U.S. bill shields children online from algorithms and tracking

A new bill introduced Wednesday will hold social media companies responsible for any harm they cause to children.

The Kids Online Safety Act, introduced by Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) requires tech companies be more open about how their algorithms, design features and targeted advertising affect minors. The bill requires companies provide a periodic assessment of those technologies affect on children, as well as the ability for anyone under 18 to opt out of tracking and potentially addictive features.

“In hearings over the last year, Sen. Blumenthal and I have heard countless stories of physical and emotional damage affecting young users, and Big Tech’s unwillingness to change,” said Sen. Blackburn.

The legislation is intended to address growing suspicion toward the affect of social media on its users, especially children, following a Wall Street Journal investigation that revealed internal research at Meta, formerly Facebook, found Instagram’s engagement tactics were extremely harmful to teen girls.

“We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls,” said one slide from the 2019 study, summarizing research about self-esteem in teenage girls.

“Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression,” said another slide. “This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”

A coalition of state attorneys general launched a probe into Instagram’s engagement tactis in November, saying Meta had endangered children in pursuit of profits.