In this day and age, it's a given that tech companies are doing everything they can to make sure users are glued to their screens . Another common belief is that device design features, such as endless scrolling and auto-playing videos , could play a critical role in making users addicted .
For this reason, US Senator Josh Hawley has proposed a new bill, called the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology Act (SMART). A few months after the law takes effect, it could become illegal for social media companies to:
- Add unlimited scrolling to applications and services , to load additional content (unless the user chooses to do so),
- Loading and displaying more content in the data stream than a typical user can load when scrolling for 3 minutes “without the user explicitly requesting additional content.”.
- Add auto-playing music or videos (other than ads), unless the user gives consent
- Add tokens or rewards that increase user engagement and do not provide any additional service, content or functionality
The bill also requires social media companies to add features that allow users to set usage timers within the app and set a usage limit of 30 minutes per day (with options to increase the limit).
Such apps and services should also provide prominent pop-ups, which will tell users how much they have used an app and also provide timely reports on their usage statistics.
Additionally, the terms and conditions presented to the user should not be misleading. For example, the “Agree” and “Disagree” buttons should appear similar in terms of format, size, font, and other visual design. Also, when a user has to choose between multiple options, no option should be pre-selected.
The proposed law could have a positive impact, as it would allow people to set limits on their online activity.
Apparently, popular social media apps like Facebook and Instagramalready include features that allow users to check their usage reports and add reminders. However, there may be room for improvement, as people are still unable to add usage limits.
