Policy and Civil Action
Concerned citizens in many countries are raising their voices to protect youth whose mental and physical well-being has been severely harmed by the addictive engineering of online platforms. As a result of these negligent and harmful business models, our youth are suffering irreparable mental and physical harm.
As outlined by public lawsuits driven by coalitions from across the political spectrum focused on holding major online platforms accountable for their impact on youth mental health, the following immediate steps must be taken to address the diverse harms faced by young people in today’s online environment.
- Put an end to the prioritization of user engagement over individual and child/adolescent safety.
- Stop the monetization of young users’ attention via the harvesting of personal information and targeted advertising.
- Prevent the proliferation of addictive engineering and user-experience features designed to capture young people’s attention and increase time spent on digital platforms.
- Advocate for public visibility and transparency of the algorithms that have been demonstrated to promote compulsive use and addiction, particularly in young people.
- Limit or ban the use of interactive design features including social comparison features, audiovisual and haptic notifications, visual filters, and others that contribute to mental health harms in young users.
- Prohibit the systematic discouragement of young users’ attempts to disengage from social and digital media.
- Ban the collection, storage, and commercial use of personal information of young users and increase requirements for verifiable parental consent before providing access to certain types of social and digital media platforms.
- Hold online platforms legally accountable with stringent transparency and reporting requirements around any technologies, engagement, or activity related to children and teens.
