{"id":2039790,"date":"2023-09-21T07:12:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T11:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-big-tech-doesnt-have-a-right-to-speak-to-kids-without-their-parents-consent\/"},"modified":"2023-09-21T07:21:41","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T11:21:41","slug":"no-big-tech-doesnt-have-a-right-to-speak-to-kids-without-their-parents-consent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-big-tech-doesnt-have-a-right-to-speak-to-kids-without-their-parents-consent\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Tech can&#8217;t speak to kids without parental consent."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fno-big-tech-doesnt-have-a-right-to-speak-to-kids-without-their-parents-consent%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2039790&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div class=\"article-content\">\n<h2>Why We Must Protect Our \u2062Children from Big Tech<\/h2>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Future generations will wonder why, when parents and\u2064 legislators tried to use the democratic \u2064process\u200b to end Big \u200dTech\u2019s massive \u200dexperiments on America\u2019s children, the\u200b judicial system\u200c said\u2062 \u201cno.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The experiment \u2064results are in \u2014 they\u200b are not good. \u200cIn a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hhs.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/sg-youth-mental-health-social-media-advisory.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent\u200c advisory<\/a>, the Surgeon General has\u2064 declared \u200da \u201cnational youth mental health crisis,\u201d\u2064 as \u200cboth sexes report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/sections\/health-shots\/2023\/04\/25\/1171773181\/social-media-teens-mental-health\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">unprecedented<\/a> levels of depression, loneliness, and anxiety \u2014 not to mention large spikes in the rates of \u200bself-harm\u2062 and suicide among teens.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1210537777\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f16120e48e2fc340b700bd8f58b76d8c fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-f16120e48e2fc340b700bd8f58b76d8c\"><\/div>\n<p>Eminent \u2064researchers, such as Jean \u200cTwenge and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspenideas.org\/sessions\/our-uniquely-stupid-decade?&#038;utm_source=s&#038;utm_medium=adgrant&#038;utm_campaign=content&#038;utm_source=google&#038;utm_medium=adgrant&#038;utm_campaign=&#038;utm_term=jonathan%20haidt&#038;gad=1&#038;gclid=CjwKCAjwsKqoBhBPEiwALrrqiMYCtrjRYFMEx62nBzKbBJlLF6YcDVXu2MB3d16oQEUkBZJQUYT-8BoCbGsQAvD_BwE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jonathan Haidt<\/a>, place much \u200cof the blame squarely on social media.<\/p>\n<p>Parents have learned\u2062 the hard way that private parental-control \u2063software \u200b\u2014 and the meager collection of\u2064 tools that Big \u200cTech companies halfheartedly toss at parents \u2014 are not equal to the problem. The former cannot even monitor certain apps like TikTok and Snapchat or certain features like direct messaging on Instagram,\u2064 where minors\u200c spend\u200c most of their time.<\/p>\n<p>Aiming\u2063 to help \u2064parents regain control over what kids \u2062see and \u2064who talks to them \u200conline, many states, including Arkansas, have passed laws requiring social media platforms to get \u2062parents\u2019 approval before \u2062kids enter into contractual account-holder relationships. These\u2063 laws, following uncontroversial\u200c legal \u200cprecedents such as requiring parental\u200c consent for tattoos or \u200bliability\u200b waivers, restore\u200c to parents what the Supreme\u2062 Court has recognized\u2063 as \u2064fundamental to our democracy: The power to control, even online, who educates our kids.<\/p>\n<p>But rather\u2062 than reaffirm parents\u2019 \u2062rights, at\u200d least one federal district court seeks to condemn other people\u2019s children to social media companies\u2019 horrible experiments.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0a60aeaa869c1ef8f2a036307a0ff82b fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-0a60aeaa869c1ef8f2a036307a0ff82b\"><\/div>\n<p>Judge Timothy\u200c Brooks of the Western \u2062District of \u200cArkansas\u2062 recently <a href=\"https:\/\/arkansasadvocate.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/brooks-injunction-smsa.