Survey in Switzerland, 94% of Citizens Support Strict Social Media Rules for Children

JAKARTA - Concerns about the impact of social media on children and adolescents have now reached a critical point in Switzerland. A recent survey revealed that a large majority of the public want much stricter rules to protect the younger generation from potential dangers of digital platforms. These findings come amid growing global pressure on giant technology companies that are judged to be negligent in safeguarding the safety of young users.

The survey conducted by GfS Bern at the request of the Mercator Foundation showed a striking figure: as many as 94 percent of respondents believe that children and adolescents should get more protection from the negative effects of social media. Not only that, 78 percent of respondents also assessed that technology companies have too much influence in shaping public opinion.

This public push has been strengthened after a landmark ruling by a court in Los Angeles, United States. In the case that has become a global spotlight, the jury found Meta and Alphabet Inc's Google negligent in designing social media platforms that are deemed harmful to young people. This ruling is expected to set an important precedent for various similar lawsuits around the world.

In the country, the Swiss government has begun to show a firm stance. The Minister of the Interior, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider, stated that she was open to the possibility of banning the use of social media for children. This statement indicates that extreme measures are no longer considered taboo in an effort to protect the younger generation.

Furthermore, the government is drafting a new bill that aims to regulate large online platforms to be more transparent and responsible. This regulation is expected to be able to limit the practice of algorithms that are considered to trigger addiction, the spread of harmful content, to manipulating public opinion.

This phenomenon is not only happening in Switzerland. In various countries, governments and legal institutions are beginning to tighten supervision of giant technology companies. Issues such as adolescent mental health, exposure to negative content, and user data exploitation are the main concerns that have led to the birth of new policies.

With such strong public support, Switzerland is now at the forefront of a global effort to reshape the digital ecosystem to be safer for children. The steps taken by this country have the potential to serve as an example for other countries in facing the increasingly complex challenges of the social media era.

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