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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Annie and Samantha and welcome to Stefan

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Speaker 1: Never Told You production of iHeartRadio. And today we are

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Speaker 1: so excited to be joined by a friend of the show,

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Speaker 1: general friend Joey.

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Speaker 2: Welcome Joe my friend's status. We girl. We need to

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Speaker 2: meet in in IRL. We do. I need to go

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Speaker 2: to Atlanta soon.

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Speaker 3: I'm waiting until it starts getting cold here, so I

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Speaker 3: don't want to be in New York and then I

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Speaker 3: will definitely be out in Atlanta.

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Speaker 1: That's smart because it's very hot here.

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Speaker 2: But yes, I cannot cannot wait.

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Speaker 1: And it's been a minute since you've been on here,

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Speaker 1: so we're really excited to have you back. And this

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Speaker 1: topic is one that I'm really interested to learn more about.

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Speaker 1: And I think you and I were discussing before this.

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Speaker 1: I sort of learned about it at the same time

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Speaker 1: as you did, but perhaps slightly differently. Yeah, but yes,

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Speaker 1: today we're talking about KOSA. So can you just like

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Speaker 1: intro what we're discussing today for sure?

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Speaker 2: Yeah?

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Speaker 3: So, Okisa, I'm going to be talking about KOSA, which

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Speaker 3: is the Kids Online Safety Act and sort of this

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Speaker 3: onslought of bills in Congress right now that are aimed

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Speaker 3: at quote protecting kids online.

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Speaker 2: We live in a weird time, and there's.

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Speaker 3: A lot of weird, terrible, repressive legislation going on this

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Speaker 3: set of bills that we're going to focus on, and

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Speaker 3: I think I was already sort of concerned about this

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Speaker 3: when I started writing this. I think, especially after researching

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Speaker 3: this whole thing, this piece of legislation is one of,

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Speaker 3: if not the thing that I'm probably most worried about

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Speaker 3: right now.

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Speaker 2: I think it is.

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Speaker 3: It has a lot of potential really catastrophic outcomes that

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Speaker 3: could happen from this, and it's been a little bit

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Speaker 3: scary to see sort of how it's been repackaged a

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Speaker 3: lot in mainstream coverage and how a lot of sort

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Speaker 3: of the issues of it regarding it have been kind

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Speaker 3: of glossed over in paper with this idea of like

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Speaker 3: quote protecting kids. And yeah, I'm going to get more

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Speaker 3: into that, but so really quick, just content warning. I'm

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Speaker 3: going to be discussing some mental health crisises, suicide, self harm, bullying,

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Speaker 3: child abuse. None of it's super explicit, but these are

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Speaker 3: things that aren't going to come up. And also just

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Speaker 3: transphobia and homophobia and some of the legislation that has

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Speaker 3: been weaponizing these phobias. Anyways, as Annie and I were

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Speaker 3: speaking out before this, I first heard about this through TikTok,

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Speaker 3: like many people, I think, because again, this is a

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Speaker 3: peaceable legislation that's in Congress right now and is happening

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Speaker 3: tangentially to a lot of other similar pieces of legislation.

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Speaker 3: The TikTok has been a big place, a big platform

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Speaker 3: for activists to speak about this. To creators in particular,

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Speaker 3: I want to shout out are Sarah Phillips. I think

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Speaker 3: her ad is just Sarah E. Phillips. And then also

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Speaker 3: the creator Omar's big sister. I don't know what her

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Speaker 3: actual name is, but I love her TikTok. She's hilarious,

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Speaker 3: very super online internet kind of stuff.

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Speaker 2: Love it. But anyways, she's lit a lot of.

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Speaker 3: Really great work and talking about this issue and getting

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Speaker 3: information out there.

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Speaker 1: Yeah, and I think I Samantha as usual kind of

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Speaker 1: my TikTok person who sends me to tson I need

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Speaker 1: sent me some about this of the day the tragic

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Speaker 1: day that AO three went down and fan fiction was

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Speaker 1: oh yeah unavailable.

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Speaker 2: Yes, that was also a big thing that.

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Speaker 3: Kind of sparked a lot of this. Obviously, like people

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Speaker 3: were talking about this beforehand. There was a lot of

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Speaker 3: organizing that was happening. But about a month ago AO three,

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Speaker 3: which is this thing fan fiction site. We've talked about

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Speaker 3: the show a couple of times. It shut down for

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Speaker 3: like a day. It turned out there was some whole

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Speaker 3: I don't I still don't totally know what the story is.

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Speaker 3: There are like a lot of weird things that was happening.

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Speaker 3: I think I saw it was hacked or something. But

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Speaker 3: something that was coming up that day was like, Hey,

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Speaker 3: this sucked that we didn't have fan fiction for a day.

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Speaker 3: This could be a permanent thing if this legislation passes, Like,

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Speaker 3: we should talk about this because I'm some again, I'm

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Speaker 3: somebody who enjoys fan fiction. I think it is, you know,

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Speaker 3: an important part of the Internet.

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Speaker 2: And all of that.

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Speaker 3: But there's a lot of other even if you don't

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Speaker 3: care about fan fiction, there's a lot of things this

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Speaker 3: legislation's going to effect that are a little bit scary.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, So COSA, the Kids Online Safety Act What

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Speaker 3: is it? COSA is one of again an on slide

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Speaker 3: of recent bills aimed at regulating kids online activity and

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Speaker 3: data privacy, which in theory seems not terrible.

