On the regulation of online child safety
One of the goals of Youth for Privacy is to advocate for online child safety.
Living in a world where everything is connected, traceable, and undeletable, online safety for children must be a priority.
Ten years ago, social media was not available on our phones. Now, we feel that everything is at our fingertips. From sharing every detail of daily life on Facebook to learning new dances by filming ourselves and posting it on TikTok, our way of life has completely changed - regardless of generation.
Although these new means of communication have a lot of benefits, their use can be detrimental for children’s development. Cyberbullying no longer stops at the school’s doors - hate speech, disinformation or even sexual abuse and exploitation are subjects that come up too regularly.
The platforms “involved” in these new abuses are subject of numerous investigations. TikTok might be facing its first ban and Amazon and Microsoft recently settled a huge amount with the FTC regarding their illegal collection of children’s data.
Thus, all of these affairs lead regulators to call for age restrictions on social media. Lately, the Surgeon General directly called for this end.
However, it is also important to underline that even if these platforms “are part” of these excess, they also fight against these dangers:
Meta implemented new ways to verify age on Instagram and provided tools for children to ask for the removal of sensitive images
Twitter requires parental consent if the user does not meet their age requirement
TikTok launched campaigns to share strategies and safety features
Nothing will be ever sufficient to prevent any harm that children can face on the Internet because the rapidity of evolution does not allow establishing a proper and perfectly regulation adaptable to every situation.
Therefore, to fight against these abuses, a balance must be established between regulators, platforms and parents or guardians who must educate their children on the Internet’s dangers.
If you wish to take part advocating for making the internet a safer place for children and youth, come join us!