Last week, Florida’s House of Reps gave the go-ahead to a bill that would place a bar that prevents children under 16 from using all social media. Although some lawmakers expressed concern, the law still passed with support from both Democrats and Republicans. The bill has been passed to the Senate, which is expected to address the bill very soon.
Although the general consensus is that social media is harmful to young teens and children, members of the public are showing great backlash. Many say that this bill strips power away from parents. Opposers claim that the bill obstructs the First Amendment and takes away parents’ ability to decide what is best for their children.
Caulder Harvill-Childs, a policy manager for Meta, wrote to Florida legislators saying, “While our company recognizes the goals of House Bill 1, we believe this bill, as currently drafted, not only fails to empower parents to make the decision regarding whether their teen may use a social media platform but also fails to create robust, industry-wide standards that help parents and teens manage their online activity.”
On January 31, 2024 social media heads like Jason Citron, CEO of Discord; Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snapchat ; Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok; Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X; and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, watched a video of victims before testifying at the US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, “Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis,” in Washing DC.
The hearing was held to discuss user safety and to acknowledge families who have seen their children harmed by social media. The media CEOs were posed with tough questions by senators and they were expected to answer them to ensure digital safety.
While many topics and ethics were discussed during the hearing, the families of those harmed or those who lost their lives due to social media proved to be an immense force.
While all the Social media heads were being hammered, Mark Zuckerberg was taking most of the heat. At one point during the conference, Zuckerberg turned to the families in the hearing room and pretend apologized after he was put on blast by Josh Hawley, Senator of Missouri. Zuckerberg apologized to the families by saying, “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through…No one should go through the things that your families have suffered and this is why we invest so much and we are going to continue doing industry-wide efforts to make sure no one has to go through the things your families have had to suffer.”
The 3-hour long hearing ended with many parents pushing to gain more parental control and also begging for better user guidelines. While social media can be harmful be teenagers’ mental health, it can also be positive by providing helpful resources on suicide or LBGTQ+ issues, in particular. At the end of the day, users should be educated and aware and be responsible for their own mental health.