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Speaker 2: There's two things here. One is data.

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Speaker 3: Privacy, which we don't really have a lot of in

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Speaker 3: this country, and I do think that is a very

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Speaker 3: important issue. But if you look at the actual bill,

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Speaker 3: it doesn't really do much to protect data privacy. In fact,

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Speaker 3: it kind of does the opposite, and it forces people

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Speaker 3: to put a lot more information online.

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Speaker 2: Tech experts have.

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Speaker 3: Said that this bill will end up requiring everyone to

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Speaker 3: upload their government ID when they want to use the Internet, which, like, just.

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Speaker 2: Think about that for a second. Again. Going back to

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Speaker 2: Omar's big sister, one of.

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Speaker 3: My favorite TikTokers who does some great work on this,

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Speaker 3: she made a couple of videos about this one talking

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Speaker 3: about this particular concept, and she pointed out two really

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Speaker 3: important things. One, if this happens again, your government ID

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Speaker 3: will be attached to everything that you do online. So

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Speaker 3: if you're speaking out against the government, if you are

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Speaker 3: part of a marginalized group, this can be used to

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Speaker 3: target you. Like this will now be attached to your

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Speaker 3: official sort of ID that usually has like your birthday,

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Speaker 3: usually your address. People already get docs for activism they're

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Speaker 3: doing or just identic that they have, and this will

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Speaker 3: make it so much easier. And then the second point

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Speaker 3: that you made was like this is the site you

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Speaker 3: need to upload your ID two, and then that site

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Speaker 3: could be hacked very easily, and then all of a sudden,

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Speaker 3: all of your information could be leaked online. Like again,

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Speaker 3: this whole thing is about we're protecting kids data, We're

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Speaker 3: protecting data privacy. Yes I did just say data and data.

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Speaker 3: I don't do the same word, but yeah, it ends

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Speaker 3: it does the opposite. It ends up doing the opposite

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Speaker 3: for everybody. It makes it less safe for people to

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Speaker 3: be online. So the main focus of this episode is

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Speaker 3: going to be on that first part, which is this

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Speaker 3: idea of regulating kids online activity, which again just saying

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Speaker 3: it like that, that sounds great. The internet's crazy. If

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Speaker 3: you're a parent, you have a young kid, like I

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Speaker 3: can't imagine what that's like. You're totally gonna want to

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Speaker 3: have like some guardrails in place. You're going to want

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Speaker 3: to have things that you don't want your kids to see.

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Speaker 3: But the problem is this piece of legislation is very vague,

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Speaker 3: it's coming up at a very strange time, and there's

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Speaker 3: a very clear disconnect between how it's sort of being

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Speaker 3: marketed and the actual motivation behind it and the reality

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Speaker 3: of what it's going to be used for.

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Speaker 2: So Fight for the.

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Speaker 3: Future is an advocacy group that focuses on tech policy issues,

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Speaker 3: particularly data privacy. They created a website that's called stopcosa

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Speaker 3: dot com will have in the show notes, but on

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Speaker 3: that website they state KOSA claims to make kids safer,

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Speaker 3: but it's really a dangerous censorship bill that would give

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Speaker 3: the government unprecedented control over the Internet. This would put

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Speaker 3: youth in danger by preventing them from accessing potentially life

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Speaker 3: saving resources. Lawmakers concerned about online safety should reject KOSA

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Speaker 3: and instead work to protect all Internet users from abusive

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Speaker 3: tech companies by passing a federal data privacy law. And

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Speaker 3: like first Things First, uptop, I'm going to be talking

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Speaker 3: a lot, a lot about the problems with a specific

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Speaker 3: legislation and also talking about some of the positives of

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Speaker 3: social media and the Internet.

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Speaker 2: That doesn't mean that the Internet.

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Speaker 3: Isn't also deeply messed up, and there aren't a lot

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Speaker 3: of concerns about again data privacy and what kids are

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Speaker 3: seeing online, what people have access to.

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Speaker 2: I think there is a conversation that needs to be

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Speaker 2: had there.

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Speaker 3: This bill is not the solution this bill that is

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Speaker 3: just going to be used as a method of censorship.

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Speaker 2: It's not the solution.

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Speaker 3: Again, I'm not really a tech person. I don't know

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Speaker 3: the specifics of how a lot of stuff works. But

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Speaker 3: we do need data privacy laws in this country, like

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Speaker 3: that is something we need. I think it is really

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Speaker 3: telling that these politicians are focusing on a lot of

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Speaker 3: these bills that are focused on censorship rather than actually

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Speaker 3: protecting data.

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Speaker 2: And then also at the.

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Speaker 3: Top, clearly there is like a problem again, like there

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Speaker 3: are a lot of problems with the Internet.

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Speaker 2: There are a lot of problems with how kids.

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Speaker 3: Interact with the Internet, and how we interact with the Internet,

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Speaker 3: and how technology is regulated. But again, rather than addressing

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Speaker 3: data privacy or mental health, which is going to come

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Speaker 3: up a lot in this bill, that's not what they're doing.

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Speaker 3: So again for the future, they said a first COSA

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Speaker 3: would pressure platforms to install filters that would wipe the

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Speaker 3: net of anything deemed quote inappropriate for minors. This equals

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Speaker 3: instructing platforms to sensor plain and simple that already use

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Speaker 3: content filters have restricted important information about suicide prevention and

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Speaker 3: LGBTQ plus support groups and KOSO would spread this kind

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Speaker 3: of censorship to every corner of the Internet. It's no

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Speaker 3: surprise that anti writes slits are excited about KOSA. It

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Speaker 3: would let them shut down websites that cover topics like race, gender,

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Speaker 3: and sexuality. Second, KOSO would ramp up the online surveillance

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Speaker 3: of all Internet users by expanding the use of age

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Speaker 3: verification and parental monitoring tools. Not only are these tools

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Speaker 3: needlessly invasive, they are a massive safety risk for young

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Speaker 3: people who could be trying to escape domestic violence and abuse.

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Speaker 3: And then also when we talk about this bill, they use,

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Speaker 3: you know, language like kids and children a lot that's

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Speaker 3: just referring to anybody seventeen and younger, which again is

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Speaker 3: like the definition of a child. But I think that

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Speaker 3: there's something very intentional about using the word kids, and

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Speaker 3: like when you hear kids, you're thinking of like an

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Speaker 3: eight year old, not you're not thinking of a seventeen

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Speaker 3: year old.

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Speaker 2: But I think, like, especially as we talk about how

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Speaker 2: this bill.

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Speaker 3: Is going to affect information about like sexual and reproductive health,

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Speaker 3: which are very important things for people to learn, usually

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Speaker 3: in their teen years. Like again we're talking about teenagers

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Speaker 3: on having access to this information we're not talking about, like,

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Speaker 3: I don't.

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Speaker 2: Know, five year olds.

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Speaker 3: And yeah, again, this isn't a coincidence that all this

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Speaker 3: is happening at the same time there's this huge backlash

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Speaker 3: against queer and trans people, particularly queer and trans kids

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Speaker 3: in this country. And so let's talk about who's actually

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Speaker 3: behind the bill. There's two main sponsors. One is Senator

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Speaker 3: Marshall Blackburn of Tennessee, who's a Republican, and then the

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Speaker 3: other is Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut, who's a Democrat.

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Speaker 2: We love bipartisan repression.

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Speaker 3: All right, but anyways, I'm going to start with Senator

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Speaker 3: Blackburn and the right wing push for this bill. I'm

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Speaker 3: going to get to Senator Blumenthal for a minute because

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Speaker 3: I some weird stuff on him. But anyways, Also, agism

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Speaker 3: is bad. We've talked about this on the show. Agism

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Speaker 3: is a terrible thing. That being said, I think it

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Speaker 3: is worth pointing out both Blackburn and Bluementhal are in

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Speaker 3: their seventies, and like, I know, it's complicate, legislation is complicated.

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Speaker 2: A lot of people were on legislation, but.

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Speaker 3: Like, personally, there's something really weird to be about the

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Speaker 3: fact that the two sponsors of this bill are in

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Speaker 3: their seventies, and most of the people that are like

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Speaker 3: promoting this are on the older side. And then meanwhile,

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Speaker 3: if you look at a lot of the backlash and

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Speaker 3: a lot of the people are speaking out against it,

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Speaker 3: it's a lot of like twenty something or thirty something

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Speaker 3: year olds or teenagers, you know, And we're the people

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Speaker 3: that actually grew up on the internet. Like I'm I'm

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Speaker 3: twenty four. I like the Internet has been a part

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Speaker 3: of my life since I was a kid. I there

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Speaker 3: is a generation alive right now that actually has experienced this,

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Speaker 3: and I think deliberately not looking to those people to

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Speaker 3: kind of lead this discussion is weird and it's just

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Speaker 3: not gonna like end well. There is a quote like

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Speaker 3: gen Z activist group that has been supporting this bill.

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Speaker 3: It's called Design It for Us. Their Instagram bio says

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Speaker 3: a coalition of young activists and organizations fighting for safer

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Speaker 3: social media and online platforms for kids, teens, and young adults.

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Speaker 3: I haven't really been able to find much information on

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Speaker 3: this organization. Honestly, the most telling thing for me they

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Speaker 3: have three hundred and twenty six Instagram followers, which is fine.

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Speaker 3: Instagram's not for everybody, but if you aren't, you're calling

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Speaker 3: yourself like a gen Z activist organization. You have three

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Speaker 3: hundred and twenty six Instagram followers like that's my mom

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Speaker 3: has more.

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Speaker 2: Instagram followers like I don't wish again. She's gonna listen

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Speaker 2: to get mad at me. That does not change her.

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Speaker 2: It's just like, is it I gotta call your mama

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Speaker 2: like that? I get a very angry text after she

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Speaker 2: you know whatever I need to the point of reference anyways.

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Speaker 3: So yeah, they're definitely there's there's this sort of disconnect

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Speaker 3: between that I say this, I probably the same age

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Speaker 3: as your mama and around the same round following.

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Speaker 2: So how dare you'll get that for her?

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Speaker 3: She can make fun of me about having to text

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Speaker 3: her about like how to send a letter.

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Speaker 2: She can g your poor mother, I'm so sorry. I'm

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Speaker 2: with you one back to Senator Blackford.

