The Netflix miniseries “Adolescence” isn’t just a gripping drama to binge-watch over a weekend; it’s a wake-up call about the very real dangers kids on the internet face today. The show follows a 13-year-old boy accused of murdering a classmate, fueled by dark online influences. It’s an extreme example, but one that is sadly reflected in real-life tragedies, igniting important dialogues about often unseen risks of social media and unrestricted online content, prompting parents, educators and policymakers to confront the need for protective measures for children entering the digital realm.
Right now, Illinois has the chance to turn this conversation into action with a new bill, the Digital Age Assurance Act. This critical piece of legislation would require specified manufacturers to implement device-based age verification to prevent young children from accessing potentially harmful platforms and content online.
Experts have been sounding the alarm for years about the risks that young people face when they have unfettered access to the internet, and those concerns only continue to grow as children’s screen time rises. We have a responsibility to take action where tech and device companies have not by preventing kids from participating in online spaces that they are too young to understand and navigate safely. The internet can feel limitless, as can its risk factors, so it’s essential that we prioritize solutions that protect kids across the board, rather than relying on a nearly infinite number of websites and apps to regulate their own users.
Social media platforms in many cases can become addictive with infinite scrolling, constant notifications and curated feeds. Early exposure to these sites can have detrimental effects on critical development of self-control, attention spans and social skills. As a result of this constant pressure to be online, too many young people see negative impacts on their physical health, sleep habits and academic performance.
We also know that kids with the highest rates of social media use experience worse mental health outcomes, and that can occur even when these platforms are being used as intended. But sadly, studies show that a majority of middle and high schoolers have experienced cyberbullying, and those numbers are on the rise. Online harassment shouldn’t be the norm for our children, especially knowing that cyberbullying is directly linked to depression, anxiety, self-esteem issues and, in the most extreme cases, suicide or self-harm in young people.
It’s increasingly difficult to know who and what our children are being exposed to online. Without supervision or regulation, kids can easily stumble upon explicit material, including violent and extremist content, that can lead to mental distress, desensitization and a warped perception of the world around them. And unfortunately, when kids do access the internet, they aren’t just interacting with each other. As more children get online, exploitation and victimization have become all the more prevalent. Predators find safety in anonymity, sometimes using online chat rooms to interact with and groom minors and leaving them susceptible to sexual abuse or other dangerous situations.
This is a problem that needs to be taken seriously, and it requires an industrywide solution. Leaving individual app-makers and web developers as the sole enforcers of age restrictions leaves the door open for far too many loopholes that could put our kids in harm’s way. Age verification needs to occur from the very start of a child’s online journey, and a device-based policy is the most effective way to do that.
We can’t rely on self-reporting, a system that has repeatedly failed to keep children safe. We know that too many young people are accessing age-restricted platforms simply by inputting a false birth date, and it isn’t practical to depend on individual apps and websites to enforce their own age verification systems by asking users to hand over sensitive information.
Device-based verification is a simpler, smarter and safer approach that protects minors online while safeguarding privacy. Rather than forcing kids and adults alike to repeatedly share sensitive personal data with each individual platform they wish to access, users would simply verify their age once when they activate their devices. From that point forward, the device would communicate an age range to apps and websites, ensuring that adolescents have access only to age-appropriate content. It’s a system that is streamlined, secure and, most importantly, actually works.
Across the country, and the world, efforts to better enforce online age restrictions have become more common, and it’s time for Illinois to join the charge and lead on a practical, technologically feasible solution. When our kids are in danger, it’s on all of us to take action to protect them and ensure our policies reflect the reality of the digital age. Social media won’t be going away, and we must find ways to adjust to the evolving digital landscape.
Jack Thorne, the British co-writer of the Netflix series “Adolescence,” a cautionary tale about the dangers of children’s online activity, has been clear in his perspective: It’s time for lawmakers to act.
By implementing device-based age verification, Illinois can take a meaningful step toward protecting the next generation and setting a precedent for child safety in the digital space.
State Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, represents Illinois’ 16th District and is chair of the Black Caucus. Richard Wistocki was a decorated member of the Naperville Police Department for nearly 30 years, spending 17 years investigating child cybercrime. He is a founding member of the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
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