Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools (MiPASS), a statewide coalition of parents, praised tough new bills introduced today to protect kids' safety and privacy when they go online. The package of bills announced today will strengthen safety and privacy standards across social media and internet platforms commonly accessed by minors and hold Big Tech billionaires accountable for putting children at risk.
“Big Tech CEOs are intentionally turning our children into social media addicts because clicks equal profits, even if that means exposing them to cyber bullying, online predators and increasing risks of physical and emotional harm,” said Calhoun County parent Amanda Wilson. “Billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg refuse to be held accountable for the harm they cause our children every day. It is therefore up to us parents across Michigan to call on our elected leaders to stand up to online predators and Big Tech by passing strong safety legislation.”
The legislation comes as evidence continues to emerge that Big Tech corporations, through their social media platforms, allow adults to contact minors without safeguards; collect, sell, and profit from children’s personal data; and use addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay to hold minors’ attention. Internal documents in lawsuits show that Big Tech companies ignored warnings about the dangers of their social media platforms, lied about risks to young users and pursued profits at the expense of children’s safety.
“The digital ecosystem has grown fast and broken things without considering the unique needs of children and teens,” said Dr. Jenny Radesky, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, whose work focuses on how digital media impacts children and families. “It doesn’t need to be this way. Legislation is needed to make digital products safer and ensure that they are designed in ways that don’t maximize engagement at the expense of youth wellbeing.”
Macomb County parent Christy King said, “If Big Tech CEOs refuse to take responsibility for their products that endanger kids, then our elected leaders must make them, the same way we require automakers to install seatbelts and chemical companies to put child-proof caps on pesticides. Cyber bullies and online predators endanger all families, regardless of politics, and that’s why we call on legislators from both parties to pass tough new laws without delay.”
The legislative package announced Wednesday includes:
• A digital safety bill requiring online platforms to implement privacy-by-default and safety-by-design protections for kids online.
• Prohibitions against unknown adult online users interacting with minors and strengthening minors’ privacy and data minimization.
• Bans against social media platforms from providing addictive social media feeds to minors unless a parent consents, and bans from sending notification to minors between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.
• A bill to protect children from serious harms including self-harm and suicidal ideation on AI chatbots.
• Requiring covered social media and tech companies to provide an independent audit of their operations and business practices related to minors. The audit must be available to the public and completed annually.
“Big Tech CEOs are intentionally turning our children into social media addicts because clicks equal profits, even if that means exposing them to cyber bullying, online predators and increasing risks of physical and emotional harm,” said Calhoun County parent Amanda Wilson. “Billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg refuse to be held accountable for the harm they cause our children every day. It is therefore up to us parents across Michigan to call on our elected leaders to stand up to online predators and Big Tech by passing strong safety legislation.”
The legislation comes as evidence continues to emerge that Big Tech corporations, through their social media platforms, allow adults to contact minors without safeguards; collect, sell, and profit from children’s personal data; and use addictive features such as infinite scroll and autoplay to hold minors’ attention. Internal documents in lawsuits show that Big Tech companies ignored warnings about the dangers of their social media platforms, lied about risks to young users and pursued profits at the expense of children’s safety.
“The digital ecosystem has grown fast and broken things without considering the unique needs of children and teens,” said Dr. Jenny Radesky, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan School of Medicine, whose work focuses on how digital media impacts children and families. “It doesn’t need to be this way. Legislation is needed to make digital products safer and ensure that they are designed in ways that don’t maximize engagement at the expense of youth wellbeing.”
Macomb County parent Christy King said, “If Big Tech CEOs refuse to take responsibility for their products that endanger kids, then our elected leaders must make them, the same way we require automakers to install seatbelts and chemical companies to put child-proof caps on pesticides. Cyber bullies and online predators endanger all families, regardless of politics, and that’s why we call on legislators from both parties to pass tough new laws without delay.”
The legislative package announced Wednesday includes:
• A digital safety bill requiring online platforms to implement privacy-by-default and safety-by-design protections for kids online.
• Prohibitions against unknown adult online users interacting with minors and strengthening minors’ privacy and data minimization.
• Bans against social media platforms from providing addictive social media feeds to minors unless a parent consents, and bans from sending notification to minors between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on weekdays during the school year.
• A bill to protect children from serious harms including self-harm and suicidal ideation on AI chatbots.
• Requiring covered social media and tech companies to provide an independent audit of their operations and business practices related to minors. The audit must be available to the public and completed annually.
