If you are a lover of social networks, you will be interested to know that the United States, specifically in the state of Utah, have taken a step forward to try to alleviate the addition of children to social networks, and among the measures is set a digital curfew.
Utah Governor Spencer Cox signed on thursday two bills aimed at holding companies accountable for social networks of the addition of the smallest to this type of platform.
This imposes an age verification scheme that will require identification, but also a digital curfew required from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. for boys and girls who use social networks, although in this case parents can choose to exclude their children from this requirement.
On the one hand, we have state law SB152, which requires social media companies to verify that users in the state are 18 or older to open an account; and state law HB311which prohibits social media companies from using a design or feature that causes a minor to add to the company’s social media platform.
One of the reasons for including these laws, according to Governor Spencer Cox, is that “rates of depression and other mental health problems among young people are rising, and social media companies know their products are toxic. They designed their apps to be addictive“, Explain.
What the experts think
While studies indicating a correlation between time spent on social media and depression have been published before, researchers say more work is needed to establish causality.
But experts also affirm that social networks have a positive aspect, and that is that it makes it easier for the youngest to connect with their fellow students.
However, according to studies of Social Media and Mental Healthfound that the implementation of Facebook in a university “increased symptoms of poor mental health, especially depression, and also that among students predicted to be more susceptible to mental illness, the introduction of Facebook led to increased utilization of mental health services”.
On the other hand, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) sent a letter Governor Spencer Cox urging him not to sign SB152 because it interfered with the rights of youth and adults.
“As a result of the process of age verification, this law will also interfere with the First Amendment right of the general public to receive information. The collection of private data, such as this, not only creates dangers of hacking and privacy violations, but it means that no user on a social network can remain anonymous.”, they comment.
