Biden Announces Initiatives to Improve Child Privacy Online

President Joe Biden made waves when he proposed strengthening privacy measures for children online during his State of the Union address. During his speech, President Biden announced new initiatives targeted at technology giants such as TikTok and Meta. These measures are intended to research the quality of privacy safeguards on social media, its impact on the mental health of children, as well as deter the persistent collection of sensitive and personal information of children.

Biden Pledges to Strengthen Child Privacy Online

During his address, President Biden laid out multiple proposals that are intended to improve the privacy protection of children online. As part of the approach, President Biden has asked for significant money to research current privacy protocols on social media that claim to protect the privacy of children. Secondly, President Biden has also requested backing in the form of five million dollars that will be spent on examining social media’s impact on the mental health of children. Finally, President Biden also announced his intention to create a Center of Excellence on Social Media and Mental Illness, which will be the leader in spearheading his efforts on these privacy initiatives.

Recent Testimony Spurred Need for Increased Child Privacy Online and in Social Media Platforms

Experts in the field believe that the Biden administration’s focus on social media presence in children’s mental health was heavily influenced by the recent testimony of former Facebook employee, Frances Haugen. Haugen turned whistleblower against Facebook and recently testified before Congress about the internal operations at Facebook, claiming that the social media platform holds little regard for privacy. In Haugen’s multiple testimonies, she also discussed the current use of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. Haugen has posited the possibility of creating new law, arguing that current judicial precedents ineffectually apply Section 230 when it comes to privacy protection in relation to social media platforms. As such, Haugen’s testimony has united bipartisan efforts to reform privacy protection for children on social media.

Key Takeaways on Biden’s Initiatives for Child Privacy Online

The Biden administration has announced plans to tackle the issue of privacy protection for children on social media and online, generally.  To accomplish this, Biden intends to:

• Fund the research of the current status of privacy safeguards for children on social media platforms;

• Dedicate $5 million in funding to examine the impact of social media on the mental health of children; and

• Create the Center of Excellence on Social Media and Mental Illness.

For more information about online privacy, see our Internet & eCommerce and Industry Focused Legal Solutions pages.