Click play to listen to this article.

As Wisconsin lawmakers advance key social media measures to address addictive online features, young advocates in Wisconsin and across the country are sounding the alarm about the need to protect children from social media harms.

It comes on the heels of a landmark verdict which has set a precedent for holding tech giants accountable for creating addictive platform features.

Image

James Jandro, former regional organizing director for the advocacy group The Wisco Project, said predatory algorithms have made addictive content so accessible it supersedes almost anything else in young people's lives. He noted although social media has replaced traditional hobbies, young people are sick of being addicted to the "infinite scroll."

"These habits don't suddenly begin when kids are 18 or go to college," Jandro pointed out. "They start as soon as they get access to social media. Right now, parents are ill-equipped to protect their children from becoming addicted to social media platforms."

State and federal legislation are being considered to provide extensive online safeguards for children. Big Tech companies like Meta and Google rebut the idea their platforms alone cause severe mental health issues.

Gen Z advocates said they were made to be the guinea pigs of the social media rise and now they’re watching the cycle of harm repeat with their children. Jandro, 25, is a father of three. He and his wife are raising them to be screen-free but he feels it alone is not enough anymore.

"My daughter, who's only eight years old, comes home from school telling us about how her classmates talk about how much they love ChatGPT, about how cool it is to talk to a robot that's like a person," Jandro recounted. "These kids are being exposed to chatbots before they know the dangers of talking to a robot as though it possesses actual human intelligence and emotions."

Along with addressing social media practices, legislation currently being considered in the Wisconsin legislature would address chatbot dangers to children. The legislation aims to protect minors from chatbots encouraging self-harm, illegal activity or prevent children from seeking help.