Trump doesn't care about kids' safety Online; I will protect NJ
By: Mikie Sherrill
Your Turn
Guest columnist
..... For a perfect illustration of how broken Washingotn is, just take a look at how Big Tech killed the Kids Online Safety Act or KOSSA - and what happened next. The Senate passed KOSA last year [2024] with more than 90 votes. shortly after, Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise caved to an army of Big Tech lobbyists and refused even to bring the legislation up for a vote in the House.
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One year [2025] later, all of the Big Tech oligarchs who killed these Online safety efforts were in the front row of Donald Trump;s inauguration. these billionaires got better sears than Trump's Cabinet: Meta's Mark Zuckerberrg, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, TikTok's Shou Zi Chew, Google's Sundar Pichai, Apple's Tim cook and of course the world's richest man X's Elon Musk. Wasting no time to bend the knee, many of them had already changed their moderation policies to appease the incoming president. in fact, Meta made it easier to target LGBTQ individuals on their platform - and we all know what a cesspool for hat X has become under Musk's leadership.
..... This leaves us facing a stark new reality: It's the states that must step up to protect our kids and democracy Online, because we can't wait while House Republicans dither and as Trump co-opts big Tech. The consequences of Washington's inaction are damning.
..... Every parent these days knows that social media, without sensible safeguards, can have a devastating impact on our kids. I have four teenage kids, and I've sen how these social media platforms and new technologies have gotten young people hooked to their screens. And we know the pandemic accelerated this addiction.
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The data paints a more harrowing picture. One study found that young people who spend more than three hours daily on social media have twice the risk of developing mental health issues like depression and anxiety. another study found that teens with the highest social media usage have the worst self-reported mental health. And tragically, suicide deaths among 10- to 24-year-olds increased more than 60% from 2007 to 2021.
New Jersey cannot afforded to settle for the status quo
..... We cannot afford to settle for the status quo - our kids' lives and livelihood are at stake.
..... That's why I've put forward a bold plan to protect our kids and strengthen democracy Online in New Jersey when I'm governor. I would ban advertising targeted at children, restrict collection of kids' personal data, and give suers control over their data. I would enact an Age Appropriate Design Code that would require social media companies to prioritize the health, privacy and safety of users under 16. I would create a first-of-tis-kind Social Media Addiction Observatory at one of New Jersey's outstanding public universities that can bring together experts to develop recommendations for promoting safer Online experiences. And let's face it: We also need warning labels on social media, just as we have for other addictive products - this is an idea hat has garnered support form both Democratic and Republican attorneys general. We also need to give parents more tools: I would stat a statewide public awareness campaign to share best practices with parents and ensure they know where to turn for resources to navigate Online safety.
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The rise of social media, along with ether rise in political extremism, is also no coincidence. and the CEOs like Zuckerberg, Chew and Musk are, in some cases, asleep at the wheel - and in others, gladly willing to fan the flames of division. They design algorithms that prioritize sensationalism, accelerate the spread of misinformation, and even push vulnerable individuals toward violence and self-harm.
..... As governor, I'm going to hold social media platforms liable for algorithms that amplify extremist and terrorist content and that cause extreme harm to children. I'll require these companies to be transparent about how they design and apply their algorithms so social media users can better understand why certain content is prioritized. And I will reinvest tin local journalism to rebuild trust in the news, boost civic participation and root out corruption.
..... finally, while Trump administration threatens to roll back artificial intelligence safeguards, I will take action so AI serves and empowers people, not just the billionaires who want to profit form it. AI-generated content should have labels or other detection tools so that when we see something cerated by AI, we know it's artificially generated. There should be clear discloses on political ads generated or altered by AI, to ensure voters are not misled. I will pass legislation to ensure heath care decisions are conducted with a human-in-the-loop. An I will expand the scope of privacy and child pornography laws to include content that is altered or generated by AI systems - and ensure that if deep-fakes are shared on social media, that platforms establish adequate reporting tools for users.
..... This is one of the most pressing moral and safety issues of our times, and the thing is, it's not red or blue - it's right and wrong. It's time to say "enough" to the social media platforms that put profit over protection. So while Washington drags its feet, New Jersey, on my watch, will lead.
..... Representative Mikie Shherrill is a mandate for governor and currently represents New Jersey's 11th Congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor and is a mother of four kids.