Around the years, children used to be outside, playing outdoors, playing a sport, running, exercising and becoming occupied before the day’s out.
Children nowadays are at home, using devices for hours at a time, not even making eye contact with family members around them.
With how dangerous social media is, kids still have access to creating an account on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc.
“Though most social media platforms have a required minimum age of 13, almost 40% of children between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media,” Dr. Carol Vidal and Dr. Jennifer Katzenstein of Hopkins Medicine commented.
Social Media apps knew this, and restrictions were installed for teens 13 and above to use social media responsibly under parental safety controls.
According to The National Conference of State Legislatures, state legislators were often notified by concerned parents that children had negative mental effects on social media, legislators organized together and came up with the “Social Media 2023 Legislation”.
Different Bill Status on the NCSL confirmed, denied, failed, adopted, enacted, or still in the status of different states on “Social Media 2023 Legislation”.
Thirty-five states and Puerto Rico discussed the legislation at hand, 12 States accepted bills and/or adopted resolutions, such as banning specific apps, as Montana enacted a law banning the use of TikTok in the state.
Not all states agreed on banning apps, and not all apps contain consistent child safety features as intended.
YouTube Kids is intended to shield away regular YouTube videos that adults use, especially when scrolling through shorts. There is no telling what video pops up on the other end.
Kids’ videos such as “Arts & Crafts, Toys & Play, Learning hobbies, Shows & Cartoons” play on YouTube Kids.
To their favorite YouTube videos on DIY and prank videos, it seems harmless at first, until the content becomes uncensored.
“Kloer, of ParentsTogether, says that inappropriate content that has popped up on YouTube Kids includes videos that encourage dieting and calorie limitations as well as violent cartoons,” Rebecca Heilweil, a reporter at Vox, wrote.
Technology cannot shield away dangers, and with auto-play being in the mix, children watch anything that seems entertaining and can’t comprehend what’s actually going on, but it will stick as they grow.
In the minds of children and teens, research identified links between mental health and the use of it.
Depression is a common factor for children and teens; it impacts their learning abilities and emotions during the day. Technology feeds into their mental health, such as their lack of “Social isolation, Lack of healthy activities, and lack of sleep,” Johns Hopkins Medicine added.
Since parents cannot monitor their children’s habits and screentime all the time, apps cannot regulate safety controls, exposing children to risks and causing mental health problems.
According to NPR, the reason why those age rating apps are not doing what is needed is that app developers found loopholes in the “1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act”.
It accounts for App developers. The main focus is to use their demographic to “all ages to all users”.NPR.
There are ways to limit screen time for teens and children. It is not recommended for parents to give children electronics until they are 13, to fully enjoy the outside, and to learn and thrive on their own to build independence.
Children should not have access to technology at such a young age to avoid accidentally being exposed to unfiltered content. Teenagers should be limited underneath supervision as well with parents should maintain a healthy relationship with their children for a higher form of trust.
