PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — As President-elect Donald Trump continues to fill out his administration, one appointee in particular could affect your media intake. Trump has appointed Brendan Carr, a longtime Republican member of the Federal Communications Commission, as its chair.
Carr is one of the authors of Project 25, the Heritage Foundations’ presidential transition wish list to fundamentally reshape American government according to conservative ideology. He has served under both Republican and Democratic presidents, but he has stated that the Left has too much power in the media.
Many Americans hope that Carr will take a cue from the government of Australia, which is proposing banning children under 16 from using certain social media platforms, which have ushered in unprecedented levels of emotional violence and online bullying, too-frequently resulting in suicide. Australia calls it a nationwide mental health crisis.
Here in the U.S., another effort is still in the federal courts. The Bucks County Commissioners and Bucks County District Attorney's Office are suing social media giants, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.
The lawsuit says social media companies can and should take measures to stem the tide of the mental health crisis afflicting America's youth. The goal is to force limits on the use of these platforms by kids between the ages of 9 and 14 — or even younger.
Carr is considered a changemaker, and he promises to go after Big Tech. What he may do is speculation, but one thing is clear: He could really have an impact on American families by concentrating — as both political parties have in Congress — on social media platforms that target tweens.
This is a difficult issue. First Amendment supporters are wary of censorship of any kind. But there are millions of children involved here. Ask any school administrator about the many parents who find their kids depressed and compromised by vicious messaging.
There are many views on this subject that are worth your attention.