AG Rutledge urges TikTok and Snapchat to give parents more control | KTLO

LITTLE ROCK — Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge and a coalition of 44 attorneys general urged TikTok and Snapchat to give parents the ability to monitor their children’s social media usage and protect their children from online threats through parental control apps. The apps would empower parents to ensure that social media platforms are a safe space for children. “Parents must be able to control who their children talk to and especially what they see,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “As the mother of a young daughter, I make sure that I am aware of the dangers on the internet, and I realize the importance for parents to have the ability to protect their children from those who want to do them harm online.” Research increasingly demonstrates the negative impact that social media can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children and teenagers. These effects range from decreased self-esteem and greater body-image dissatisfaction to increased exposure to cyber-bullying and sexual predation. One app reported that in 2021 it had analyzed more than 3.4 billion messages and found: 43.09% of tweens and 74.61% of teens were involved in a self-harm/suicidal situation; 68.97% of tweens and 90.73% of teens encountered…
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