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">enjoined\u2063 the Arkansas \u200dsocial media law<\/a> on First Amendment grounds. His opinion\u2062 displays \u200da willful \u200dblindness towards the injuries these platforms cause.<\/p>\n<p>Even worse,\u2063 the Arkansas opinion depends \u200don a na\u00efve analysis\u2063 of how social media today \u200coperates\u2064 \u2014 the precedents it heavily relies on employ outdated understandings of\u2063 the internet.\u200b However, if understood correctly, the state age verification laws he prevented from going into effect withstand such \u2063constitutional challenges.<\/p>\n<p>To begin,\u2064 Brooks\u2019\u200c opinion treats social media\u2063 platforms as\u2063 unsullied domains of\u2064 personal \u2062growth.\u2064 The opinion\u2019s tone echoes that of Mark\u200c Zuckerberg himself as Brooks approvingly\u200c quotes Big Tech lobbyists who\u200c claim social media enables minors to \u2062\u201cshowcase their \u2064creative \u2064talents\u201d and\u2062 \u201craise awareness about social causes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But Brooks ignores social media\u2019s more salient negative effects. For instance, in\u2062 2021 a <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.ph\/TAs9E\">whistleblower<\/a> \u2063released thousands \u2063of internal Facebook documents to <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/the-facebook-files-11631713039\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Wall Street Journal<\/a><\/em>, showing that \u200dthe company knew much \u2062of its\u2062 content was toxic for mental\u2063 health and female body\u2064 image, preferential to certain causes, designed \u2064to attract underage users, and \u2062preorganized by dense algorithms that acted invisibly \u2063and independently of user and community intention.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-957ec94ed0d86e18f9fb2cb955417bcf fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-957ec94ed0d86e18f9fb2cb955417bcf\"><\/div>\n<p>Brooks\u2019 reliance on <em><a href=\"https:\/\/casetext.com\/case\/brown-v-entmt-merchants-assn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Brown v. Entertainment Merchants \u200dAssociation<\/a><\/em>, the case that struck down a state law <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/i-welcome-pro-life-legislation-desantis-signals-hes-open-to-legislation-like-texas-heartbeat-act\/\" title=\"\u2018I Welcome Pro-Life Legislation\u2019: DeSantis Signals He\u2019s Open To Legislation Like Texas\u2019 Heartbeat Act\">requiring parental consent<\/a> for minors to purchase violent video games, would have\u200d made much more sense in 2011 when it was perhaps\u200c prudent to\u2063 argue,\u2062 as the Supreme Court did, that the evidence connecting violent video games to negative \u2062behavior was \u201cnot compelling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But\u200c it \u2063is anachronistic when applied to social media \u2062in \u200b2023, the year that U.S. Surgeon\u200b General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory finding that these platforms have\u200c caused an \u201curgent public health \u200cissue\u201d for young Americans. Contra Brooks, Murthy asserts that the \u2062indicators for social media presenting \u201ca profound risk of harm \u2063to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents\u201d are \u2062\u201cample.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even\u2063 more depressing, Brooks elevates the questionable and\u2063 limited\u200c free speech rights of minors over parents\u2019 right to raise \u2064their children, a precedent \u2064recognized for a\u200b century in\u200d cases\u200c such as\u200b <em><a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/268\/510\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pierce v. \u200cSociety of\u2064 Sisters<\/a><\/em>. In fact, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote \u2063in his dissent in the <em>Brown<\/em> \u2063 case that \u201cthe \u2018freedom of speech,\u2019 as originally understood, does not \u2064include a right to \u2064speak to\u200d minors (or a right of minors to access speech) without\u200d going through the minors\u2019 parents or guardians.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There is\u2062 certainly no First Amendment right for\u200d companies \u200dto contract with \u2062children in\u200c order to\u2064 speak to\u200c them over \u2062their\u200b parents\u2019 objections, but this is\u200d precisely what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/newsom-challenges-biden-for-censor-in-chief-title\/\" title=\"Newsom challenges Biden as the Censor-In-Chief.