We need to keep kids safe online

The U.S. Surgeon General recently released a warning about the negative impacts of social media on children’s mental health, saying that it presents a profound risk of harm.
The advisory also urged social media companies to help parents with the burden of managing the effects of social media on kids. 
 Big tech companies have shown time and time again that they cannot be trusted to protect kids’ data or safety online. We’ve spent years talking about these problems, but it’s time to actually do something about them.
 First, tech platforms need to cut down on the addictive and otherwise dangerous content they are showing kids. There is growing evidence that kids are getting addicted to apps like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
According to a recent report, around one-third of girls ages 11 to 15 say they feel “addicted” to a social media platform and over half of teenagers report that it would be hard to give up social media.
Big tech companies see this as a success, but parents know that social media addiction and dangerous online content has been disastrous — for everything from kids purchasing deadly drugs laced with fentanyl to constant distractions from homework.
Facebook’s own research showed that 13 percent of teen girls reported that Instagram worsened suicidal thoughts, and there have been numerous examples of content that encourages eating disorders among teen users on TikTok.
I am working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass a bipartisan bill to require big tech companies to do more to protect kids on their platforms and give parents the tools to keep their kids safe.
 Additionally, we need to make sure big tech companies can’t collect data about children without their parents getting a say. Using social media generates all sorts of information about who a person is, where they are and what they like.
That data can be used by platforms to create addictive content or target kids with ads. That’s why I’m working to pass legislation to require these platforms to get explicit consent from users age 16 and under and their parents before collecting data.
 It’s also critical that we address the impact of social media on drug addiction and trafficking.
I will never forget the story of Minnesota teenager Devin Norring who struggled with dental pain and debilitating migraines. He bought what he believed was Percocet over Snapchat, but the dealer gave him something laced with fentanyl, and it killed him. 
 Devin’s story is sadly too common.
That is why I have long pushed to strengthen efforts to detect and intercept fentanyl at our borders.
I am also leading and cosponsoring several bipartisan bills to stop fentanyl trafficking online, including legislation to bolster federal law enforcement’s ability to investigate online fentanyl trafficking, including on the dark web, so we can crack down on these crimes.
Social media has been a gateway to drugs for too many kids, and it is past time we meet this threat with the all-hands-on-deck response it requires. 
We need to protect kids from big tech profiting off of their personal data, dangerous content that harms their mental health, and drug traffickers moving deadly substances.
I will continue working on meaningful reforms to address social media’s harms to children.