Meta (parent company of Facebook and Instagram) and Alphabet (parent company of Google and YouTube) recently lost a major lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the suit successfully argued that the companies manipulate their algorithms to provide compelling content that would keep their young users scrolling. According to the plaintiffs, this often meant that users saw content that caused (or reinforced) negative emotions—and even mental health issues such as negative body image, low self-esteem, and even suicidal thoughts. The lead plaintiff, a 20-year old woman known as K.G.M., claimed that she became a social media addict as a teenager and that this addiction caused her to suffer emotional and mental problems.
K.G.M.’s case was combined with many of the thousands of civil actions alleging that social media companies’ failure to warn of the dangers of excessive social media use resulted in users becoming social media addicts, leading them to suffer serious problems. The cases of young people suffering emotional and mental harms due to online bullies and trolls are tragic. However, given that 84% of teenagers have access to social media and 62% are daily users of social media, the number of victims of online bullying is relatively small. Therefore, any attempts to address this problem should be narrowly targeted to assist those most at risk. The case for a targeted approach is strengthened when one considers the (often overlooked) benefits of social media.
Young people can use social media to connect with other young people from around the country and even around the globe. Often their online friends share a common interest or hobby. Young people struggling with a problem—such as a break up, the death of a friend or family member, or concerns about their weight—may find support from online friends who have gone through the same thing. Unfortunately, politicians want to help young people via legislation limiting young people’s access to social media.
Among these proposals are age verification requirements for social media. Age verification requirements have been found unconstitutional because they can interfere with an adult’s right to view First Amendment-protected material. Other “solutions” involve blanket bans on children below a certain age from setting up accounts on social media. The problem with a flat ban is the assumption that children develop at the same rate. The truth is that children develop differently and the people best able to determine if—and when—a child is able to handle social media are that child’s parents. Parents should be able to control their child’s access to social media so they can ensure their child learns how to navigate the social media landscape responsibly and safely.
There are many tools available to help parents control their child’s social media use. Every major social media platform, gaming site, and search engine offers parental control options. There are also products that allow parents to monitor and control their child’s online activities. Parents who want to be able to reach their child at all times, but don’t think their child is ready for a cell phone with internet access, can get their child a phone that only allows them to call and text.
Parents can also limit the amount of time their children spend online and set “downtimes” so their child can study and sleep without being distracted by social media. Some parents might not be aware of these tools, but this can be solved by increased publicity regarding their options. Those who worry that children will find a way around parental controls should consider that it is in the tech companies’ own interests to make their parental control products as effective as possible, and they will work to fix any loopholes in the system.
Congress cannot mandate the creation of parental control systems. That can only be accomplished by businesses investing resources and hiring talented developers to create effective parental controls. Children can benefit from social media if they are taught to use it properly. One of the keys to ensuring children can responsibly use the internet is parental control and guidance of a child’s online activity. Fortunately, many tools exist to enable parents to monitor and control their child’s use of social media, and these tools will only improve as more companies respond to parental demand. Parents and technology companies can thus ensure children’s online safety without the government’s help.
