We must do more to protect kids Online
By: Representative Mikie Sherrill
Your Turn
Guest columnist
..... I am a mom of four. and like so many parents across New Jersey, I struggle to keep up with all that my kids are seeing Online. I've had countless conversations about what they should and should not be posting or downloading, I've utilized the cumbersome parental controls on their phones, and I've encourage them to just log off and take breaks form tier screens. But as so many parents know, it's just not that simple.
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The fact of the matter is that, no matter how hard we try, our kids continue to be inundated by social media and the constant flow of unchecked information - and misinformation - coming through their handheld computers. Every day, they have almost limitless access to Online content with few options for parents to keep them safe. And for step forward, it feels like we take three steps back. Schools in New Jersey are issuing computers to students as young as third or fourth grad with few controls, and are allowing them to have unlimited access to phones and computers in class.
..... Social media companies have sued ever-advancing science to develop algorithms that have made it almost impossible for young people to resist spending hours and hours scrolling through content instead of schoolwork, sports and socializing. and while it can be a challenge to keep track of what they're seeing Online, I know far too well the impact social media is having on all of our children. And it's not good.
..... Right now, our children and teens are facing a mental health crisis. Studies have shown that spending more than three hours a day on social media puts children and adolescents at risk for negative mental health impacts like anxiety and depression. But the average American teen doesn't spend three hours on social media per day, they spend five. you can do the math. It's time for Congress to step up and protect our children - and we must do so by passing the Kids Online safety Act before the end of the year. [2024]
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Social media, without an sensible safeguards, is having a devastating impact on our children - from promoting poor sleep habits to increasing loneliness, anxiety and depression. At tis worst, social media has become a haven for cyberbullying and glorifying substance abuse, sexual exploitation, eating disorders, and even suicide. Our kids feel the impact day in and day out - when surveyed, nearly half of American teenagers said they have negative feelings about their body image because of that they see on social media.
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Companies like Meta, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) have built their apps to rewire the developing adolescent brain - rewriting our kids' neural pathways to crave the dopamine hit that comes with a quick video or an excerpt of a catchy song. It's how social media apps have that addictive quality that keeps us coming back for more.
..... States like New Jersey have stepped
us to sue TikTok and Meta to hold them accountable for the irreparable damage they are causing to our kids. But, protections for the health and safety of our children must be enacted before it;s too late.
..... It's been almost 30 years since Congress has passed significant legislation to protect Americans Online. The most recent major piece of federal legislation impacting Internet governance was the Communications Decency Act of 1996. But, in 1996, the top-selling phone worldwide was the Motorola StarTAC, the very first flip phone. In had a red Nokia that - if memory serves - could save only a handful of phone numbers. I had to find a desktop PC wherever I was stationed if I want4ed to access the dial-up Internet. The first iPod wouldn't be released for another five years, Times have changed, and so has the Internet.
..... This outdated legislation has allowed Big Tech executives like Elon Musk to profit off of these apps while spreading devastating misinformation about the security of our fee and fair elections. Foreign adversaries, like the Chinese Communist party, are using apps like TikTok to steal Americans data, threaten our national security, and feed toxic misinformation directly to young people.
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Earlier this year, [2024] the Senate overwhelmingly passed the Kids Online Safety Act to help address some of those gaps for a 21st-century Online world. This bill would require social media companies to provide minors with options to protect their information, disable addictive products features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations.
..... It would give parents and educators tools to spot and report harmful behavior and provide them with a better understanding of what their child is seeing Online. The Kids Online Safety Act would also hold Online platforms accountable for preventing and mitigating specific dangers to minors, including promotion of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploration, and advertisements for certain illegal products, like tobacco and alcohol.
..... Speaker mike Johnson is threating to block this critical legislation, claiming that it violates the First Amendment. but that is not an honest assessment of the bill. I know just how important the First Amendment is to our nation - I signed up to put my life on the line in the Navy so we can have that very right to free speech, free expression, free association and free protest.
..... It wouldn't restrict everyday Americans for expressing their views, starting a business Online, or connecting with others on the Internet. Rather, it would hold social media moguls accountable for harming our kids and restrict sites form sending our date to foreign adversaries. That is something we should all be able to get behind.
...... Right now, we're fighting to build a nation ready to take on the challenges of the 21st century - to ensure New Jersey can compete on the world stage. As we prepare our next generation of leaders to take on the challenges of the future, we have to address the irreparable arm social media is causing in each of their everyday lives, and harness the power of the Internet for good.
..... There's no more time to waste. We must get the Senate-passed Kids Online Safety act across the finish line in the House and singed into law, because our children deserve nothing less
..... Representative Mikie Sherrill represents New jersey's 11th Congressional District and is a candidate for the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination.