Protect us teens from social media ads for tobacco products

My parents are Generation X and I’m Generation Social Media. 

A recent report by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy warned parents about social media’s risks to teens’ mental health. He stated social media can be a beneficial communication tool, but may be addicting to adolescents.

Social media is everywhere. Some 95% of kids aged 13-17 have a social media account, with a third of them reporting constant social media use, according to Murthy. Adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risks of depression and anxiety.

Concerns regarding adolescent social media use, mental health, and privacy are growing. The chief executive of TikTok testified before Congress in March about the app's insufficient privacy regulations for teens. Last month, Montana banned TikTok statewide.

The national focus on social media has centered around mental health. But teens' physical health is at risk, too, from unrestricted and targeted advertising on social media of nicotine-containing products.

Technology companies use precise algorithms to target teens with content and advertisements. These algorithms take user input — such as likes, comments, and shares — and provide personalized content to keep teens engaged. This is the digital equivalent of allowing tobacco ads in schools, parks, and other places children hang out.

Tobacco companies covet youth. They understand once teens become addicted, they become customers for life. Most nicotine users begin smoking or vaping before 21, the legal age for use. Social media companies create appealing personalized advertising. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say 18 million kids in 2014 saw a tobacco advertisement, 40% of them online.

When influencers are seen with nicotine products, their followers are more likely to be interested in trying them. “RiP Trippers” is an influencer who reviews vape products, and he has more than 1 million subscribers on YouTube. As a teen, I have seen vape marketing disguised as a cool activity by social media influencers.

Congress must recognize that poorly regulated teen-based advertising can create physical problems, and act to protect my generation. 

The Kids Online Safety Act is a bipartisan bill that would force online companies to protect children by reducing exposure to ads promoting self-harm, including the use of tobacco and nicotine. Companies would also have to stop suggesting content to teens that increases their likelihood of encountering an advertisement.

The Children and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act would disrupt the direct exposure of teens to targeted ads by allowing teens to be “invisible” when using social media. The bill would also give children the ability to erase digital footprints on social media. It would also require companies to default to the highest privacy setting upon registering a teen for an account. These updates would catalyze a safer digital world for teens like me. 

The last time Congress addressed these issues was in 1998, a decade before I was born, which is why action is needed now. Technology grows exponentially; a decade in computer science is a century in any other field. 

Nicotine is the most commonly abused drug among teens. The lack of regulation allows algorithms to target teens precisely through social media. These bills would prevent direct advertising from tobacco companies to kids, creating a safer, healthier, and more secure online experience. 

Generation Social Media doesn't have time to waste.