Today, most of the social media apps and websites we use daily are designed in such a way as to keep us hooked, instead of helping us. Social media addiction has become a serious problem of modern society, and the tech companies behind these platforms are continuously using tricks to exploit users’ psychology as part of their business models.
In an effort to curb the use of such practices, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has introduced a new bill before the Senate, aiming to ban social media and tech platforms from implementing “addictive” design and features – including auto-playing videos or endless scrolling.
The new legislation would ban the types of features and tricks that these platforms use to keep people engaged for longer periods of time. It could also outlaw some of the deceptive ways tech companies keep people from opting out of their services – perhaps finally giving users better control over the internet and social media.
