It’s Time to Make the Internet Safer for Kids
WiredIn the real world, we have more than a century of experience figuring out how to share the world with children in order to keep them safe while still allowing adults to engage in adult-only activities, particularly those involving sex, violence, and addictive substances. However, following the temperance movement’s efforts to publicize alcohol’s harmful effects on families, women, and children, and after the failed experiment of Prohibition, states took on the responsibility of regulating alcohol. This included hardcore pornography sites such as Pornhub, and the now-defunct site Omegle—where children could video chat with strangers, some of whom were naked masturbating men. Mott Children’s Hospital showed that the issues that most concern parents—ranked above school violence, drugs, and bullying—were the overuse of smartphones, social media and internet safety. Another 2024 survey of school principals showed that they were similarly alarmed by the effect of smartphones on students, with 88 percent stating that they were making children tired and distracted, and 85 percent believing it was amplifying violence and bullying in schools.
History of this topic
Texas weighs social media bans for minors as schools and police face challenges
Associated Press
Parents urged to be vigilant about children’s online safety over Christmas
The Independent
Urgent warning over children ‘doom scrolling’ for hours a day
The IndependentSenate passes bill to protect kids online and make tech companies accountable for harmful content
Associated Press
US Senate passes bill to protect children from dangerous online content
Al JazeeraSenate to consider bills that aim to protect children and teenagers online
Associated PressWhat to know about the Kids Online Safety Act that just passed the Senate
Associated Press
Opinion: Why LAUSD should ban smartphones in schools
LA TimesNew York moves to ban ‘addictive’ social media feeds for kids
Associated PressNew York considers regulating what children see in social media feeds
Associated Press
Online regulator Ofcom publishes new rules for social media firms to limit harm for children
The Independent
Editorial: Social media companies refuse to safeguard kids. It’s up to lawmakers now
LA Times
The race to make smartphones illegal for children under 16 – and why it matters
The TelegraphNew online safety rules to cover generative AI and algorithms to better protect children
ABC
Opinion: Kids have been used like guinea pigs on Big Tech’s platforms. How much harm will we tolerate?
LA Times
Social media companies ‘will check children’s ages like shops check ID for alcohol’
The Telegraph
California Protected Kids Online In A Way Every State Should Follow
Huff Post
Millions of parents leaving children online unsupervised, poll suggests
The Independent
Editorial: Social media is hurting kids. Why hasn’t government stepped in?
LA TimesDiscover Related
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