“A Year in Review — 2024 Tech, Social Media Legislation”
Landmark policy and legislation moved forward to regulate and monitor social platforms in the past year.
While some bills have stalled, others have moved forward and are slated to make a big impact in the coming year. Advocates from the region have played a major role in the national conversation around social media and technology.
New York and Connecticut are among several states that are either investigating or were involved in a lawsuit against TikTok in state court. A multistate investigation into whether TikTok is violating state consumer protection laws was launched in 2022 because there was a concern it fueled the ongoing crisis in the mental health of children and teens.
The complaint outlines a range of concerns with the algorithm and app features. It alleges that TikTok intentionally maximizes users’ engagement through addictive design features. It claims that Minors and children are especially susceptible to being influenced by these features.
It specifically outlined features such as the “For You” feed and push notifications as an exploitation of dopamine release in the brain. The lawsuit further claims that beauty filters can impact self-esteem and disrupt sleep patterns from late-night scrolling. If they aren’t getting enough sleep that could affect their learning in school. All of these can have negative impacts on mental health.
“One significant example is the platform’s so-called “beauty” features that encourage unhealthy, negative social comparison, body image issues, and related mental and physical health disorders. In particular, beauty filters can exacerbate eating disorders as the filters create an impossible standard for teens who are forming opinions of themselves,” it read.
In September, more than 40 attorneys general wrote a letter to the U.S. surgeon general criticizing these media companies. They want a warning on all algorithm-driven social media platforms affirming that this is a critical public health issue.
CT Attorney General William Tong was one of several who was critical of these social platforms, calling them “dangerously addictive” because of their algorithms and infinite scroll features. Tong claimed that features are designed to override self-control and maximize profits.
“Warning labels are one significant step we can and should take to educate families and protect kids. But we cannot stop there. In coordination with state attorneys general across the country, we will not hesitate to use the full weight of our enforcement authority to force this broken industry to respect the law and the safety and wellbeing of our children,” Tong said.
The Kids Online Safety Act is a bipartisan bill that has been spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). If passed, it would force social media companies to give parents and kids more options while using social media. Mainly the ability to turn on privacy settings, turn off addictive features, and opt out of certain algorithms.
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Jeniece Roman is a reporter with WSHU, who is interested in writing about Indigenous communities in southern New England and Long Island, New York.
Before joining WSHU as a 2022 Report for America corps member, Jeniece covered local government and education for the New Britain Herald in New Britain, Connecticut, and was a breaking news and crime reporter for the Record-Journal newspaper in Meriden.
She has been recognized with several awards by the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. Jeniece holds a B.S. in journalism with a concentration in political science from Southern Connecticut State University. While at the university, she was the student chapter president for the Society of Professional Journalists and the editor-in-chief of The Southern News, the student-run newspaper.
Jeniece enjoys reading books, photography and true crime podcasts.
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