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Speaker 3: So a May article from the Electronic Freedom Foundation written

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Speaker 3: by Jason Kelly stated that coosa's co author, Senator Blackburn

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Speaker 3: of Tennessee, has referred to education about and race discrimination

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Speaker 3: as quote dangerous for kids. Many states have agreed, and

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Speaker 3: recently moved to limit public education of the history of race, gender,

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Speaker 3: and sexuality discrimination. COSA passes platforms are likely to preemptively

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Speaker 3: block conversations that discuss these topics, as well as discussions

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Speaker 3: about substance abuse, suicide, and eating disorders, and there's not

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Speaker 3: clear agreement on their causes or their solutions referring to

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Speaker 3: suicide and disorders and substance abuse, So yeah, there's a

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Speaker 3: lot to unpack. First things First, we're living in the

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Speaker 3: middle of an active push to criminalize the existence of

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Speaker 3: a minority group in the US. The right wing of

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Speaker 3: this country are actively trying to kill trans people. I

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Speaker 3: have no problem just saying that, y'all straight up had

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Speaker 3: a spokesperson at CPAXA like trans people need to be eliminated.

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Speaker 2: It's very mask off at this point.

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Speaker 3: Senator Blackburn clearly and sort of that same boat and

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Speaker 3: says queer people, you are also being targeted.

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Speaker 2: You are also now part of this group, like you

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Speaker 2: guys are next.

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Speaker 3: We know where this is going anyways, So these same

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Speaker 3: people that are fueling this panic about queer and trans people,

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Speaker 3: they're now saying they want authority to dictate what is

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Speaker 3: and what is not appropriate for kids online.

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Speaker 2: This I think is particularly relevant right now.

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Speaker 3: There's a wide piece of misinformation that's circulating right now

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Speaker 3: that's called the social contagent theory that basically claims that

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Speaker 3: exposure to trans people or media that talks about trans

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Speaker 3: people will somehow convince otherwise this gender kids that they're

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Speaker 3: trans too. It's based on and this really weird claim

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Speaker 3: that there's just like so many kids coming out as

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Speaker 3: transgender right now.

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Speaker 2: I don't really get where that's coming from.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, this idea that like coming out is frands is

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Speaker 3: like a cool trendy thing to do with everybody. Again,

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Speaker 3: I don't know why people think that that's very much

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Speaker 3: not the case.

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Speaker 2: Coming out is still very very difficult.

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Speaker 3: Anyways, a lot of Turfs in particular flash on to

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Speaker 3: this idea. I would totally recommend checking out the Anti

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Speaker 3: trans Hate Machine podcast.

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Speaker 2: With Lamar Jones.

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Speaker 3: She did a really great deep dive into how this

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Speaker 3: theory circulated and a lot of like the right wing

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Speaker 3: push behind it.

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Speaker 2: One thing I also think is really scary about this

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Speaker 2: is that.

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Speaker 3: You know, more than like the sort of hyper religious

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Speaker 3: conservative angle of transphobia, I think this can be very

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Speaker 3: appealing to a lot of people that like consider themselves

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Speaker 3: to be like center left or left. This has made

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Speaker 3: its way into a lot of mainstream coverage of trans people.

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Speaker 3: It's made its way into the New York Times coverage.

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Speaker 3: I think, like this is scarier to me than like

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Speaker 3: this sort of evangelical, super ultra right Christian in gold

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Speaker 3: that is also super terrifying. But yeah, and again, there's

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Speaker 3: no evidence for this. This entire like theory quote unquote

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Speaker 3: comes from one study from one doctor. The organization that

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Speaker 3: published it later refeted it, and a number of medical

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Speaker 3: organizations have come out and said that there's no evidence

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Speaker 3: this is actually a thing. Also, again, like I don't

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Speaker 3: get why this is so hard for sis stray people

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Speaker 3: to understand, but like, think about it. Okay, you could

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Speaker 3: be arrested for not dressing a close enough to your gender,

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Speaker 3: regardless if you were a trans or not, like not

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Speaker 3: dressing feminine or masculine enough up until like the seventies,

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Speaker 3: and then like the AIDS crisis happened and a lot

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Speaker 3: of people died, and then the next twenty years it

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Speaker 3: wasn't like there wasn't there was still a lot of homophobia.

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Speaker 2: There was still a lot of transphobia that was very

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Speaker 2: well accepted. Maybe the reason.

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Speaker 3: More people are coming out as trans now, is just

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Speaker 3: that like we live in a slightly more accepting society,

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Speaker 3: and yes, we are quickly rolling backwards too, but like

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Speaker 3: we do live in a time where there's some precedent

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Speaker 3: visibility and that can be really helpful, especially and again,

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Speaker 3: like if you're a trans kid and you've never been

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Speaker 3: exposed to this idea that like you can be trans,

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Speaker 3: that's a possibility, and then suddenly, like you see a

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Speaker 3: piece of media where they talk about trans people, whether

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Speaker 3: that's like through the Internet or TV or just like

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Speaker 3: a book you read, like that can help you realize

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Speaker 3: your trans That's one of the beautiful things I think

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Speaker 3: about a lot of media and a lot of entertainment

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Speaker 3: media and fiction too, is like people see themselves reflected

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Speaker 3: in it. So like, yeah, if you have a kid

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Speaker 3: and they watch to show about trans people and then

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Speaker 3: all of a sudden they were like, I think I'm trans,

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Speaker 3: that probably means they're trans. That probably just means they

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Speaker 3: saw themselves for the first time. And then also this

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Speaker 3: whole idea of like, oh, your friend came out of trans,

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Speaker 3: so now you're gonna come out of trans. Like we

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Speaker 3: all kind of find each other, like we all kind

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Speaker 3: of you know, it's it's like having any sort of

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Speaker 3: marginalized identity, you're gonna want to find people's similar experiences

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Speaker 3: to you. It makes sense that trans kids are going

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Speaker 3: to sort of lash onto each other moren't friendships.

