

fourteen (14) members:

     Four (4) of whom shall be members of the House of Representatives, not more than three

(3) from the same political party, of whom three (3) shall be appointed by the Speaker of the

House and one of whom shall be appointed by the Minority Leader; one of whom shall be the

Rhode Island Attorney General, or designee; one of whom shall be a member of the State Police

computer crimes unit, appointed by the Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; one of

whom shall be the Director of the Rhode Island Foundation, or designee; two (2) of whom shall

be public school teachers, one currently teaching in a municipality with a population greater than

eighty thousand (80,000) persons and one currently teaching in a municipality with a population

of less than eighty thousand (80,000) persons, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; one

of whom shall be the President of the Rhode Island Association of School Principals, or designee;

one of whom shall be an expert in children’s behavioral health, to be appointed by the Speaker of

the House; one of whom shall be an expert in digital media, to be appointed by the Speaker of the

House; one of whom shall be a parent of a child currently enrolled in a public school in Rhode

Island, to be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and one of whom shall be the President of

the Rhode Island Society for Technology in Education, or designee.

     The purpose of said commission shall be to undertake a comprehensive study of the

following:

     (1) The use and impact of third-party digital platforms in Rhode Island public education

including, but not limited to, the use of these platforms, and the ways that these platforms could

be used more effectively, as well as potential harms from the use of these platforms and ways to

mitigate those harms;

     (2) Exploring options to provide protections to children using online platforms, including

those involving financial transactions on gaming and social media sites;

     (3) The use and availability of age-appropriate school digital content, and exploring ways

to ensure the use of safe software in schools, with a special emphasis on technologies which have

addictive design elements, provide exposure to inappropriate conduct, or incorporate predatory

data collection;

     (4) Ways and best practices to ensure creators of online services, products, or features

that children are likely to access, shall consider the best interests of children when designing and

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developing such online services, products, or features;

     (5) The use of artificial intelligence in mental healthcare treatments, and the need for

regulation thereof;

     (6) The use of artificial intelligence companion technology and its potential impact on

suicidal ideation, physical harm, or financial harm; and

     (7) Additional issue raised by and when a minor is an account holder on a social media

platform.

     The study commission shall consult with other individuals who have relevant expertise as

needed.

     Forthwith upon passage of this resolution, the members of the commission shall meet at

the call of the Speaker of the House and shall select, from among the legislators, a chairperson.

     Vacancies in said commission shall be filled in like manner as the original appointment.

     The membership of said commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

     All departments and agencies of the state shall furnish such advice and information,

documentary and otherwise, to said commission and its agents as is deemed necessary or

desirable by the commission to facilitate the purposes of this resolution.

     The Speaker of the House is hereby authorized and directed to provide suitable quarters

for said commission; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the commission shall report its findings and recommendations to the

Education Committee of the House of Representatives no later than April 23, 2027, and said

commission shall expire on May 28, 2027.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

CREATING A SPECIAL LEGISLATIVE COMMISSION TO STUDY THE USE AND

IMPACT OF DIGITAL AND ELECTRONIC TECHNOLOGY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION AND

ON MENTAL HEALTH

***

     This resolution would create a fourteen (14) member special legislative study

commission to study the use and impact of digital and electronic technology in public education

and on mental health, and would report its findings and recommendations to the education

committee of the House of Representatives no later than April 23, 2027, and said commission

would expire on May 28, 2027.

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