Recent laws to be enacted in Republican Utah mean that children and teens under 18 would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok and Instagram if they don’t have parental consent. They now face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the so-called “addictive platforms”. One law would also open the door to lawsuits on behalf of children claiming social media harmed them, something that would be very difficult to prove in court. This move by the Republicans is hypocritical given that they have argued against any censorship in the past when it comes to restricting Internet access, arguing such government actions infringe on constitutional rights to freedom of speech. This despite the fact that past concerns had been raised by some lawmakers over user privacy, hate speech, misinformation and harmful effects on teens’ mental health found in apps provided by other tech giants like Facebook and Google.
Some apps already have age restrictions. For example, from the outset Facebook required everyone to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account (although in some jurisdictions, this age limit may be higher). Creating an account with false info is a violation of its terms. This includes accounts registered on the behalf of someone under 13. However, it is really left up to the parents, who in most cases supposedly oversee their children’s use of apps, to deal with underage children. If an underage child created an account on Facebook, the company explains how the parents can delete the child’s account. Thus, the onus is on the parents. However, children have been shown to easily get around such bans, both with and without their parents’ consent. Trying to prevent 14 to 17 year olds from accessing TikTok or any other social media app is also mind-boggling. It tough enough for parents to oversee teenagers use of social media, never mind trying to limit their access. After all, in this age of social media, many teens have come to rely on its use to stay in contact with their friends as part of modern socialization (especially during the pandemic). It’s like trying to take their cellphones away! As one university professor of child development in Utah warned, the state’s measure could inadvertently boomerang, exacerbating youth mental health issues by cutting off vulnerable young people from important sources of information and support.
Instead, recognizing that prolonged and over use of social media can have an impact not only on the mental health of youth, but also that of adults. Yes, bullying and sexting can be facilitated by social media, but these issues can also happen through in-person and other means. Indeed, laws against bullying and child pornography already exist and the authorities can deal with such inappropriate and often illegal behaviour on-line or through other means.
However, the question of user privacy on social media, especially for that of children, is a very serious one. What is really needed is better education of people and readily accessible information for people to make them more fully aware of the dangers of providing certain types of information via social media. There is little doubt that TikTok and others are harvesting information provided through the use of their apps. Although it is apparently rare that such info is used for nefarious purposes, the fact of the matter is that it’s out there. Last year, California enacted a law requiring tech companies to put kids’ safety first by barring them from profiling children or using personal information in ways that could harm children physically or mentally. Hopefully, such laws will force social media providers to take enhanced precautionary measures to protect children. The onus here, as it should be, is on the providers.
The controversial suggestion that social media use can lead to a form of “addiction” is still up for debate, given the normal behavioural patterns and general physical dependencies associated with addicts. If there is a concern, it is the total dependency of a child on social media for social development purposes. It may suggest a degree of isolation and poor people skills at a young age, which could have developmental implications leading into adolescence and adulthood. Rather than simply banning a child from using social media, parents need to seek open communication and possibly expert help in dealing with such concerns. In my opinion, this issue is a societal and parental one and not one that overbearing governments can regulate.
FROLITICKS 
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