EVERY PARENT IN THE WORLD IS WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THEIR CHILDREN ARE SEEING ON THE INTERNET
IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY
The web was once described as 'The Information Superhighway." It has become the "The Exploitation Superhighway."
The web today is not a healthy thing for our kids. The harms to kids have been well documented:
- Exposure to inappropriate content
- Mental health harm
- Addiction & attention damage
- Cyberbullying & social cruelty
- Sexual exploitation & grooming
- Distorted identity & body image
- Political & ideological radicalization
- Manipulation by influencer marketing
To a disturbing degree the giant web platforms thrive on an inventory of outrage, AI generated nonsense, lies, conspiracy theories, pornography, and hate.
It has evolved into a crisis that touches every family in America, and across the world.
In 1996, in a misguided frenzy of enthusiasm for a new thing called "the internet," Congress passed a law known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
Section 230 exempted publishers on the internet from responsibilities that every other medium is subject to. In essence it told web publishers they could publish virtually anything they wanted without liability. It was unprecedented in the history of the nation.
Every other medium - TV, radio, print - have always been legally responsible for what they publish. But Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, and all the other online platforms are not.
Want to publish lies? No problem.
Want to publish disturbing porn that every kid with a little ingenuity can find? No problem.
Want to publish AI deep fakes that libel innocent people? No problem.
Want to publish material that can result in violence and hate? No problem.
Back in 1996, the rationale for Section 230 was that the web was just a 'bulletin board' where people could post whatever they wanted and the publishers would be passive hosts, playing no part in deciding what was seen.
This is now a complete fiction. Everyday Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X and all the other giant online platforms are...
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Curating what users see
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Ranking content based on predicted engagement
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Recommending posts, videos, and accounts to their customers
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Amplifying lurid material likely to keep users 'engaged'
The shift from passive hosting to active amplification marks one of the most significant changes in the history of media.
Example: Your Facebook page looks completely different from mine. Why? Because Facebook - largely through its algorithms - decides what we will see.
It is the furthest thing from a "passive bulletin board." In fact, it curates to a meticulous degree everything that you and I (and our children) see on their site.
Every parent in the world is worried about what their children are seeing on the internet. It doesn't have to be this way.
We can end the havoc the internet is wreaking with one simple act of congress - repealing Section 230. And by doing so, they would make the online publishers bound by the same standards of decency and responsibility as every other medium. Let's be clear - this is not censorship. Online publishers can still publish whatever the hell they want. The only difference is that they will be held accountable for it - like everybody else.
There is already momentum across party lines to repeal 230. Among the many in favor of repealing it are Joe Biden, Donald Trump, Lindsay Graham, and Amy Klobuchar. You can't get a much wider tent than that.
But we need to give Congress a big fat kick in the pants to get them off their asses.
If you agree, I am going to ask you to do two simple things. I am hoping we can start a snowball rolling...
1.Click the button to join us in launching the snowball.
2. If you agree with the sentiment, please forward this link to your contacts and ask them to share it with theirs.
It's not going to be easy to get 230 repealed. We'll be up against the richest, most powerful companies the world has ever seen. But one thing we know -- if politicians feel pressure from constituents, they jump.
But our first step is to get as many people as possible involved so we can start to make sure the billionaire boys club can no longer live by a separate set of rules than the rest of society.
And so our kids can grow up a lot more safely.