Grappling with the Gray #112: Social media round-up?

Is the long arm of the law too long or not long enough?

That's the question that drives the conversation when the ethics panel convenes with Krista Crawford, Ph.D., MBA, SPHR, Diane Helbig, and Peter Winick to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

Last week, Australia made world headlines by passing legislation to ban social media use for children under 16 years old. Many support the intent of the law, which seeks to protect children from the various ills associated with online use, including cyberbullying, invasion of privacy, depression, and addictive behavior.

However, the new law raises a slew of ethical questions. To what degree can platform providers ensure who is or isn’t using their platform? Much of the burden of enforcement will inevitably fall on parents, who may be struggling on many fronts with the stresses of raising teenagers. Would they be subject to prosecution for allowing their own children access?

Is this different from prohibition, or past laws against using marijuana? Libertarians might advocate for removing all such laws, including heroin and prostitution? Does the government have the right to make these kinds of decisions for the people?

Is it ultimately beneficial to pass laws that may be unenforceable? On the one hand, it may drive usage underground and limit it from becoming normalized. On the other hand, doesn’t passing laws likely to be violated undermine general respect for the law?

There’s a certain dark irony in China rigidly limiting access of children to social media and, in particular, TikTok, while providing access to the rest of the world. Do we have to become like China to protect ourselves from China? Or do we simply give in to the inevitable and hope for the best?

Meet this week’s panel:

Krista Crawford is a human resource consultant, adjunct instructor at Virginia Tech and Champlain College, and Group Chair with Vistage Worldwide, Inc.

Diane Helbig is Chief Improvement Catalyzer at Helbig Enterprises, providing guidance and training to business owners and leaders around the world.

Peter Winick works with individuals and organizations to build and grow revenue streams through their thought leadership platforms and is host of the Leveraging Thought Leadership podcast.