Social Media

Steven Greenhut | 1.19.2024 7:30 AM

It's been 21 years since the feds "protected" us from endless telemarketer phone calls by creating a Do Not Call list. I now receive perhaps a dozen calls a day from numbers my phone identifies as "Potential Spam."

Spammers "outwitted the government and wrecked" this system, The Washington Post reported, leaving Americans more susceptible than ever to car warranty pitches. Fortunately, my phone's call-block system works fairly well.

Excuse my cynicism, but federal and state governments have an unimpressive record of protecting the public, especially on consumer-related issues. That hasn't stopped them from trying. The process always is the same: Politicians spotlight a legitimate concern. They pass laws. They hold press conferences. The problem gets worse. Consumers (and manufacturers) come up with their own ways to handle it.

The latest consumer panic involves social media—specifically the ability of children to access inappropriate websites and apps. Liberal and conservative state governments are in a frenzy to pass these "protect the children" internet laws. Progressive California passed Assembly Bill 2273, which imposes an "Age Appropriate Design Code" that adopts provisions similar to those implemented by the European........

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