The hottest Child safety Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top U.S. Politics Topics

TikTok Is Harming Children at an Industrial Scale

After Babel • 3575 implied HN points • 09 Jan 25
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Child safety Social media Mental health Public Opinion
  1. TikTok is known to harm kids by being highly addictive, making them spend hours on the app, which can lead to mental health issues.
  2. The platform exposes users to harmful content like drugs, violence, and sexual exploitation, often without proper moderation.
  3. Many young people actually wish TikTok didn't exist due to its negative effects, but feel stuck using it to keep up with trends.

Congress Must Pass KOSA By Christmas. The Only Obstacle Seems to be Meta’s Influence

After Babel • 1221 implied HN points • 12 Dec 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Social media Child safety Lobbying Free speech
  1. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) aims to protect children online by introducing stronger privacy settings and reducing harmful features on social media platforms.
  2. There is significant concern over the current impact of social media on kids, including issues like sextortion and mental health problems, which KOSA seeks to address.
  3. The bill has strong bipartisan support in Congress, but its progress is hindered by lobbying from major social media companies that fear regulation.

The Tech Industry’s Playbook To Prevent Regulation

After Babel • 647 implied HN points • 11 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Social media Regulation Corporate Responsibility Child safety Legislation
  1. The tech industry often blames users for any harm their products cause. They argue that it's up to individuals to control their usage rather than taking responsibility themselves.
  2. Tech companies have developed tools like parental controls, but these often fail to make a real impact on screen time. Instead, they shift the responsibility to parents, making it seem like it's their job to manage their kids' online behavior.
  3. Legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) tries to hold tech companies accountable while also giving parents some control. This is important because it recognizes that tech companies have a duty to ensure their products don't harm kids.

Problems at Roblox (RBLX) #5

The Bear Cave • 513 implied HN points • 17 Oct 24
🕹 Technology Gaming Child safety Online Communities Digital Content
  1. Roblox has been linked to serious issues like school shooting games and child abuse, raising concerns about children's safety on the platform.
  2. Many Roblox developers admit the site isn't safe for kids, often referring to its content as harmful and emphasizing the lack of proper moderation.
  3. Roblox's current sign-up process allows easy access for predators, as it only requires a username and password, and there are serious suggestions for improving safety measures to protect children.
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Fixing the Web without the Stanford Internet Observatory?

Unmoderated Insights • 39 implied HN points • 14 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Misinformation Public Policy Social media Child safety
  1. The Stanford Internet Observatory did important work to study online abuse and misinformation, helping inform lawmakers and create tools for research.
  2. Unfortunately, it closed after facing legal troubles, which affected its ability to continue funding and operations.
  3. Despite the closure, some projects and research from the Observatory are being handed over to other organizations to keep the work going.

AI and child safety

Tech + Regulation • 59 implied HN points • 13 May 24
🕹 Technology AI Ethics Child safety Cybersecurity
  1. The internet was not originally designed to be safe for kids, but improvements have been made over the years. Now, with new technology like generative AI, there's a chance to build better protections for children right from the start.
  2. Generative AI poses new risks for kids, especially with issues like deepfake pornography. These risks can lead to harmful impacts on their mental health and safety, as they might encounter misleading or abusive content online.
  3. Organizations like NCMEC play a crucial role in reporting and managing child exploitation content online, but they are underfunded. New laws need to ensure that these organizations receive the necessary resources to effectively combat these growing threats.

KOSA is back. Or is it?

Tech + Regulation • 39 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Legislation Child safety Digital Privacy Social media Regulation
  1. The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) aims to improve online safety for children and teens. It includes new rules for social media platforms to protect young users from risks like bullying and harmful content.
  2. KOSA introduces a 'duty of care' that requires platforms to actively prevent online harm to minors. This means they have to find a balance between allowing access to information and not promoting harmful content.
  3. The bill also changes how advertising works for younger users. Platforms will need to inform them why they see certain ads and limit certain design features that encourage excessive use.

Meta Blocker

Technically Optimistic • 19 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Social media Legislation Child safety Privacy Law enforcement
  1. Reports of online child abuse have significantly increased over the years, showcasing a concerning trend that AI technology might exacerbate.
  2. Tech companies, like Snapchat and X, are starting to agree to support legislative acts like KOSA to enhance online protections for children, signaling a potential positive shift in the industry.
  3. There is a growing call for tougher legislation, transparency, and accountability in the tech sector to protect users, especially children, from harmful content online.

Rolling Back Child Labor Laws--Enabling Child Predators

The View from Rural Missouri by Jess Piper • 0 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Public Schools State Legislation Child safety
  1. Rolling back child labor laws can create situations that put children in danger from sexual predators in the workplace.
  2. States like Arkansas and Iowa have rolled back child labor laws and defunded public schools, prioritizing corporate interests over child safety.
  3. Child labor laws are important not just for preventing exploitation, but also for protecting vulnerable children from abuse and danger.