Experts warn that social media is a root cause of mental health issues among many young adults. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), who co-wrote a letter to TikTok demanding why its algorithms promote toxic content, joined Cheddar to discuss.

Cheddar's News Wrap

Senator Confronts TikTok for Promoting Eating Disorders

Welcome back to Chester's news wrap experts have long warned that social media is the root cause of many mental health issues in America, especially for teens and young adults. Lawmakers have pushed for regulation for popular apps like facebook and instagram in recent months. But Senator tammy baldwin of Wisconsin is saying it's not enough. Last week she co wrote a letter to the Ceo of Tiktok demanding information about the company's algorithms that promote contact glorifying eating disorders to teenage girls. Our own hand, adobo spoke Senator baldwin earlier today. Take a listen for young people you could innocently put in healthy eating or uh, you know, healthy healthy habits and all of a sudden you find that algorithm drawing you into very unhealthy eating habits by bringing you to sites that are on the platform that glorify eating disorders. And uh, this is very, very dangerous for people's mental health for uh, we know how how dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorders can be and so they need to be held accountable and uh they need to get this harmful content off their platforms but also be transparent with their algorithms so that uh, we can see how they work and get them to rework them so that people aren't um directed towards harmful country. How do you think these videos encourage eating disorders and what kind of impact do you think it it has on young girls and young adults alike? There are much more harmful and very direct messages promoting and glorifying eating disorders than uh, than what happened in my day. Uh, but we have to make sure that um, that young people have healthy images that they are seeing and getting access to, not something that might drive them to deprive themselves of food or you know, anorexia or bulimia are very dangerous disorders and very hard to treat as you well know, senator, there was a congressional hearing last october where Tiktok said it would put safety measures in place to curb that harmful content that you were just discussing. Do you think the company has done enough a few months later? You know, I do not believe that enough has been done. Um I still hear reports about uh the algorithms basically, you know, this is just one example of eating disorders, but the algorithms really steering people to harmful content um because uh fear often is motivating force in terms of keeping people interacting with that platform and of course then thereby raising revenues for Tiktok, what changes would you like to see implemented within this very, very popular app? So, first of all, I think that there has to be greater transparency on the algorithms themselves and we have to have uh regulatory oversight agency with the expertise to be able to understand uh the algorithm, which means hiring some experts at the additional experts at the FTC. Um 2nd, I think that uh they have to do a better job of monitoring the content. Um and that can't just be with artificial intelligence. Um it should also be with human beings who are examining the content and um trying to do everything possible to keep that content off. There are age restrictions. Um uh in terms of who can get an account and I think that uh that should uh that should be uh i there needs to be better verification to make sure that very impressionable, much younger folks aren't getting on the planet. Let's switch gears here. Now. The White House asked Congress for an additional $32.5 billion $10 billion $6.4 billion senator, there is an increase? Do you think there is enough support in Congress to approve this assistance moving forward? Well, I certainly hope so. The President made a very powerful case for additional focus uh at his State of the Union address. In fact, the first full third of of the speech was um calling out Putin for his uh illegal uh invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign state. That only once it's, you know, peaceful independence. And I think there is, as you saw when he gave that address, bipartisan support for standing together, isolating Putin and responding to the humanitarian crisis that Putin has started in the the largest aggression we've seen in europe since World War Two. Uh so I I suspect that should tell us that there would be bipartisan support for additional emergency measures. Whether that is helping uh the Ukrainians defend themselves Through supplies or humanitarian assistance. I have about 30 seconds, but I do want to get this question in Sen. So please forgive me. I don't want you to feel rushed. You also joined a bipartisan letter urging the Biden administration to grant temporary protected status to Ukraine's that are here in the United States. Can you tell us more about why and who would apply to this? And how long will it extend their stay here in the US? Yes. So, um right now we have folks who are have either work visas or or are are attending educational institutions on visas. Um there may be any number of other types of visas fiance visas, for example, etcetera. Um and uh it does well may expire during the course of uh the aggression that we're seeing unfold. Um it would be uh it would be inhumane to uh force folks to have to return to Ukraine at the time that they are being viciously attacked by Putin and Putin's forces. Um so, uh we need to give temporary relief for those who have visas that expire, allow them to be able to continue to study or work while they're here and, you know, at an appropriate time that can expire, but it wouldn't be uh it would be as I said, um immoral, I think too, for somebody with an expiring visa to have to return to Ukraine when they are being invaded. And a special thanks to Wisconsin senator tammy baldwin for that interview.