Viral spiral

On 23 June 2020, Carson Bride was celebrating. He had just got a new job at a pizza restaurant, so he spent the evening with his proud family in Lake Oswego, OregonA state on the north-west coast of the USA. It is one of the most geographically diverse states, with volcanoes, huge lakes, vast forests and deserts., USA. Before he went to bed, he wrote his future work schedule on the kitchen calendar.

By the next morning, he had taken his own life. His mother, Kristin Bride, was horrified to find hundreds of anonymous abusive messages addressed to her 16-year-old son on a third-party app, Yolo, which was integrated into Snapchat.¹

Carson is just one of the many victims of exploitationTreating someone unfairly in order to benefit from their hard work. and harassment online. Some victims have taken their own lives, or attempted to. From 2007 to 2018, rates of suicide among those aged 10 to 24 increased by nearly 60%, something which many attribute to the rise of social media.

Kristin Bride is one of the many parents attending a Senate hearing over alleged online harms to children this week. At the back of the Senate floor, she holds a picture of Carson high in the air: "Forever 16."

For critics of the five CEOThe Chief Executive Officer is the highest ranking person in a company. They are responsible for making decisions about the company's future.s of Meta, X, TikTok, Snap and Discord, executives are not doing enough to protect children from the many ills of online interaction: sexual exploitation and abuse, acquisition of illegal drugs, predatorySomething that preys on others. marketing, bullying and harmful online trends.

The US CongressThe legislative branch of the American government, where elected representatives vote on which laws should be passed. Congress is made up of two chambers: the Senate, which contains two members from each of the 50 states, and the House of Representatives, which has representatives from 435 smaller districts. has not taken major action on child safety online for more than two decades. But many think we have reached breaking point.

For some, it is a problem that could easily be fixed if lawmakers put people before profits. The Kid's Online Safety Act (KOSA) has been a key talking point in the hearing. The bill proposes safeguards against the collection of personal data, restriction of sensitive online material and more monitoring of online activity. But some say that it amounts to censorshipPreventing or stopping speech, writing or communication that is considered harmful or "inconvenient". .²

There are plenty of alternative solutions. Some think we need a content rating system for all online material, similar to film and TV ratings, helping young people to avoid inappropriate content. Others have suggested tackling the algorithmAny set of rules followed by a computer. In the context of social media, "the algorithm" refers to the intelligent AI that learns the interests of the user and presents them with posts that it thinks will interest them., which shows children more and more extreme content to capture their attention.

But many believe it is simply a matter of digital literacyThe ability to read and write. . Young people believe that they are internet natives, with knowledge far surpassingGoing beyond. their parents. But online safety is less instinctive, and many teens simply do not understand the risks.

Research suggests that US teens spend the majority of their waking hours on the Internet. Kids under the age of 13 already spend more than five hours online every day.³ The problem is compulsiveSomething you are unable to stop doing. .

So why not ban it altogether? The benefits could be endless: better concentration, more time, less risk, more privacyBeing able to keep details about your life to yourself without everyone else knowing. . But some see social media as a social good which has become essential in our relationships and sense of self.

Statistics from last year show that 80% of teens feel that social media helps them to feel connected to their friends, 71% feel that it offers them a platform to be creative, and 58% believe it makes them feel more accepted.⁴

For many, these are unexpected results. We are used to hearing about how social media harms our self-esteem, makes us less social and steals our concentration with 10-second clips. But to stay on the same page as our youth, some say, lawmakers need to start seeing the silver lining online.

But does social media do more good than harm?

Yes: Social media keeps us connected, allows us to access knowledge freely, inspires us and broadens our horizons. There is nothing in the world that does not have some disadvantages.

No: The risks will always outweigh the benefits. No matter how many protections are in place, predators will always find a loophole. There is no way for a child to be completely safe online.

Or... Children are not only put in harm's way by the risks of abuse and harassment. Social media networks are also damaging children's concentration, fostering addiction and making them more antisocial.