New London teens sound off on social media restrictions
Apr. 26—NEW LONDON — After a couple of trial and errors, a group of friends at New London High School were dancing in sync to a choreographed TikTok dance ― before the recording unintentionally cut short.
The group shook their heads, laughed and shrugged it off.
Hildalyn Joran, a senior and member of the girl's lacrosse team, was among those dancing. She said the team likes to have fun and make TikToks videos dancing for five to ten minutes after practice.
"Social media is a big part of like, how we connect, interact and enjoy the presence of our friends," she said.
And TikTok is not just about dancing videos to her. Joran said the video platform has taught her to cook, shown her where to shop for clothes and helped her collect videos about college reviews and tips.
TikTok and social media use has been a hot button topic among federal and state legislators during this legislative season as concerns grow over the impact social media has on teenagers and children's mental health.
Connecticut's Democratic U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy joined by Hawaii Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz, Arkansas Republican Sen. Tom Cotton and Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt at a press conference Wednesday in Washington, D.C., to introduce a bipartisan bill that would ban children 13 and under from accessing social media platforms and require youth aged 14 to 17 to have parental consent to open a social media account.
A proposed bill under consideration in Connecticut would require parental consent for social media use for anyone 16 or younger. States like Utah and Arkansas have already passed legislation limiting minors' social media use.
Students in New London shared their thoughts on social media use and restrictions during recent interviews.
Seniors Josh Hickson, Johnny Burns III and Marvelt "Marv" Fleurijeune said they estimate being on social media about three to four hours a day. The platform they use the most is TikTok, but they are also on Instagram and Snapchat.
Fleurijeune said he liked TikTok because it has a "for you" page that "shows you everything you usually like." Burns likes funny content and football and video game footage.
Hickson said he likes being able to watch sports content, videos of people at home cooking like professionals and finding new music.
According to TikTok, the app is used by more than 150 million Americans and monthly active users.
Fleurijeune said it is also easy for content creators to get famous on TikTok and for people to promote small businesses, referencing TikTok food reviewer Keith Lee whose reviews have helped uplift small businesses once on the brink of closing.
The positive qualities they listed have been eclipsed recently by concerns about national security and about the "for you" algorithm, which legislators say is leading to addiction and a mental health crisis among teens and children. The algorithm works as a system to curate a stream of videos curated to a user's interests.
The Biden administration has demanded TikTok sell its stake in the app to a U.S. company, or potentially face a ban in the U.S.
A month ago TikTok Chief Executive Officer Shou Zi Chew sat in front of U.S. lawmakers for five hours to address concerns that TikTok's parent company Bytedance might be sharing data from U.S. users with the Chinese government. U.S. officials have not offered any evidence suggesting this has occurred, but national security experts say it remains a possibility.
The New London students said if the video platform were to be banned, they would turn to using Instagram more which now features "reels," or short videos viewers can make and scroll through in a similar fashion to TikTok.
"It's not the same but it would make up for it," Hickson said.
The senior boys admitted there are negatives that come with social media, including cyberbullying. Burns said some internet users purposely conceal their names behind a random username to bully others.
"People can easily hide their identity and make somebody else's day terrible for no reason," he said.
Sen. Murphy, in a live-stream of Wednesday's press conference, said as a parent and politician he has seen the tremendous benefits of social media for all ages, but he's also seen its immense damage on children.
"I've seen both my children be subjected to these algorithms that are intent on addicting them to their screens and pulling them away from much more fulfilling and meaningful connection to family and peers," Murphy said.
He mentioned Chase Nasca, of Long Island, who died by suicide last year at 16 years old. Nasca's parents are suing and accusing TikTok and its algorithm for sending "thousands of unsolicited suicidal videos" to their son's account.
The Protecting Kids on Social Media Act would prohibit the big technology companies from using the personal information of teens under 18 to target them with content or advertising. The act would also enact a pilot, government-run age verification program that can certify users' ages or parental status by which participation in the program would be voluntary.
Murphy said the proposed federal bill would be "content neutral" and does not dictate what kind of content is put on a site or platform.
The content is what Fleurijeune said older lawmakers should be more focused on when creating legislation. He said there should be a concerted effort to get rid of the "bad things" on a social media app instead of the app itself.
He added lawmakers should use the apps to understand them.
Fleurijeune, Hickson and Burns had not heard about the proposed Connecticut legislation requiring youth under 16 to have parental consent to open a social media account, but agreed the age restriction should be lowered to 13 or 14 years old.
Burns said younger kids are getting phones now, and that keeping them off their phones would allow them to "enjoy life outside" like he remembers doing.
Joran said she understands concerns about social media, but is not in favor of regulations by the government around it. In reference to the proposed bill in the state, she said students at 15 and 16 are already driving and/or having jobs.
"It's up to parents to allow their children on social media or not... it's a personal issue and discipline," Joran said.
