Can social media be regulated?
Sources:
Yes, social media can be regulated. Experts have discussed various approaches and the challenges associated with them:
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Government Intervention: compares social media companies to tobacco companies and suggests they should be regulated accordingly. She points to the UK’s Online Safety Bill, which imposes significant duties of care on social media platforms to prevent psychological and physical harm to users. She also supports banning addictive social media for children, similar to restrictions on tobacco products 1 2.
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Emergent and Top-down Approaches: believes regulation should be both emergent (bottom-up) through social change and top-down via government legislation. Mechanisms like screen time limits for children have been proposed 2.
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Balancing Free Speech and Regulation: discusses the complexity of balancing free speech with the need to regulate harmful content on social media. He suggests that while current regulations are minimal, new rules might need to treat social media platforms more like utilities with specific protections and exclusions for certain types of speech 3.
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Deregulation Argument: , from a libertarian perspective, argues against government regulation, claiming it cements the dominance of existing platforms. He suggests that reducing government intervention and existing regulations could foster competition and innovation in the social media market 4.
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Regulation for Teenagers: proposes strict regulations for teenagers using social media, similar to driving restrictions, including parental oversight of their online activities 5.
These discussions highlight the varied perspectives on regulating social media, indicating it is feasible but requires careful consideration of the methods and implications.
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