{"id":153137,"date":"2019-07-31T17:46:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-31T09:46:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geek.com\/featured\/-1798163\/"},"modified":"2019-07-31T17:46:26","modified_gmt":"2019-07-31T09:46:26","slug":"senator-wants-to-ban-addictive-social-media-functions-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itteacheritfreelance.hk\/test\/wordpress\/2019\/07\/31\/senator-wants-to-ban-addictive-social-media-functions-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Senator Wants to Ban \u2018Addictive\u2019 Social Media Functions"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo Credit: NeONBRAND\/Unsplash<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

We’ve all been there: Lost down the rabbit hole of endless Pinterest scrolling or seduced by another autoplay IGTV video on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n

But those time-sucking tendencies could soon be a thing of the past if Sen. Josh Hawley gets his way.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Missouri Republican on Tuesday introduced legislation<\/a> aimed at curbing “addictive and deceptive” techniques that “exploit” social media users.<\/span><\/p>\n

“Big tech has embraced a business model of addiction,” Hawley said in a statement. “Too much of the ‘innovation’ in this space is designed not to create better products, but to capture more attention by using psychological tricks that make it difficult to look away.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Enter the SMART (Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology) Act<\/a>, which bans certain habit-forming features, require choice parity for consent, and give users the power to monitor their time spent online.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hawley specifically calls out design features like infinite scroll and autoplay.<\/span><\/p>\n

He also wants to ban social media gamification\u2014awarding badges for engaging with the platform (think Snapchat emoji rewards for Snapstreaks) without supplying access to added services, content, or functionality.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Big Tech has embraced addiction as a business model. Their \u2018innovation\u2019 isn't designed to create better products, but to capture attention by using psychological tricks that make it impossible to look away. Time to expect more & better from Silicon Valley https:\/\/t.co\/AYFdntu595<\/a><\/p>\n

— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) July 30, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n