Social Media Harms

Senate Commerce Committee Decides Future of Children’s Online Privacy & Safety Regulations on Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and Children and Teens Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Subject of Mark-Up Session — Action Needed Now

Image by John Hain by Pixabay

Summer is a busy time, but if you care about the online privacy and safety of children and teens in the US, you need to take action before Wednesday, July 27, 2022.

For the first time since 1998, when the internet was taking its first baby steps, online privacy and safety regulations for children have a chance of being updated to reflect today’s online technologies.

Twenty-three (23) years ago, nine (9) percent of households had access to the internet. Only 41 percent of adults had internet access, usually through work, internet cafes or perhaps a university or city library.

The internet revolutionized communications. People have totally different experiences online than they did 23 years ago. Since the COVID-19 shutdowns, more parents and children are using the internet than ever before. There is so much we don’t know about how this technology affects people’s thoughts, feelings, actions. No one can trust that our kids online activities are safe.

We can’t wait another 23 years to update the safeguards for our children’s online safety and privacy.

One hundred (100) organizations support the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) . KOSA creates a legal obligation requiring technology companies to operate in the best interests of minors 16 and under who use their services.

KOSA:

1. Empowers the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and states Attorneys General to go after technology companies that do not follow regulations that protect children 16 and under from social media harms, especially around depression, suicide, and eating disorders;

2. Provides parents and youth tools and safeguards to protect a young user’s experience on social media.

3. Allows scientists access to social media company data to conduct research in the public interest.

COPPA:

1. Bans targeted advertising for children;
2. Builds on the 1998 COPPA’s consent requirements by prohibiting internet companies from collecting personal information from children 13 to 15 years old without the user’s consent;
3. Establishes a “Digital Marketing Bill of Rights for Teens” that limits the collection of their personal information Requires online companies to explain the types of personal information collected, how that information is used and disclosed, and the policies for collection of personal information.

Now is the time to contact your senators and ask them to endorse these important laws.

Social Media Harms provides a listing of peer-reviewed studies, books and articles from authoritative sources that document the negative effects of social media use. It is a free resource for people who are concerned about social media’s negative effects on people’s emotions, actions and lives.