Should Social Media Be Regulated?

The freedom of social media is a huge debate in the public domain since it generates ethical dilemmas on the limits of individuals’ constitutional rights. For example, TikTok has recently been one of the most criticized social media platforms, with Congress discussing proposals to ban it in the US due to data safety concerns (Gray 2). However, there are critics who argue against the regulation of social media, though people cannot assume the general benefits of taking such actions, especially when considering children. Thus, social media's positive and negative effects will be discussed to understand its ability to create freedom in the social space and eminent risks. Social media should be regulated because of cyberbullying and harassment, misinformation, privacy concerns, mental health issues due to addiction, and transparency and accountability, despite its potential benefits of improving human health through social interaction.

Social media should be regulated because it increases cyberbullying and online harassment, where children are heavily affected by such issues. Further, the nature of social media gives more room for cyberbullying since approximately 33.8% of young social media users between 13 and 17 years have been victims (Çimke and Esin 407). Cyberbullying is likely to cause mental health issues in these children, where most of them can develop anxiety, mood disorders, depression, and low grades due to truancy. According to research on the victims, "54.14% were insulted in private messages, 39.10% got into an online fight, 35.34% had rumors/gossips spread about them, 33.83% were harassed, strangers regularly texted 27.82% and 24.81% received threatening messages"(Balas et al. 51). Unfortunately, many children are bullied by their peers in schools, which are leading to the prevalence of suicidal cases in the recent years. Due to the consequences of such behaviors, the bullying has been elevated to social media platforms like Facebook and TikTok, which many people feel since it makes them anonymous by using pseudo accounts. Adults are not exempted from cyberbullying since these criminals can blackmail them to get paid, like threatening to leak their nude videos. Hence, social media needs to be censored because its excess freedom creates more loopholes for criminal activities and behaviors.

Misinformation has caused many people to demand regulation of social media since there is a thin line between fake and real news. Social media enables information to spread faster than traditional mainstream sources, which have to ensure the credibility of the news before giving it out to the public(Dame Adjin-Tettey 3). Unlike social media platforms, where anybody can come up with information, mainstream media must protect their reputation and retain public trust. Hence, the regulation of social media is justified by the adverse impact of spreading false information. Recently, the World Economic Forum (WEF) listed social media as a significant threat to human existence because of its capability to spread false information, which makes society accept fake news if they do not scrutinize the sources (Ferreira 2). During the recent COVID-19 pandemic, social media became a propaganda tool to exacerbate the tension between the US and China in formulating conspiracy theories about the cause of the virus (Muhammed and Mathew 271). For example, President Trump posted on his X account that China is trying to kill the whole world with a virus. Many people in the social media space still link the cause of the virus to a failed laboratory test in China(Shahsavari et al. 279). Further, this shows the effect of misinformation since it can cause great destruction if the actual sources of such claims are not verified. The regulation is necessary because even the government is struggling to combat misinformation and fake news on social media, since it can spread across the country in less than one minute when people share it through these platforms. Conspiracy theories tend to just misinformation that there is some salient source, like the fake NASA landing(Costello et al. 63). Thus, social media regulation can limit the spread of misinformation since there are several businesses that have lost their consumers by a single fake post that is difficult to counter and restore the earlier trust because it changes that perception. For example, a consumer can ask, What if they ignore such information and later it is proven true? However, social media companies have attempted to implement policies where they flag down posts on fabricated stories, though it is complex since identifying the source of the false information is a considerable challenge (Aïmeur et al. 1). The censorship of social media is necessary it is becoming a considerable threat to real journalism as people mainly focus on stories that can quickly sell to get views than conducting the proper research before posting their content.

Privacy concerns are among the main justifications for social media regulation since it poses a significant threat to many who risk losing confidential information due to cybercrime. Social media should be regulated because several high-profile cases of stolen or leaked confidential information have negatively affected people and company brands (Collier and Hutchings 19). Cybercriminals exploit social media users' vulnerability since it allows unauthorized people to access personal data without consent. Many people can easily forget to log out of their social media accounts, exposing them to potential privacy violations. Moreover, businesses are using personal information based on social media posts, likes, and comments to customize the content that a person is likely to watch to keep them glued to their pages without seeking their consent (Shahbaznezhad et al. 47). For instance, several businesses have been accused of using users’ search history to bring favorite content in their page, which is unethical and not legally acceptable. Hence, regulating social media can help control unauthorized access to information by enabling platforms to implement privacy settings that limit it. A recent case in which Equifax announced that hackers stole confidential financial data from 148 million clients raised national and personal security concerns, underscoring the need for social media regulation (Calderon et al. 139). The incident led to the interception of financial data that is detrimental to the victims, and the company can face lawsuits arising from privacy laws. Thus, regulation controls the social media platforms from accessing the users' data based on the most frequently visited sites, search engines, cookies, and other sources. This is a concern for personal privacy, despite the information being used ethically to improve the consumer experience (Wang et al. 543). Also, social media regulation will help implement data protection laws to limit social media companies from tracking users' activities without their consent and prevent cybercriminal threats to unauthorized access to confidential information.

