Northwest Wayne News

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is joining a coalition consisting of attorneys general from across the nation to call on social media giants TikTok and Snapchat to develop parental control apps to give parents more control over children's social media usage. 

According to a press release, the coalition is led by Attorneys General Lynn Fitch (MS) and Josh Stein (NC) and consists of 44 attorneys general. The AGs are urging TikTok and Snapchat to give parents the ability to monitor their children's social media usage in order to protect them from online threats.

"We live in a time when everything is shared on social media," Nessel said, according to the press release. "Not only does that foster a comparison culture in which our kids are constantly exposed to unrealistic beauty standards, it also exposes them to the hateful rhetoric spewed by those who hide behind keyboards. I will continue to join efforts with my colleagues across the country aimed at protecting kids online." 

Citing research on the negative impacts that social media can have on children, Nessel believes that Instagram should not create a social media network for children under 13. Issues include negative impacts on children's self-esteem, cyberbullying, and sexual predators. 

According to a 2021 study that analyzed more than 3.4 billion messages, 43.09% of tweens and 74.61% of teens were involved in a self-harm/suicidal situation; 68.97% of tweens and 90.73% of teens encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature; 75.35% of tweens and 93.31% of teens engaged in conversations surrounding drugs/alcohol; 80.82% of tweens and 94.50% of teens expressed or experienced violent subject matter/thoughts; and 72.09% of tweens and 85.00% of teens experienced bullying as a bully, victim, or witness.