On Jan. 31, the CEOs of Snapchat, Meta, TikTok and X gathered in Congress to testify to lawmakers who are attempting to increase safety regulations for the protection of younger users. The lack of safety measures on social media platforms has been an ongoing issue in the United States that is starting to be addressed.
Along with the congressional hearing, the Senate is seeking to pass a bill that would require platforms to allow young users to opt out of certain algorithms and create an obligation for platforms to avoid and reduce harm to minors. This would be instrumental in keeping users under 18 safe as surveys show that over 90% of teenagers use social media. This is largely due to children receiving phones at young ages and the addictive aura of apps like TikTok and Instagram.
Students at this school have their own take on what Congress should do and whether they feel safe or not on the various social media apps. Sophomore Cameron Pietak said, “I feel safe on social media, but I think that Congress should pass the bill for the safety of others my age.”
Another student, sophomore Owen Goozh, agrees that Congress should pass the bill, but he doesn’t feel that his safety is threatened on social media. “I can see how some people may feel unsafe because of the disturbing nature of some platforms, but I personally don’t have an issue with it,” Goozh said.
At the Congressional hearing, the families of teenagers who fell victim to sexual abuse online were in attendance to emphasize the need for change toward the CEOs present. According to studies from HealthDay.com, over 16% of young adults or people under the age of 18 have experienced at least one form of sexual abuse online. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg addressed the families. “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through. No one should go through the things that your families have suffered,” Zuckerberg said.
Senators pointed out that these social media platforms acknowledge that there may be explicit content yet don’t filter it out for users under 18. Sophomore Carter Morton said that when he goes on Instagram, he sees someone experiencing severe injuries or showing explicit content on camera at least twice a day. “It’s ridiculous, I can’t go two seconds without seeing someone break their leg skateboarding or fall into a hole. It can be traumatic for younger users for sure,” Morton said.
Passing the Kids Online Safety Act is just one step in Congress taking action against the violence of social media. The reason for the Congressional hearing in the first place was to correct the errors that allow harm to children under the age of 18 and it looks like some of those errors will be fixed. When addressing each of the CEOs, Senator Thom Tillis said, “I think we have to understand that there should be an inherent motivation for you to get this right.”
