China is acting aggressively setting restrictions and guidelines on how young people can use the internet and AI. The Cyberspace Administration of China set these national guidelines that social media and AI providers must adhere to.
- No one under 18 can access their screens between 10PM and 6AM.
- Children under eight can only use their phones for 40 minutes per day.
- All recommendation algorithms (like Amazon, Alibaba and Facebook) must be registered by a central government agency.
Should the US federal government impose similar restrictions or continue to let these platforms set their own safety standards?
Western traditions of individual liberty make it difficult for governments to regulate how society uses social media and AI. But making companies or parents responsible for how young people use these new addictive technologies should remind us of how long it took to regulate tobacco use in spite of scientific evidence of harm.
1950 – Epidemiological studies report that lung cancer is prevalent among cigarette smokers.
1964 – Surgeon General’s report concludes that smoking causes cancer.
1971 – Broadcast ads for cigarettes are banned
1988 – Government bans smoking on some airline flights
These are interesting and provocative rules that China has implemented. I think the model here in the US in terms of device usage has been to try to encourage companies to give individual parents the tools they need to impose these sorts of restrictions on their own volition. I’m sure many (most?) parents fall far short of the standard set by China’s restrictions.