On September 5th, 2024, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez added to ongoing legal scrutiny of Big Tech firms by filing a lawsuit against Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, alleging that the company systemically failed to protect children from sextortion, sexual exploitation, and harm. 

The Campus Y hosted a discussion last week with Design It For Us, an advocacy coalition that promotes youth involvement in the design of online spaces.

Design It For Us, a youth-led coalition aiming to improve online privacy, hosted a panel Sept. 11 in the Mary Graydon Center with experts who are focused on addressing just that — what the daily “I agree,” “yes” and “allow” really mean for young people. 

Some of the senators who had spoken earlier also made remarks at the rally, as did the attorney general of New Mexico, the Facebook whistle-blower Arturo Béjar, and a youth activist named Zamaan Qureshi, who announced that a “coalition of young people” was determined “to take back control of our lives from social-media companies.” Arielle Geismar, George Washington University’s student-body president at the time, said, “We were forced to play a dopamine slot machine at the expense of our life.”

Arielle Geismar, co-chair of the youth-led Design It For Us campaign, said that the White House bringing these companies to the table is a step in the right direction. “Frankly, I would have loved to see them come to the conclusion by themselves, but I think it’s pretty clear that these tech companies are not quite able to regulate themselves,” she said.

A youth advocacy group for safer online practices is pushing for tougher restrictions on social media platforms after a House committee last week approved a watered-down version of a kids’ online safety measure.

“To the student advocates, like Design It For Us, who have urged us to move this forward, thank you for sharing your experiences and urging Congress to act.”

A Conversation with “Design it for Us” Leaders Zamaan Qureshi and Arielle Geismar

Design it for Us launches a “campus tour” at universities on Wednesday at 1 p.m.

The campaign to pass Kids Code laws in multiple states is spearheaded by a coalition of youth and parent advocacy groups that espouses a “safety by design” approach to building online products that kids are likely to encounter. Members of the coalition include Common Sense Media, Design It for Us, the Center for Humane Technology and The Student Data Privacy Project.

An alliance of little-known advocacy groups has convinced five states to pass laws to protect kids online and is now making inroads in Washington. The nonpartisan coalition has done it by delivering parents’ and kids’ stories about bullying and exploitative content on Facebook, TikTok and other platforms. By focusing on the harms to kids’ health, these organizations have helped enact laws in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and New York meant to regulate social media for minors.

Zamaan Qureshi, co-chair of the youth-led group Design It For Us, also pushed for quick action on KOSA after Thursday’s cancelled markup — especially given the dwindling legislative calendar. “With such limited time left this year, Congress does not have the luxury to keep kicking the can down the road. It’s time for our Congressional leaders to step up.”