FILE – In this April 26, 2014, file photo, Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes speaks during the Utah Republican Party nominating convention, in Sandy, Utah. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and a bipartisan coalition of 44 attorneys general wrote to TikTok and Snapchat this week, urging them to give parents the ability to monitor their children’s social media usage and protect them from online threats using parental control apps.
The letter is addressed to attorneys for TikTok and Snapchat, and says in part: “Your platforms do not effectively collaborate with parental control applications (“apps”) or otherwise provide an adequate opportunity for parental control within the platform. Many other platforms already allow parental control apps to monitor the content on their respective platforms. We ask that you conform to widespread industry practice by giving parents increased ability to protect their vulnerable children.”
According to a press release, research increasingly demonstrates the negative impact that social media can have on children and teenagers’ physical, emotional, and mental well-being. These range from decreased self-esteem and greater body-image dissatisfaction to increased exposure to cyberbullying and sexual predation. One app reported that in 2021 it had analyzed more than 3.4 billion messages and found:
43.09% of tweens and 74.61% of teens were involved in a self-harm/suicidal situation;
68.97% of tweens and 90.73% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature;
75.35% of tweens and 93.31% of teens engaged in conversations surrounding drugs/alcohol;
80.82% of tweens and 94.50% of teens expressed or experienced violent subject matter/thoughts, and
72.09% of tweens and 85.00% of teens experienced bullying as bullies, victims, or witnesses.
The press release from the AG’s office noted, social media platforms already engage in some content moderation and operate under some community guidelines. Still, these are not always sufficient to protect children and teenagers who are particularly vulnerable to online threats, especially concerning direct messaging. Parental control apps empower parents to be full partners with the platforms to maintain a safe space online for their children.
will@cvradio.com