A new survey has found that one in three Gen Z kids feel they have to be “perfect”, amid growing concerns about the impact of social media on their mental health.
The survey of 1,600 young people between the ages of 10 and 18 found that girls are about 14 percentage points more likely to seek perfection than boys, and teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18 were more likely to do so than younger kids.
“In the pre-teen years, it’s all about play, exploration, and development. As teens, they’re establishing their identity and social roles, and suddenly approval becomes important,” says Dr. Jenna Lee, a child and adult psychiatrist and assistant professor of psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.
Research shows that younger people tend to have more extreme emotional swings.
The Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill Tuesday aimed at protecting children from dangerous online content, advancing the first major effort by Congress in decades to hold tech companies more accountable for the harm they cause.
The bill, which passed with 91 votes in favor and 3 against, was pushed by parents whose children had committed suicide after being cyberbullied or were harmed by online content. The bill would require companies to take appropriate measures to prevent harm on online platforms frequented by minors, require companies to exercise a “duty of care,” and generally require them to default to the most secure settings possible.
“These bills will provide needed guardrails to protect children from online threats,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The House has yet to act on the bill, but House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, has said he is “willing to work toward a consensus.” Supporters hope that the Senate’s strong support will encourage the House to act before the end of the legislative session in January.
The bill is designed to give kids, teens and parents “back control over their online lives,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, who co-sponsored the bill with Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. He said the message to big tech companies is “we no longer entrust you with the authority to make decisions for us.”
The bill would be the first major tech regulation bill in years and could pave the way for other legislation, such as strengthening online privacy laws and setting standards for the expanded use of artificial intelligence. The idea that big tech companies should be subject to increased government scrutiny has long had bipartisan support, but there has been little agreement on how to do so. Congress passed a bill earlier this year asking China-based social media company TikTok to either force or block a sale, but that law only targeted one company.
If the Child Safety Bill becomes law, companies will be required to reduce harm to children, including bullying, violence, encouragement of suicide, eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual exploitation and advertising of illegal products such as drugs, tobacco and alcohol.
To do this, social media platforms must offer minors the option to protect their information, disable addictive product features, and opt out of personalized algorithmic recommendations, as well as restrict other users’ ability to communicate with children and limit features that “increase, maintain, or enhance usage” of the platforms, such as autoplaying videos and platform rewards.
Blumenthal and Blackburn say the idea is to make the platform “secure by design.”
“The message we’re sending to big tech companies is kids are not your commodity,” Blackburn said at a press conference as the Senate passed the bill. “Kids are not your source of profit. We’re going to protect kids in the virtual world.”
Several tech companies, including Microsoft, X, and Snap, support the bill, but NetChoice, a tech trade group that represents X, Snap, Google, TikTok, and Meta Platforms, has argued that the bill is unconstitutional.
The law’s “cybersecurity, censorship and constitutional risks remain unresolved,” Carl Szabo, vice president and general counsel for the group, said in a statement. He did not elaborate.
Blumenthal and Blackburn said they tried to strike a balance between holding companies more responsible for what kids see online while also ensuring Congress doesn’t overly regulate what people post — an effort to head off potential legal challenges and persuade lawmakers who worry regulation threatens free expression.
In addition to First Amendment concerns, some critics say the law could have negative effects on children who don’t have access to information about LGBTQ+ issues and reproductive rights, but the bill has been amended to address many of those criticisms, and major LGBTQ+ groups have decided to support the bill.
The bill also includes amendments to the Children’s Privacy Act that would prohibit online companies from collecting personal information from users under the age of 13, raising the age to 17. It would also ban targeted advertising to teenagers and allow teens and parents to delete personal information about minors.
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts introduced the original bill in 1998, the last year Congress passed a child online safety law, and worked on the latest revision with Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana. Markey said the online space has “come a long way” since the original bill, but that parents need new tools as teens struggle with their mental health.
While the bill languished for months, Blumenthal and Blackburn worked closely with parents of children victimized by social media, including cyberbullying, social media challenges, blackmail attempts, eating disorders, drug dealing and other potential dangers. At an emotional press conference last week, the parents said they were pleased the Senate had finally moved the bill forward.
Maureen Molak, the mother of a 16-year-old boy who committed suicide after “months of relentless and threatening cyberbullying,” said she believes the bill could save lives. She called on all senators to support the bill.
“Anyone who believes the well-being and safety of children should take precedence over the greed of big tech companies should put their mark on this historic bill,” Molak said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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