The need for regulation in the digital age has become increasingly important as children are exposed to online dangers. A century of experience in regulating adult-only activities such as alcohol consumption serves as a prime example. The Kids Online Safety Act, which has passed the Senate, aims to protect children from targeted algorithms and ensure their safety and well-being online.
The Need for Regulation
The same principle should apply to the internet. Children are different from adults, and they need protection and age-gating in some parts of the digital world.
A Century of Experience
In the real world, we have more than a century of experience figuring out how to share the world with children in order to keep them safe while still allowing adults to engage in adult-only activities. The regulation of alcohol is a prime example.
Concern Among Parents and Educators
Concern among parents and educators is now widespread. A survey on children’s health conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital showed that the issues that most concern parents—ranked above school violence, drugs, and bullying—were the overuse of smartphones, social media, and internet safety.
The Kids Online Safety Act
Bipartisan legislation addressing these concerns—the Kids Online Safety Act—has also passed the Senate. This new law would force tech companies to stop targeting kids with personalized algorithms designed to hook them.
A New Era of Responsibility
In 2025, parents will no longer be alone in tackling this problem. They will be assisted by concerned politicians and by phone-free schools. Social media companies will be forced to acknowledge their role in shaping childhood, and they will take steps to ensure the safety and well-being of children online.
The Dangers Are Now Undeniable
From the dawn of the internet through to 2024, any child who knew how to lie about their age could open an account on nearly any platform used by adults, except for those that require a credit card. This included hardcore pornography sites such as Pornhub, and the now-defunct site Omegle—where children could video chat with strangers, some of whom were naked masturbating men.
The Internet Needs Its Own Age-Gating
Just as it would be absurd for parents to manage their children’s access to alcohol alone, it is equally absurd that we once allowed children of any age to go everywhere on the internet that adults go, doing everything that adults do, without the knowledge or consent of their parents. The year 2025 will be the one where humanity remembers children are different from adults and that they need protection and age-gating in some parts of the digital world.
A Lesson from History
In 18th and 19th century America, there were essentially no restrictions on children’s consumption of alcohol. However, following the temperance movement’s efforts to publicize alcohol’s harmful effects on families, women, and children, and after the failed experiment of Prohibition, states took on the responsibility of regulating alcohol. Each state eventually passed laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol to those under a certain age, usually 21.
The Future of Internet Safety
A New Era for Internet Safety
Bipartisan legislation addressing these concerns—the Kids Online Safety Act—has also passed the Senate. This new law would, for instance, force tech companies from targeting kids with personalized algorithms designed to hook them.
