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The political and legal scrutiny of some Big Tech and social media platforms is running high at the moment.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew faced grilling from lawmakers Thursday when he appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. His testimony took place as some lawmakers have renewed calls for TikTok to be banned in the US, citing national security concerns over its ties to China through its parent company, ByteDance. They have also questioned TikTok’s data collection practices and its impact on children.
While these events play out on the national stage, the tug-of-war over content consumption is also taking place on a smaller scale in homes and schools across the country, affecting the lives and mental health of some users, especially young people.
College student Emma Lembke is taking action against what she sees as the harmful effects of social media on her generation. By her mid-teens, the founder of the Log Off Movement had had enough of social media.
“I remember I heard the buzzer, my phone, probably Snapchat notification, something trying to pull me in, and I instantly had that Pavlovian response to grab for it,” Lembke recalled.
