I believe in a brighter future for kids online. That’s why I’m CCDH’s CEO.

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Dear Friend,

My child is not old enough to be on social media, but I know they will be one day. They will likely be savvy users of yet-to-be-developed platforms, mocking me mercilessly for my lack of understanding of any of them. When that day comes, there are two possible scenarios.

The first one is the scenario in which social media platforms remain as they are now: unconcerned with young people’s safety, unaccountable, and opaque. In that frightening case, I know I will be as worried as the parents who spoke to CCDH about their struggle to protect their kids online.

I will lose sleep worrying about my child’s mental health while social media algorithms feed them a never-ending stream of harmful content. I will be continually anxious about how online misinformation may affect my kid’s perception of the world. I will be in constant fear of these platforms letting bad people reach out to them.

But there is this another scenario in which social media companies are held accountable and responsible for the harms they cause to kids. Where young people’s safety is the number one priority for these companies – as it is for us, their parents.

Friend, I believe in this brighter future. I wouldn’t be the CEO of an organization holding the most powerful social media giants in the world accountable with research and evidence if I wasn’t hopeful.

It’s not wishful thinking. My hope is based on tangible evidence: the advances of online legislation around the world and the growing movement of parents challenging social media companies.

Both the UK’s Online Safety Act and the European Union’s Digital Services Act address harms to children, restricting access to eating disorder, self-harm content, and pornography. These pieces of legislation are not perfect, but they are huge steps to guarantee meaningful platform accountability which can inspire lawmakers in other parts of the world.

In the US, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is still the elephant in the room. This outdated law shields social media companies from liability for what is shared on their platforms, including harms to kids. Still, parents are taking the lead in holding these companies accountable.

Parents and advocates have struck a chord: Congress even held a hearing with social media CEOs, in January, to grill them about the risks their platforms are posing to kids and teens.

This Thanksgiving, I thank these parents from the bottom of my heart. Some of them are facing the most excruciating pain anyone could ever feel after losing their child to social media harms – still, they’re up there, undefeated, fighting for a safer internet for other kids.

CCDH will always be on parents’ side. We’ll continue to amplify their voices, expose how platforms are harming children, and campaign for legislation that protects kids online. You can count on that.

Want to support our work? You can make a donation today. If you're not ready, you can tell your friends and family about our crucial research and campaigns.

Warm wishes,

Imran Ahmed

CEO, Center for Countering Digital Hate

General: [email protected] | Press: [email protected]

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