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Speaker 2: And again, like I think when.

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Speaker 3: We're talking about the Internet, we're talking about this issue

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Speaker 3: particularly involving the Internet. So for some people, the Internet

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Speaker 3: is that space where they find these connections, They find

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Speaker 3: connections with other trans kids, they find connections with other

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Speaker 3: trans people.

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Speaker 2: That was my experience growing up.

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Speaker 3: I I was, you know, growing up when Tumblr was

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Speaker 3: a big thing, and like Tumblr was sort of my

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Speaker 3: first exposure to like other queer people and like queer community.

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Speaker 3: And there's positives and negatives of that, but again I

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Speaker 3: think I'm glad that I had that instead of just

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Speaker 3: not having anything.

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Speaker 2: And again, there is a discussion that we had about

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Speaker 2: like online.

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Speaker 3: Safety and all that, but just saying we need to

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Speaker 3: censor all this, we need to let kids like not

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Speaker 3: have any accesses, that is not the answer that is

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Speaker 3: going to end up causing more harm than good.

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Speaker 2: And again, like when it is.

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Speaker 3: Terrifying this whole idea that like the whole social contagion idea.

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Speaker 3: It is rooted in this idea that being trans is wrong.

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Speaker 3: It is rooted in this idea that like there's something

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Speaker 3: wrong with you if your trans are queer. Because in

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Speaker 3: all honesty, too, it's like worst case scenario. Yeah, maybe

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Speaker 3: it is a phase. Maybe a kid comes out as

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Speaker 3: trans and then later they decide they're not. That's normal,

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Speaker 3: kids go through phases, Like I don't know, it is.

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Speaker 2: It's very strange that there's been this like.

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Speaker 3: Massive backlash to the idea of even considering that you

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Speaker 3: might be trans or you might not be your assigned

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Speaker 3: gender at birth. So the Heritage Foundation has also been

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Speaker 3: a big supporter of this bill surprise surprise, as on

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Speaker 3: May twentieth, they tweeted quote, keeping trans content away from

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Speaker 3: children is protecting kids in response to somebody pointing out,

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Speaker 3: you know, another quote where they were talking about like, yes,

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Speaker 3: we want this bill to pass because we can stop

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Speaker 3: trans and queer people from existing on the internet. And yeah, again,

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Speaker 3: very mask off, like it's very obvious what they're going

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Speaker 3: to be using this legislation for. Another big supporter of

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Speaker 3: the bill is the National Center on Sexual Expectation, which

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Speaker 3: a Vice article by Janie Rose described as a far

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Speaker 3: right quote and anti trafficking group previously known as Morality

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Speaker 3: and Media that has lobbied against porn, sex workers, and

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Speaker 3: LGBT rights since the nineteen sixties. Again, I'm not saying

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Speaker 3: there isn't a lot of problems with the porn industry,

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Speaker 3: but it feels very strange to me that they're like,

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Speaker 3: we're an anti trafficking group and then their main things

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Speaker 3: they're lobbying against are porn and LGBT rights and sex workers. Anyways,

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Speaker 3: just seems weird. Back to that Vice article quote, the

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Speaker 3: group's president, Patrick Truman, has previously worked for the American

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Speaker 3: Family Association and the Family Research Council, both far right

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Speaker 3: Christian organizations that have been designated as anti LGBTQ hate

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Speaker 3: groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center. So, yeah, this

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Speaker 3: is legislation that's being supported by hate groups. I think

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00:20:46,800 --> 00:20:49,359
Speaker 3: that is worth pointing out. And Yeah, one of the

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Speaker 3: really messed up things about all of this and a

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Speaker 3: a lot of this legislation is a lot of times

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Speaker 3: it's framed as protecting kids, as stopping child abuse, stopping trafficking,

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Speaker 3: which all seem great, but that can very easily be

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Speaker 3: used as sort of a mask for anti LGBT, anti

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Speaker 3: people just talking about sexuality in general, people talking about

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Speaker 3: reproductive healthcare, especially in like a post QAnon America. I

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Speaker 3: would always be cautious if a piece of legislation is

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Speaker 3: talking about protecting kids or anti trafficking, there's a very

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Speaker 3: good chance that's sort of upfront for something else. And

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Speaker 3: the frustrating part about that is like, yeah, trafficking is

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Speaker 3: an issue, kids being abused is an issue. We should

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Speaker 3: be addressing those ideas. But this isn't actually addressing that.

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Speaker 3: This is addressing very different issues. And yeah, again I'm

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Speaker 3: focusing a lot on LGBT couplus issues and how these

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Speaker 3: are going to be affected by the bill because I

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Speaker 3: think that's the most obvious right now and probably like

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Speaker 3: the first thing that it will be used for. But again,

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Speaker 3: going back to that quote about Senator Blackburn, a lot

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Speaker 3: of these politicians and advocates are like the same people

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Speaker 3: are also saying that learning about racism is inappropriate for children,

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Speaker 3: or learning anything about sexual and reproductive health.

