It’s the oldest trick in the book for politicians: employing seemingly virtuous titles to disguise legislation, promising benefits that won’t come to fruition, and stressing extreme urgency for passage — wherein the government will be handed ever more control over our lives.
The Kids Online Safety Act (S.1409), introduced by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), exemplifies this approach. While the name conjures a false image that this legislation shields children from online predators, its practical implication is to completely upend the advertising landscape for child-driven products and content. To understand why, let’s turn the page back to the 1990’s.
During the 1990s, Nickelodeon, the child-centric television network, reached its peak of prominence with a diverse lineup of wildly popular programs catering to all ages. In the mornings, Nick Jr. entertained toddlers and preschoolers with shows like Blues Clues and Gullah Gullah Island. Afternoons offered fare for slightly older elementary school students, featuring Rugrats, Hey Arnold, and Rocket Power. And on Saturday night, ‘Snick’ targeted an early teenage audience with shows like Clarissa Explains It All and Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Crucially, mixed in with all of these programs (many of which are regarded as iconic) were commercials. Commercials selling Nickelodeon magazine subscriptions, amazing elastic plastic balloons, rainbow art sets, socker boppers, vacation packages to Nickelodeon studios, and much more. Without these commercials, there would have been no television network exclusively for kids; that would have meant no “Slime Time Live,” no “Kid’s Choice Awards,” and no waking up to our animated host “Face” every morning. The advertisements were what paid the bills.
This is why one must roll their eyes at commentary claiming, among other things, that social media companies are “deliberately exploiting kids” by targeting advertisements to them via social media algorithms. I wonder if said authors feel exploited by SpongeBob and all of the other transformational content Nickelodeon produced as well.
Nickelodeon was what made being a kid in the 90s cool.
Its programming and advertising, deliberately targeted to young children, became so ubiquitous that you can bump into people around the globe who tuned into these shows – and find common ground in a shared upbringing on these era-defining programs.
Which brings us to why the Kids Online Safety Act will ban the next “90s Nickelodeon.” In essence, the Kids Online Safety Act forces social media companies to “turn off the commercials” by mandating default settings that prohibit algorithms — or targeted content — from appearing in a youth’s activity feed.
Just as how without commercials there would be no Nickelodeon, without targeted ads, social media companies will have little profit incentive to invest in making their platforms more child-focused and child-safe. Advertising revenue is how they pay their bills.
Do proponents expect social media companies to act as charities, continually offering services to young Americans with diminishing ability to turn a profit?
The simple fact is the Kid’s Online Safety Act will hinder the creation of innovative content for America’s youth.
As with video games, junk food, candy, and television — of course parents play a pivotal role in monitoring and supervising their child’s online activity. However, politicians seem to find it more advantageous to claim they’re “saving the day” by banning targeted ads, instead of advocating for the increased parental responsibility that is needed.
The solution to keeping children safe online isn’t overreaching legislation that bans safe, kid-centric content.
If you grew up in the 90s like me, you probably agree our childhood would have been much duller without those “exploitative” Nickelodeon ads that accompanied the golden age of children’s television.