\">social media\u2063 companies<\/a> do.<\/p>\n<p>Neither does the law \u201cburden\u201d adult speech. Raising \u200cthe \u200bbogeyman \u2064of\u2063 forcing \u200cArkansans to \u201csubmit to \u2062biometric \u2062scans,\u201d i.e., \u200dscans \u200cof one\u2019s face, eye, \u2063or\u2063 fingerprint, Judge Brooks ruled age\u200d verification a \u200dburden on adult speech. But, as we \u200dhave <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/congress-blog\/4192462-big-tech-knows-that-age-verification-is-necessary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">previously argued<\/a>, biometrics can be \u2062avoided \u2063altogether in\u200c favor of more secure methods.<\/p>\n<p>Having a third party \u2063conduct verification using a two-step process, or, better yet, deploying more advanced cryptographic techniques like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/forbestechcouncil\/2023\/02\/07\/what-are-zero-knowledge-proofs\/?sh=55d105dd6b3e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">zero-knowledge proofs<\/a>, allows for\u2062 anonymous verification posing no burden to user privacy\u2062 or \u200cadult speech \u2063whatsoever. These\u200c processes can take less than \u200d60 seconds. It seems highly unreasonable for\u2064 a one-time, minute-long process to\u2063 be considered as inhibiting adult speech.<\/p>\n<p>By treating the\u200c Arkansas social media law as a \u2064content-based restriction \u2014 a restriction on speech \u2014 rather than as a form of contract\u200d law governing the ability\u200b of\u2062 minors to \u2064enter into online contracts and agreements,\u2063 Judge\u2063 Brooks\u2019 court made a\u200d key\u2064 category \u200cerror. The process of opening an account to be able\u2062 to\u200d participate in a\u200c social media platform involves agreeing to \u2062a\u200c whole host of terms\u2063 and conditions, \u200dakin to \u200bforming a contract. And, as the \u2062logic\u200c of the law \u200cgoes, parents have a right to determine who\u200d their child contracts with online.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing in the Arkansas law places any restrictions on speech. This key distinction must not\u2062 be lost on the court.<\/p>\n<p>Similarly, the \u200dcourt erred in \u2064claiming the law\u2019s definition of social media\u200c was \u201cvague\u201d \u2064when nearly identical definitions have been\u200d upheld by the U.S. \u200bCourt of Appeals \u200cfor the Eleventh and Fifth Circuits.<\/p>\n<p>The law is\u200c not perfect. Judge Brooks \u200braises important questions about its numerous carveouts, exempting platforms like Google\u2019s\u2063 YouTube, Snapchat, \u200cand WhatsApp. This \u200cwas a mistake by the Arkansas \u2062legislature, and other \u2063states should take heed not\u2063 to\u2064 repeat it. Other \u200c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-rejects-most-radical-abortion-bill-in-united-states-history-all-but-one-democrat-vote-in-favor\/\" title=\"Senate Rejects 'Most Radical Abortion Bill in United States History,' All but One Democrat Vote in Favor\">parental consent laws<\/a>, like <a href=\"https:\/\/socialmedia.utah.gov\/#:~:text=Starting%20on%20March%201%2C%202024,access%20to%20their%20child's%20account\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Utah\u2019s<\/a>, do not contain\u200c these problematic exemptions and offer a\u200d stronger model for \u200bother states to \u2063follow.<\/p>\n<p>For nearly 30 years, legislators and regulators have been trying to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/archives\/ag\/department-justice-s-review-section-230-communications-decency-act-1996\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">govern the internet<\/a> without\u200b success, largely because of First Amendment jurisprudence. Given\u200d that the\u2062 factual\u200b predicates and dated assumptions that undergirded these rulings have been proven spectacularly wrong, it is\u200d time for a fundamental reconsideration. The world that\u2063 Big Tech promised is not the world it delivered.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of the\u200b day, age verification is\u200d a small price \u2062for adults to pay\u2063 to protect American children. Parents need \u2062help, and legislators are \u200btrying to give it to them. Now, we need courts to see the matter clearly \u2014 and come to their aid.