From Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA)
Struggling to Protect Minors on Social Media
By Théophile Lenoir
From Utah to the UK, and soon France, new laws aim to restrict access to social media to minors. Study after study show that TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and other sites increase the risks of grooming, cyberbullying, and child sexual abuse.
But disagreement reigns over how to achieve this common goal of keeping children safe. Some favor soft encouragement. Others want to impose hard prohibitions. On one side, the UK takes a targeted approach, building an accountability regime that encourages platforms to protect minors. On the other, Utah lawmakers want to require parents to give permission for their children to create a social media account. France is adopting an in-between approach...
As Georgetown University professor and Data & Society founder danah boyd reminds us, teenagers most often turn to social media when feeling stressed out and in need of socialization. “Does social media cause mental health problems? Or is it where mental health problems become visible? I can guarantee you that there are examples of both,” she says...
danah boyd graduated with a Ph.D. in information science in 2008. She is the founder of Data & Society Research Institute and a distinguished visiting professor at Georgetown University.