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Speaker 2: There was that article that just came out that was

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Speaker 2: like you basically can't teach.

440
00:22:12,119 --> 00:22:14,880
Speaker 3: Ap psych in Florida anymore because of like that don't

441
00:22:14,880 --> 00:22:15,840
Speaker 3: say gay bill like that.

442
00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:17,159
Speaker 2: It's crazy.

443
00:22:17,200 --> 00:22:21,800
Speaker 3: This isn't There's so many things that could be kind

444
00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:22,360
Speaker 3: of caught in.

445
00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:25,720
Speaker 2: The net of what this bill allows politicians to regulate.

446
00:22:28,160 --> 00:22:30,200
Speaker 3: And then so going back to that quote again from

447
00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:33,119
Speaker 3: the Electronic Freedom Foundation about the bill and its sponsors,

448
00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:34,600
Speaker 3: it also points out that the bill passed.

449
00:22:34,880 --> 00:22:36,960
Speaker 2: If the bill passes, quote.

450
00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:41,000
Speaker 3: Platforms are likely to preemptively black discussions about substance abuse, suicide,

451
00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:44,160
Speaker 3: and aiding disorders, which I think is the other side

452
00:22:44,160 --> 00:22:48,120
Speaker 3: of this, this discussion about mental health. And again I'm

453
00:22:48,119 --> 00:22:50,520
Speaker 3: not saying social media can't be used to promote those things.

454
00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:53,840
Speaker 3: Like I said, I was a tumbler kid. I have

455
00:22:54,200 --> 00:22:57,120
Speaker 3: seen all of the worst of this, but they are

456
00:22:57,240 --> 00:22:58,520
Speaker 3: very complicated issues.

457
00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:02,680
Speaker 2: There's a lot of things that cause this.

458
00:23:03,640 --> 00:23:05,960
Speaker 3: People talk about, like the mental health crisis happening right now,

459
00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:09,919
Speaker 3: there's a lot of factors that contribute to that. And

460
00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:12,879
Speaker 3: also the Internet and social media can also be tools

461
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:16,320
Speaker 3: for helping find support. Again, the Internet is just a platform.

462
00:23:16,440 --> 00:23:19,439
Speaker 3: It's not necessarily good or bad. It is just a

463
00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:22,200
Speaker 3: way of distributing information, and you can just as easily

464
00:23:22,520 --> 00:23:25,400
Speaker 3: find things that will help you as you can find

465
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,919
Speaker 3: things that will harm you. So from that same article

466
00:23:28,000 --> 00:23:31,119
Speaker 3: again they said quote to pick just one example. In

467
00:23:31,119 --> 00:23:33,720
Speaker 3: some communities, safe injection sites are seen as part of

468
00:23:33,720 --> 00:23:36,320
Speaker 3: a solution to substance abuse, and others they are seen

469
00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,360
Speaker 3: as part of the problem. Under KOSA, could a platform

470
00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:42,280
Speaker 3: be sued for displaying content about them or about needle exchanges,

471
00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:46,679
Speaker 3: malaxa or other harm reduction techniques. So yeah, again, the

472
00:23:46,720 --> 00:23:49,200
Speaker 3: problem with this is that yes, it'll block informa, it'll

473
00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:53,840
Speaker 3: block things that will supposedly promote eating disorders or substance abuse,

474
00:23:53,840 --> 00:24:07,359
Speaker 3: but then it'll also block information about getting help and

475
00:24:07,400 --> 00:24:09,600
Speaker 3: on that mental health thread. Because again, so this has

476
00:24:09,600 --> 00:24:12,160
Speaker 3: been something I think supporters of libill have really latched

477
00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:14,119
Speaker 3: on doo and again we were talking about kind of

478
00:24:14,119 --> 00:24:16,520
Speaker 3: the right wing backlash. I think this has been a

479
00:24:16,560 --> 00:24:20,280
Speaker 3: little bit more universal, a little bit more bipartisan. They're

480
00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:23,240
Speaker 3: arguing that the internet and the kids, the things that

481
00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:25,240
Speaker 3: kids are seeing on the Internet are the sole causes

482
00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:27,760
Speaker 3: of all of these things like depression, eating disorders, addiction,

483
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:28,800
Speaker 3: self harm, et cetera.

484
00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:33,440
Speaker 2: Again, which are all very complicated issues. These things didn't.

485
00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:35,679
Speaker 3: Just randomly appear when the Internet appears. They've been around

486
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:37,880
Speaker 3: for a while. I think they're more visible now for

487
00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:40,440
Speaker 3: a lot of reasons, but.

488
00:24:40,359 --> 00:24:41,720
Speaker 2: They've always kind of been there.

489
00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:44,359
Speaker 3: And again, there's definitely a conversation we had about the

490
00:24:44,359 --> 00:24:48,159
Speaker 3: mental health crisis happening in this country, but just blaming

491
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:52,560
Speaker 3: the Internet for it is dangerously simplifying those situation and

492
00:24:53,720 --> 00:24:56,000
Speaker 3: it's just a weird, like disinformed take. It's going to

493
00:24:56,080 --> 00:24:58,000
Speaker 3: end up causing it more harm than good. And so

494
00:24:58,040 --> 00:25:01,399
Speaker 3: a lot of this is coming from They're recently wise

495
00:25:01,720 --> 00:25:05,119
Speaker 3: this report from the US Surgeon General, which was an

496
00:25:05,160 --> 00:25:08,480
Speaker 3: advisory on social Media and Youth Mental health that called

497
00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:10,760
Speaker 3: to attention the negative impacts that social media can have

498
00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:13,639
Speaker 3: on kids' mental health. And this is a great report.

