Online Health and Safety for Children and Youth: Best Practices for Families and Guidance for Industry

Online Health and Safetyfor Children and Youth: BestPractices for Families andGuidance for Industry KIDS ONLINE HEALTH AND SAFETY TASK FORCE Table of Contents Letter from the Task Force Co-Chairs3 Introduction4 Task Force Membership 8 Identifying Risks and Benefits to Kids’ Health, Safety, and Privacy from Their Useof Online Platforms: An Overview of Task Force Findings TASK FORCE GUIDANCE Task Force Guidance Best Practices and Resources for Parents and Caregivers Industry’s Role in Promoting Kids’ Online Health, Safety, and Privacy:Recommended Practices for Industry Research Agenda39 Conclusion47 APPENDIX48 Appendix A: Integrative Summary of Roundtable Discussion Groups and Summaryof Information Gathering Methodology Appendix B: Summary of Request for Comment Responses 60 Appendix C: Principal Learning Sessions 67 Appendix D: Best Practices Compendium72 Appendix E: Best Practices Conversation Cards78 ENDNOTES Letter from the Task Force Co-Chairs Digital technology is ubiquitous in the lives of today’s youth. The vast majority of young people regu-larly use social media and other online platforms to communicate, explore, and learn about topics andexpress themselves. In many cases, digital media can be beneficial to youth, allowing them to build community, connectwith others, and learn. However, a growing body of research, coupled with the testimonies of parents,caregivers, and young people themselves, indicate that kids can also be negatively impacted by anarray of harms that can occur or be facilitated online. These include harassment, cyberbullying, childsexual exploitation and abuse, and exposure to content that exacerbates mental health issues, suchas the promotion of eating disorders. These harms threaten the safety and well-being of young people. In response to these concerns, on May 23, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administrationannounced a newinteragency Task Forceto advance the health, safety, and privacy of youth online, as well as identifymeasures and methods for addressing the adverse health effects minors experience while using on-line platforms. The Task Force has been led in partnership by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS),through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Depart-ment of Commerce, through the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).It included a cross-section of leaders and experts from across the federal government. The report that follows represents the output of this Task Force’s efforts. It offers an overarching sum-mary of young people’s use of online platforms and the risks and benefits to their health, safety, andprivacy. As requested, it provides key Task Force guidance, including: (1) Best Practices for Parentsand Caregivers, (2) Recommended Practices for Industry to Promote Youth Online Health, Safety, andPrivacy, (3) a Research Agenda identifying domains of further inquiry. The report concludes with a sec-tion outlining areas of future work for various stakeholders, including the federal government. We would like to thank the many people—including youth advocates, civil society organizations, ac-ademic researchers, and other experts—who so generously provided input and contributions to theTask Force. We are grateful for their hard work and dedication to youth health and safety in digitalenvironments. The issues discussed here are complex and important. We are proud of the ongoing work on thesechallenges at the federal level. But as our report indicates, there is a need for further efforts—includingbipartisan legislation to promote accountability for online platforms, as the President has repeatedlyunderscored. We look forward to further collaboration to protect and strengthen the mental health,safety, and privacy of youth. Thank you, Miriam Delphin-Rittmon Alan Davidson Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Sub-stance Use and Administrator, Substance AbuseandMental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA) Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Commu-nications and Information and Administrator,National Telecommunications and InformationAdministration (NTIA) Introduction Young people today are surrounded by digital technology and have grown up regularly engaging withsocial media and online platforms through computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices.Research indicates that approximately 95% of teenagers and 40% of children between the ages ofeight and 12 years use some form of social media.1,2,3Due to the widespread use of social mediaand online platforms among youth, it is critical to examine the scope of their impact and to cultivatesafe and healthy online spaces that help promote overall well-being. This is particularly importantgiven the youth mental health crisis in the United States.4 Digital technology use has the potential to both benefit young people’s well-being and to expose themto significant harms. The use of social media and digital te