Social media should be regulated to limit the potential threat it may cause to national security since terrorists exploit such platforms to conduct their criminal activities and espionage. There are some emerging trends in workplaces creating some restrictions on using social media due to the existing threats that it poses as these criminals are developing new skills that help them to maneuver through these platforms (Liu et al. 1). The target is to steal information that can be confidential to the organization and the country, which leads to the demand for social media regulation. Social media networks need to be regulated because they are viewed as easy loopholes to perpetrate different crimes using unsuspecting people, which can severely threaten national and organizational security (Hernandez 1). For example, social media creates opportunities for criminal activities through phishing, web attacks, and social engineering, which is a national security concern. Social media should be regulated because it allows foreign countries to use these platforms to conduct espionage on other nations, a national security threat that interferes with their domestic affairs. For instance, TikTok is the only giant social media platform that has yet to be developed in the US, which has led to suspicion that the Chinese government is using it to spy on other countries (Gray 2). Additionally, social businesses should be regulated because businesses use them as an unethical platform to spy on their competitors without their knowledge. Thus, social media regulation prevents terrorism or any other criminal activities that can be done through these social media, like underground radicalization, incitement, and intimidation, which can lead to mental health issues and national security threats.

Social media regulation is necessary because of its adverse impacts on mental health. The social media addiction increases the risk of mental and physical health issues (Sujarwoto 96). For example, there is a high level of addiction due to the significant time that many people spend on social media instead of resting or sleeping. Many people consider social media a platform where they can freely express their opinions, unlike a normal face-to-face conversation, which is good for their well-being. For instance, social media is crowded with negative information and hatred that adversely influence people’s behavior as they struggle to adapt to social pressure, like copying the latest trends, flaunting their body shape, and a fake lifestyle (Naslund et al. 245). However, the amount of time spent on social media must be regulated, as many people use it to avoid life realities. Unfortunately, these platforms tend to be more toxic than real life since many people experience regular disapproval in social media, which increases the likelihood of falling into depression by trying to impress people who are bitter about their personal lives (Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health). Hence, the addictive nature of social media calls for regulating the amount of time people spend on these platforms to prevent isolation caused by detachment from the real world and procrastination or laziness to engage in physical activities.

However, social media regulation generates concerns about violating constitutional freedom of information and expression rights. Social media creates an open platform where people can interact freely and express their thoughts and opinions without fear of victimization, a fundamental principle of a democratic society. Moreover, social media has helped to improve the economic sector since it enables businesses to engage with consumers, which ensures they get quality services (Appel et al. 79). Conversely, the regulation of social media hinders business growth since these laws may act as a barrier to improving their services and products are regulated, many businesses can stagnate due to legal constraints. Yuan et al. (1) stated, “The imminent growth of digital innovations and heightened citizens’ expectations have compelled governments to engage in digital transformation.” For instance, social media regulation limits innovations and the development of new technologies due to the introduction of new policies that must be followed to approve their implementation, which means there could be no Facebook, Google, or X. Additionally, critics argue that security threats existed even before the invention of social media, which indicates that policymakers and social media companies face a considerable task of implementing new policies to regulate social media. The best solution is to create awareness of these security threats in society. Also, several governments are using social media regulations to promote fairness, balance, and other fundamental values necessary in society (Samples 1). Nevertheless, these regulatory policies are vital in monitoring social media activities to avoid harming the general public, but they should not interfere with people’s freedom and rights.

Therefore, the benefits of regulating social media outweigh the drawbacks from the perspective of promoting general well-being over personal rights enshrined in the Constitution. The justification for regulating social media has been backed by minimizing cyberbullying and harassment, misinformation, privacy issues, and the adverse impacts on mental health through addiction and isolation. However, criticisms are discussed by focusing on freedom of expression without censorship. Hence, this issue needs more research to address the existing gaps and balance the negative and positive viewpoints on regulating social media.