Today, Alabama’s children face much greater risks than just stranger danger. The threats of all kinds come from the social media platforms they constantly find themselves on. Tech giants have engineered their apps to be addictive by design, utilizing algorithms that aggressively feed young users content designed to keep them scrolling, regardless of the toll it takes on their mental health. We are seeing a generation grappling with record levels of anxiety and body image issues, all fueled by a business model that prioritizes engagement metrics and ad revenue over the safety of the developing brains glued to the screen.
Now, facing a tidal wave of parental outrage, these companies are trying to change the narrative. But instead of fixing their own broken products, they are pulling a legislative sleight of hand in Montgomery by forcing others to be held accountable for their own failures while they retain the ability to addict and harm children.
Lobbyists for the social media giants are pushing a new bill, HB161, that is supposed to protect children from dangerous algorithms built by large social media platforms. That is a noble goal, and lawmakers should work to make the digital world a safer place for children. However, the reality is that HB161 would do little to keep children safe. The bill purports to keep kids off of harmful social media platforms by mandating app stores verify the ages of users seeking to download Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, TikTok or other similar apps. However, this solution fails to recognize the variety of ways kids can completely avoid app stores while accessing these platforms. Alabama lawmakers and parents must look closer. This proposal is not a shield to keep our kids safe. It is a decoy to allow platforms like Facebook and TikTok to continue to profit from our children’s pain.
The fatal flaw of age-gating at the app stores is that it locks the front door while leaving the back door wide open. If a child is blocked from downloading the Instagram or TikTok app, they can simply open a web browser, gaming console or any other smart device and log in to the exact same platform there. HB161 does nothing to stop this. It is a fake solution that lets social media companies claim they are regulated while continuing to profit from our children’s data and attention without restriction.
Furthermore, this plan demands that app stores collect and process massive amounts of sensitive personal data to verify ages. We would be forcing the gatekeepers to hoard even more private information about Alabama families, creating a new honeypot for hackers and a privacy nightmare for parents.
We do not have to look far for a better blueprint. Our neighbors in Mississippi refused to fall for the app store distraction. Instead of regulating the storefront, they went after the product itself. Mississippi lawmakers passed legislation that places the responsibility squarely on the content providers, the social media companies.
The Mississippi model closes the browser loophole. It ensures that whether a child uses an app or a website, the safety checks remain in place. It forces the companies creating the harm to fix the harm.
Alabama has a chance to take a step in the right direction and protect kids online, but only if we reject the hollow compromises offered by Big Tech lobbyists. We need legislation that demands age-appropriate design within the platforms themselves. We require safety standards for digital products just as we do for physical ones.
Our legislators in Montgomery have a choice. They can pass a bill written by social media lobbyists that offers the illusion of safety, or they can deliver real authority to parents. Alabama’s children deserve a digital world that protects them, not a legal loophole that exploits them.
