Social Media is as addictive as cigarettes. Parents need the tools to truly protect their children
When I watched Instagram head Adam Mosseri’s nearly two-hour testimony before the Senate, one thing was abundantly clear to me as a father - we can’t rely on social media companies to protect our children. Their incentives are too conflicted and the solutions they are talking about are as ineffective as the Surgeon General warning on a pack of cigarettes. The reality is that like cigarettes, what social media companies are selling to our children is dangerous and addictive; asking them to try to limit the damage isn’t going to work.?
The only real protection, like many of the challenges we face with our children, comes from parents. But keeping up with kids on social media apps can be challenging. In fact, many parents think that monitoring their child's use of social media apps was too time-consuming, while more than a third considered existing parental control tools a waste of time because children find ways to bypass them, according to a recent study.
Parents need the power to protect their children, across devices and at the network level, so that controls apply consistently across apps and as new apps become available. They need the tools to facilitate conversations around safe internet use because nobody else is going to do it for them. That is why today, Aura announced the acquisition of Circle Media Labs, the leader in parental controls and screen time management.?
Our childrens’ online habits are being monitored and cataloged to promote targeted advertising and serve them addictive content - creating unrealistic expectations about their bodies and their lives that have harmful mental health effects. The addition of Circle’s leading technology to our platform will give families one, singular place to monitor and control their children’s screen time and activity online instead of relying on social media platforms or legislators to do it for us.?
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When I founded Aura 3 years ago, we set out on a mission to create a safer internet for everyone. We initially focused on providing a simple, all-in-one solution to protect families from the growing problem of digital crime, which last year exceeded home burglary in terms of financial loss. But, as we have grown, it has become clear that families are facing a broader set of threats.?
Not only can Aura help protect the next generation from the influence of social media, but we can protect them in many other ways to ensure their digital lives are private and secure. We look forward to furthering our mission to make the internet a safer place for families.?
Chief Executive Officer At Millennial Money Magnet, LLC
3 å¹´Yes we must be aware.