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-83b9bfa25c89d7cbd1fb8ac20420079d fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-83b9bfa25c89d7cbd1fb8ac20420079d\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> How do social media platforms \u2062engage in surveillance capitalism and\u2062 what are the implications for user privacy?<\/h2>\n<p><span>  T\u2062 of early \u200cinternet\u2062 enthusiasts who saw the web as\u2062 a utopian space for \u200bfree expression and creativity. However,\u2062 this view ignores the reality of the \u200cmodern internet, \u2062where Big Tech companies profit off the exploitation of personal data and the manipulation of user behavior.<\/p>\n<p>The \u200bJudge&#8217;s opinion\u200c fails to acknowledge \u2062the extensive\u200c evidence that shows how \u2064<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/no-big-tech-doesnt-have-a-right-to-speak-to-kids-without-their-parents-consent\/\" title=\"Big Tech can't speak to kids without parental consent.\">social media platforms employ\u2062 addictive design techniques<\/a>, engage in surveillance capitalism, \u200cand\u2063 create echo chambers that amplify extreme \u200cviews and misinformation. Moreover, the opinion overlooks \u2063the fact that these platforms specifically target\u2062 children and adolescents with targeted advertising and harmful content.<\/p>\n<p>The Surgeon General&#8217;s advisory mentioned earlier highlights the alarming increase in mental health issues among young people, which \u2062can be directly linked \u200dto their social media use. The negative\u200c impact on their well-being\u200c cannot\u2063 be ignored, and it is \u200dthe responsibility of \u200dparents\u2063 and legislators to protect them from\u2063 these\u2063 harmful influences.<\/p>\n<p>Critics argue \u200bthat laws like the one in\u2063 Arkansas \u200binfringe on First Amendment\u2062 rights and\u200b limit free speech. However, it \u2063is essential to note \u2062that\u2062 these laws do not seek to silence individuals or restrict their \u200dability to express themselves. Instead, they aim to empower \u2062parents to make \u2063informed decisions\u200d about their children&#8217;s online activities, just as they \u200ddo in \u200dother areas of their lives.<\/p>\n<p>Child \u2064protection laws have long \u2062been recognized as essential for the well-being of society, whether it&#8217;s enforcing age restrictions for alcohol and tobacco consumption or requiring parental consent for medical procedures. Applying the same principles to the online world is a logical step to ensure the safety and development of our \u2064children.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the \u200bdebate about protecting children\u2064 from Big Tech is not\u200c a matter of censorship, but rather an\u2063 affirmation of parental authority and the need to prioritize\u200b the well-being of the most vulnerable\u2063 members of society. Parents \u2063and legislators must continue to fight for the implementation of laws \u2064that prioritize child safety\u2063 and prevent Big Tech from exploiting and endangering our children any further.<\/p>\n<p>In the \u200bfuture, when generations look back, \u2064they should\u2062 not wonder\u2062 why we failed to protect our children\u200c from \u200dthe harmful effects of social media and Big Tech.\u2063 Instead, they should see\u200b a society that took action, recognized the risks, and prioritized the well-being of its most \u200bvaluable asset \u2013 \u2064its children.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1210537777 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"mb-30\" id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Future generations will question why the judicial system rejected parents&#8217; and legislators&#8217; democratic attempts to halt Big Tech&#8217;s harmful experiments on American children. The outcomes of these experiments are now evident, and they are alarming. The Surgeon General&#8217;s recent advisory confirms a distressing &#8220;national youth mental health crisis.&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2430,"featured_media":2039791,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2039790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2430"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2039790"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2039790\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2039791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2039790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2039790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2039790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}