Editor’s Note: KaraAlaimo is an associate professor of communication at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Her book “Over the Influence: Why Social Media Is Toxic for Women and Girls — And How We Can Take It Back” was recently published by Alcove Press. Follow her onInstagram,FacebookandX. The opinions expressed in this commentary are her own. Readmore opinionon CNN.
CNN —
New York lawmakers are working on a bill that would ban social media companies from using algorithms to select what content young people see. Social networks would have to show minors content in chronological order, unless they gain permission from their parents to have algorithms control their feeds.The current version of the bill would alsoincrease the ageat which social networks are allowed to collect data on people to 18 (in the US it’s currently age 13).
Kara Alaimo
The idea is smart because algorithms are currently such black boxes. We have no idea how social media companies choose the content they show minors, but we do knowthey have incentivesto serve them posts that arebad for young peopleindividually and for our society.We also have plenty of evidence that algorithms sometimes pushincredibly dangerous content to kids. This legislation would make it easier for young people — ideally with help from their parents — to intentionally select and consume healthy content. But it wouldn’t be a panacea because social media companies could still show them toxic advertisem*nts.
As early Facebook investorRoger McNameewrites in “Zucked: Waking Up to the Facebook Catastrophe,” social networks have incentives to show us content that provokes strong emotions such as outrage, because emotional users spend more time on social media platforms.
Of course, the more time we spend on these platforms, the more money social networks make by showing us ads.
But getting young people angry isn’t just potentially bad for their mental health — it’s also bad for our country. It can help explain how we’ve arrived at whatNew York Times columnistFrank Brunicalls “the age of grievance” in his new book — our era of extreme partisanship, where people (of all ages) often focus on our differences and disagreements with one another, instead of how we might arrive at reasonable common ground.
The contentthatalgorithms promote to kids can also bedangerous.One woman I interviewed formy new booktold me she got her eating disorder on Instagram as a teenager after she posted a picture of herself doing a handstand and the picture was shared by a so-called “fitspo” (“fitness inspiration”) page, which led her to consume more and more toxic “fitspo” content.
Studies have documented how algorithms sometimes serve young people this content. This year,a report by UK researchers showed what happened when they set up TikTok accounts and searched for content that is commonly sought after by young men. Within five days, the amount of misogynistic content promoted to the accounts quadrupled.In response,TikTok told The Guardianthe report “does not reflect how real people experience TikTok.”
Similarly, in 2022, researchers at theCenter for Countering Digital Hateset up accounts purporting to be 13-year-olds and briefly viewed and liked content about mental health and body image. Within minutes, the accounts were being served videos about eating disorders and suicide.TikTok saidthe study didn’t accurately reflect the experiences of usersand last month the company announcednew measuresto avoid promoting dangerous posts about weight loss and dieting.
But the fact remains that we have no idea how algorithms choose what they show kids. Social media companiesclosely guardhow their algorithms are programmed because they consider it to be proprietary information — it’s central to how they differentiate apps from one another.
Preventing algorithms from determining what kids see would put children in the driver’s seat. They would see content from the accounts they choose to follow in the order in which it’s posted. While some kids might choose to follow very toxic content, others could select accounts about issues they care about or healthy interests they might later pursue as careers. The trick would be for schools to incorporate curricula on how students can find and follow accounts that serve and empower them. It would also be ideal for parents to help kids find healthy accounts to follow.
Of course, even if social networks can’t use algorithms to determine what they show kids, they would still select what ads young people see— and they could still be very toxic. For example, the accounts set up by the Center for Countering Digital Hate wereshown adsfor things like tummy tuck surgery and weight-loss drinks. So lawmakers should also think about how they can prevent social media companies from showing ads to children that are harmful to their physical and mental health.
Still, this legislation would give kids who want to curate healthier feeds a way of doing so. Combined with proper educationand parental involvement to help them consciously choose to follow content that isn’t harmful, it would be a helpful step towards making social networks potentially safer for young people.
As a parent, given the choice between letting social media companies drive what my kids see online or letting my kids control more of it, I’d trust mychildrenmore — and then support them in making good choices.
