Commentary: Washington needs to keep pushing for youth safety on social media

Existing at the forefront of any new technological frontier comes with advantages and drawbacks, and that is especially true for our digital lives. Organizing, connecting, and communicating has never been quite as seamless as it is today, and social media has progressed far beyond just entertainment.

It’s granted us an awesome ability to foster community amongst those of us who would otherwise remain disconnected. But at the same time, the power to connect with virtually anyone and anything can be all-consuming. And in an era where it feels like many adults aren’t equipped to engage with social media, how on earth can we expect that of children?

It’s time we stand up to the big-tech giants that design our children’s digital lives who have left parents with little to no say in the matter. I have spoken with families across Washington who do their very best to stay up-to-date with the latest that social media has to offer, both in terms of parental control options and social/educational opportunities for their kids. But in a reality where most kids are juggling multiple apps with multiple profiles, parents simply can’t keep up.

Washington Attorney General Nick Brown took a stand on their behalf. He and other attorneys general across the country secured a settlement deal with Meta that will bring safeguards to its platforms to help parents do their job. These new features will roll out over the next couple of months and include time limits, notification blockers at night/during school hours, and options to switch off auto-play features. These types of settings will help kids manage a healthier relationship with technology so they can best succeed at home and in the classroom. The fight, however, is not over yet.

I laud AG Brown for his work, as I’m sure most parents do across Washington state, but we know that the movement to keep kids safe does not stop at just Instagram and Facebook. Any form of social media that engages kids the way Meta’s platforms do should be held to the same standard. YouTube and TikTok both offer the same style of short-form, auto-playing content that exists on Instagram, but neither is bound by the agreement. This is meaningful because part of the agreement states that if the other major platforms adopt the same standards, Meta will release more money to states. In Washington, that means jumping from $237 million to nearly $339 million over the next decade. That’s roughly $100 million more that could help fund the youth mental health programs so many students in our communities rely on.

Surveys show that YouTube is the most widely used social media platform amongst American teens, so there is an even greater urgency for the platform to adopt these common-sense standards. YouTube is trying to evade responsibility by claiming it isn’t social media, which won’t fool anyone who has used the app recently.

I’ve seen firsthand how beneficial social media platforms have been for teens in the LGBTQ community. Finding peers and mentors with similar lived experience can be transformative, and in many cases, life-saving. I want to make sure these platforms are being used the right way, and AG Brown deserves great credit for heading that mission. We are so close to a huge breakthrough in the mission to keep kids safe online. I sincerely hope YouTube and TikTok step up so we get to see it through.

Sheila Stickel is a renowned family advocate throughout the Pacific Northwest. She has worked for 20 years advocating for human rights, including managing Washington State’s history making same-sex marriage campaign in 2012.