On the recordMay 30, 2023
the dangers children encounter when they go online have increased exponentially since social media platforms took over our lives. Just a few years ago, cyber bullying dominated our conversations about kids and the virtual world. Now those cyber bullies are joined by drug dealers, sex traffickers, pedophiles, and influencers who glorify mental illness, eating disorders, and self- harm. Last week, the Biden administration decided to pay some attention to this pressing issue. While I am glad to see the White House get behind us on this issue, I would be remiss if I didn't point out that they are far behind. Over the past 2\1/2\ years, the Senate has dedicated an incredible amount of time and energy to investigating the harm these threats have inflicted on young people. When Senator Blumenthal and I led the Commerce Committee's Consumer Protection Subcommittee, we hosted five separate hearings investigating the inherent dangers children encounter online. The Judiciary Committee hosted a sixth this past February. During those hearings, we produced more than 500 pages of testimony. This is just the testimony from witnesses who have come before us in those hearings. In addition to this testimony, we have collected hundreds more pages of evidence illustrating the devastating impact Big Tech has had on the lives of children and teens.…
Source
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