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We’ve got so much going on with the AI craze and AI crisis that the social media ones feel like old news. The old-school era of social media, though, is still here. There are still all kinds of challenges and problems associated with TikTok, Instagram, X, YouTube, Facebook, and other social media platforms.
One problem is managing social media use for small kids and teens. There’s all kinds of harmful content, and there are also addiction, self-esteem, and peer pressure issues associated with the platforms. Research has made clear now that social media can be very damaging to people’s self-esteem and happiness, especially females and teens.
Some places have decided to implement social media bans for kids. One such place is Australia, but Elon Musk’s X is apparently now suing the Australian government regarding this ban. X argued to the Australian senate committee that the law does not give “due regard to procedural fairness, privacy, the broader impacts on online services, and Australia’s digital economy.” Anyway, many more details can be found here, but reading about the case just got me thinking, “Were we less happy before social media?” Why do kids need to be on social media?
