NJ S4050

Minors aged 16 and older who contact a mental health/suicide crisis center or 9-8-8 crisis hotline can consent to receive follow-up calls, texts, or chat messages without parental consent or authorization

Operators who identify a minor caller as high risk for death by suicide are permitted to initiate follow-up communications to that minor

Follow-up communications are explicitly defined as brief supportive contact for suicide prevention purposes only, not constituting behavioral health treatment, diagnosis, or clinical care

The bill amends existing law (P.L.1968, c.230) that already allows minors 16+ to consent to temporary outpatient behavioral health treatment without parental authorization

Legislative findings cite that suicide is the second leading cause of death among New Jersey adolescents and young adults, justifying this narrowly tailored response to address acute vulnerability