499
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:15,359
Speaker 3: I totally encourage people to check it out. I think

500
00:25:15,359 --> 00:25:17,479
Speaker 3: it does a good job of, like again, laying out

501
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,320
Speaker 3: a lot of these issues and laying out how social

502
00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:23,359
Speaker 3: media can make these problems worse, which again I'm not

503
00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,439
Speaker 3: denying that that is a thing. I'm not denying the

504
00:25:25,440 --> 00:25:29,199
Speaker 3: fact that social media can contribute to these problems. But

505
00:25:29,240 --> 00:25:31,240
Speaker 3: one thing I think was interesting about the study, and

506
00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:34,040
Speaker 3: that is sort of being looked over by a lot

507
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:35,719
Speaker 3: of the coverage of it, is that it also does

508
00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,000
Speaker 3: a pretty good breakdown of like not just the negative

509
00:25:38,040 --> 00:25:41,240
Speaker 3: aspects of social media, but also the positive aspects. And

510
00:25:41,359 --> 00:25:43,080
Speaker 3: one thing that came out of the study was that

511
00:25:43,240 --> 00:25:46,360
Speaker 3: more marginalized youth tend to see the internet more positively

512
00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:49,760
Speaker 3: and tend to have kind of more positive experiences with

513
00:25:49,800 --> 00:25:52,760
Speaker 3: the internet. So again, if you just google this study,

514
00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:54,320
Speaker 3: you're going to see a lot of headlines that are

515
00:25:54,359 --> 00:25:57,719
Speaker 3: like Surgeon General raises alarm about social media and social

516
00:25:57,760 --> 00:26:02,160
Speaker 3: media driving team mental health crisis, which is a big

517
00:26:02,200 --> 00:26:05,119
Speaker 3: part of the report, but it also said social media

518
00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,320
Speaker 3: can provide quote positive community and connection with others who

519
00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:12,200
Speaker 3: share identity, abilities, and interest. They later said that social

520
00:26:12,200 --> 00:26:15,960
Speaker 3: media can provide quote buffering effects against stress, particularly for

521
00:26:16,040 --> 00:26:18,800
Speaker 3: queer and trans youth, youth of color, or just like

522
00:26:18,840 --> 00:26:21,719
Speaker 3: anybody that belongs to a marginalized group. Some stats from

523
00:26:21,760 --> 00:26:24,720
Speaker 3: the report that I thought were particularly interesting. One was

524
00:26:24,760 --> 00:26:27,280
Speaker 3: that seven out of ten adolescent girls of color report

525
00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:31,080
Speaker 3: encountering positive or identity affirming content related to race across

526
00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,159
Speaker 3: social media platforms. Fifty eight percent of adolescents interview had

527
00:26:35,200 --> 00:26:38,520
Speaker 3: reported that social media helped them feel more accepted. Sixty

528
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:40,960
Speaker 3: seven percent said that social media helps them feel like

529
00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:43,400
Speaker 3: they have people who can support them through tough times.

530
00:26:43,840 --> 00:26:46,119
Speaker 3: Seventy one percent said that social media provides them a

531
00:26:46,160 --> 00:26:49,119
Speaker 3: place to show their creative side, and eighty percent felt

532
00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:51,399
Speaker 3: like they were more connected to what's going on in

533
00:26:51,440 --> 00:26:54,680
Speaker 3: their friends' lives. That last stat I think is particularly important.

534
00:26:54,960 --> 00:26:57,600
Speaker 3: The study also pointed out that quote the ability to

535
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:00,840
Speaker 3: form and maintain friendships online and developed social connections, as

536
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:04,600
Speaker 3: well as interactions with more diverse peer groups than are

537
00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:08,200
Speaker 3: available offline, Like these are all sort of benefits of

538
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:12,000
Speaker 3: social media, which, like I don't know if you guys remember,

539
00:27:12,080 --> 00:27:15,160
Speaker 3: but there was this pandemic thing that just happened, and

540
00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,680
Speaker 3: a lot of us were very isolated for a long

541
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,840
Speaker 3: period of time. A lot of kids were, and the

542
00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:24,680
Speaker 3: internet and social media that was a way for people

543
00:27:24,720 --> 00:27:26,399
Speaker 3: to bind connection. That was a way for people to

544
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:29,119
Speaker 3: stay connected with other people and provide an escape for

545
00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:29,640
Speaker 3: a lot of people.

546
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:31,960
Speaker 2: It definitely helped me. Like that's how I kind of

547
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:32,600
Speaker 2: stayed sane.

548
00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,000
Speaker 3: I was, you know, I was on Twitter a lot,

549
00:27:36,400 --> 00:27:38,359
Speaker 3: I was on TikTok a lot. I was also like

550
00:27:38,400 --> 00:27:41,720
Speaker 3: just facetiming friends and stuff like that. Like that was

551
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:45,520
Speaker 3: a way for me to like keep up social interaction,

552
00:27:45,720 --> 00:27:49,080
Speaker 3: which is a thing that you know people need anyways.

