The United States is likely going to introduce tighter regulations for social media companies in 2023, as concerns continue to arise over accelerating antitrust issues.
In 2022, both states and the Congress enacted laws targeting social media companies. TikTok and Meta were at the center of antitrust probes that have spilled into the New Year. Lawmakers, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), said the social media scrutiny, particularly on TikTok, is expected to continue in 2023.
TikTok has been on the radar of the US authorities mainly due to its ties to Beijing. Late last year, a number of states passed laws prohibiting the use of the short-form video app by state employees or on government-issued devices. The step, which the federal government has also taken, was deemed necessary because of the growing perception that TikTok poses a national security threat.
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On NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Gallagher compared TikTok to “digital fentanyl.” He said he views the app as dangerous, describing it as “destructive.”
“It’s highly addictive and destructive. We’re seeing troubling data about the corrosive impact of constant social media use, particularly on young men and women here in America,” he said.
The growing apathy toward TikTok was notable last month in the swift passage of a bipartisan bill banning the use of the app on government phones by the Congress.
TikTok has recorded intimidating growth over the past few years, seeing more than 1 billion users per month. The company has repeatedly denied any involvement with the Chinese government as it currently has no database in China, but that has not in any way mitigate the US government’s concern that users’ data could be accessed by the Chinese Communist Party.
On the other hand, Meta’s Facebook got a full dose of scrutiny in 2021 following the leaked documents by its former product manager, Frances Haugen, which accused the social media company of choosing profit of morality.
The leaked documents revealed Facebook’s internal response to a series of issues. The issues include exemptions for high-profile users, impacts on youth, the effects of its 2018 algorithm changes, weaknesses in the response to human trafficking and drug cartels and vaccine misinformation, among other things.
Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg had to testify before Congress following the whistleblower’s claims.
Haugen, who was also on “Meet the Press” said the US is far behind when it comes to social media regulation.
“This is like we’re back in 1965, we don’t have seatbelt laws yet,” she said. Haugen added that social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube operate using similar algorithms, and that regulators should push for more transparency about how they work as a first step.
Meta’s other social media platform, Instagram, was also accused in 2021 of harming kids. The flurry of antitrust issues involving Big Tech prompted a bipartisan bill called “American Choice and Innovation Online Act.” The bill aims to curtail the influence of social media companies, but it failed to pass last year.
However, a new legislation may surface this year to tackle most of the concerns.