Plans to ban Texas kids from social media

Published

6 months ago

December 14, 2022

A state representative in Texas has developed a bill, proposing banning all minors from using social media platforms.

The bill wants anyone under the age of 18 in the state prohibited from using all social media. This includes platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

HB896 introduced by Texas Rep. Jared Patterson, will require all social media users to prove their age.

Patterson wants put measures in place to protect children from harmful mental health effects of social media.

The legislation will ban accounts being created by minors. It will also require photo identification to verify that users are over the age of 18 before an account is approved.

The bill will also allow parents to request account removal of their child, and grants enforcement of deceptive trade practices to the Office of the Attorney General if violated.

“The harms social media poses to minors are demonstrable not just in the internal research from the very social media companies that create these addictive products, but in the skyrocketing depression, anxiety, and even suicide rates we are seeing afflict children…

We are tremendously grateful for Rep. Jared Patterson’s leadership on keeping this precious population safe, and TPPF is fully supportive of prohibiting social media access to minors to prevent the perpetual harms of social media from devastating the next generation of Texans.”
Greg Sindelar, CEO of the Texas Public Policy Foundation

Patterson described social media sites as “the pre-1964 cigarette,” with the public believing they were safe before in-depth research provided evidence of their harmful effects.

If the bill is passed, it will be the first of its kind to prohibit minors using social media platforms. It will lookregulate the likes of Meta, and ByteDance regarding minors using its platforms.

Both TikTok and Instagram have minimum age policies requiring users to be at least 13 years of age.

While both platforms enforce age verification measures, users under 13 are still on the platforms. This means parents are largely left to police their children’s use.

Some platforms try to address this issue by providing a range of safety tools for parents.

The level of government intervention proposed in Texas will be interesting to observe if it is passed and how it will be enforced.

It will also be fascinating to watch the societal and cultural impacts of such legislation and if other governments will also jump on board if it is effective.

By Dr Karen Sutherland, University of the Sunshine Coast and Dharana Digital

“I think there is a great risk”: will AI steal our jobs?

Published

2 days ago

May 31, 2023

ticker NEWS

Artificial Intelligence has become an increasingly powerful and pervasive force in our modern world.

Artificial intelligence is not a new concept. However, the growing advancements have the potential to revolutionise industries, improve efficiency, and enhance the quality of life.

Along with its promising advancements, artificial intelligence also brings certain risks and challenges that must be acknowledged and addressed.

It has become the focus of lawmakers, who are working towards greater regulation of the sector.

U.S. and European Union officials recently met in Sweden to weigh up the benefits and challenges of artificial intelligence, and other emerging technologies.

“The AI process is creeping up on us,” said Dr Keith Suter, who is a global futurist.

“You’ve got competition between companies.”

It’s almost like some of us can see this raft that’s heading towards the rapids and a disappearance towards the waterfall, and we’re giving a warning but it’s not being heeded because everybody’s in this race to get down to the river,” Dr Suter said.

Crypto

Is the metaverse the future of social network?

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2023

ticker NEWS

U.S. firms like Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Microsoft are going all in on the metaverse. Meanwhile, Chinese companies appear to be taking a more cautious approach amid tighter regulation.

#metaverse #china #unitedstates #tech #veronicadudo #ozsultan #crypto

Crypto

Who will win the global metaverse race?

Published

3 days ago

May 30, 2023

ticker NEWS

China is looking to invest in the metaverse market as numerous cities rollout policy proposals.

Technology continues to change our lives forever.

As new advancements are released to the public—safety continues to be a major concern.

People are interacting with computers in a different way, with the word Metaverse becoming a buzzword in both the tech and business industries.

While the term, “metaverse” is broad, it refers to a set of digital spaces online—including 3D—that allows people to do many things from socializing and learning to interacting and collaborating.

Analysts say it’s the next evolution in social connection and the successor to the mobile internet.

According to Morgan Stanley, the metaverse market could be worth $8 trillion in the future.

China’s technology giants are investing in the metavese and recently, numerous Chinese cities have announced policy proposals to attract and support metaverse companies.

This comes after tense year of regulatory scrutiny on the countries tech sector.

The Chinese city of Zhengzhou recently announced a series of policy proposals to support metaverse companies operating in the region.

The initiative involves the municipal government establishing a nearly $1.5 billion dedicated fund in an effort to foster growth and development in the industry.

So, is the metaverse taking the world by storm?

Oz Sultan from the Sultan Interactive Group joins us to discuss. #china #metaverse #veronicadudo #ozsultan #regulation #crypto #tech