553
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:50,960
Speaker 3: So one more point I want to pull from this

554
00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:54,840
Speaker 3: report it said quote an addition, research suggests that social

555
00:27:54,880 --> 00:27:57,640
Speaker 3: media based and other digitally based mental health interventions may

556
00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:01,080
Speaker 3: also be helpful for some children adolescents by promoting help

557
00:28:01,160 --> 00:28:03,960
Speaker 3: seeking behaviors and serving as a gateway to initiating mental

558
00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,359
Speaker 3: health care. So that's kind of going back what I

559
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,520
Speaker 3: was saying before, Like this is really important. You can

560
00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:13,000
Speaker 3: argue that, yes, like social media, the Internet, it exposes

561
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:18,480
Speaker 3: kids to self harm and to addiction and to suicidal idealization,

562
00:28:18,720 --> 00:28:21,719
Speaker 3: but also it provides kids with support. If you google

563
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:23,840
Speaker 3: anything related to suicide, like one of the main things

564
00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,159
Speaker 3: that pops up is the suicide hotline. Like that is

565
00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,320
Speaker 3: a resource that is available to people. There are resources

566
00:28:28,320 --> 00:28:31,639
Speaker 3: through the Internet people that are trying to overcome addiction.

567
00:28:31,720 --> 00:28:36,000
Speaker 3: You can find communities online. And also if you've been

568
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:38,520
Speaker 3: involving this like ongoing right wing attack on queer and

569
00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:41,960
Speaker 3: trance folks in this country, one of their most recent

570
00:28:42,000 --> 00:28:45,200
Speaker 3: targets has been the Trevor Project, which is a suicide

571
00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:50,400
Speaker 3: hotline for LGBTQ Post Kids Suicide Hotline, So it is

572
00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,719
Speaker 3: something that saves kids' lives and This has been kind

573
00:28:53,760 --> 00:28:54,600
Speaker 3: of the latest.

574
00:28:54,280 --> 00:28:57,640
Speaker 2: Group that's been roped into this whole like groomer rhetoric

575
00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:00,360
Speaker 2: about LGBTQ plus organizations and people.

576
00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:06,400
Speaker 3: This is a suicide hotline, this is preventing death, and.

577
00:29:06,440 --> 00:29:09,680
Speaker 2: It's just it's so what the I just I can't like.

578
00:29:10,920 --> 00:29:13,440
Speaker 3: It's so twisted, it is so messed up, And I

579
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,200
Speaker 3: think that it is really telling that the same people

580
00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:21,719
Speaker 3: that are trying to shut down the Trevor Project just

581
00:29:21,760 --> 00:29:26,440
Speaker 3: because they acknowledge that queer people exist, I don't know,

582
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,160
Speaker 3: they're the same people sort of promoting this bill and

583
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,200
Speaker 3: promoting a lot of the things like changes that will

584
00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:33,920
Speaker 3: be put in place because of this legislation.

585
00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,280
Speaker 2: So yeah, I think a big issue with this.

586
00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,360
Speaker 3: The bill doesn't discriminate between content that's causing harm and

587
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:41,120
Speaker 3: that's preventing it.

588
00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:42,280
Speaker 2: It's just sort of a catch all.

589
00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:45,560
Speaker 3: The people again that are going to be determining what

590
00:29:45,840 --> 00:29:50,280
Speaker 3: is or is not appropriate for kids are politicians. Are

591
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,080
Speaker 3: a lot of these same people that are trying to

592
00:29:55,120 --> 00:29:59,080
Speaker 3: again eliminate trans people from public life and their own words.

593
00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:02,000
Speaker 2: So it's scary.

594
00:30:02,520 --> 00:30:07,320
Speaker 3: I'm really worried about what where this is going. And

595
00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:09,800
Speaker 3: on top of that, talking about the Internet and some

596
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:13,240
Speaker 3: of the again like positives that I see about the

597
00:30:13,240 --> 00:30:15,520
Speaker 3: Internet and social media, because I do feel like I

598
00:30:15,520 --> 00:30:17,800
Speaker 3: got to defend that a little bit. A lot of

599
00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,000
Speaker 3: queer and trans kids don't live in accepting households or

600
00:30:21,040 --> 00:30:22,840
Speaker 3: they just don't know other queer people. Again I've talked

601
00:30:22,840 --> 00:30:25,360
Speaker 3: about this before, Like I had a couple of friends

602
00:30:25,360 --> 00:30:27,800
Speaker 3: growing up that were like also coming out around the

603
00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:29,840
Speaker 3: same time, but like, I didn't really know any other

604
00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:30,360
Speaker 3: queer people.

605
00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:31,680
Speaker 2: I didn't know any queer adults.

606
00:30:32,320 --> 00:30:34,040
Speaker 3: And like, if you're a person of color, if you're

607
00:30:34,040 --> 00:30:36,560
Speaker 3: a person who belongs to a marginalized religious group or

608
00:30:36,600 --> 00:30:39,120
Speaker 3: ethnic group, you can kind of be in a similar

609
00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:41,360
Speaker 3: position where maybe you're the only person at your school

610
00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,240
Speaker 3: who has that identity and you can't really relate to

611
00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:46,280
Speaker 3: other like you just don't have a community to talk

612
00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,080
Speaker 3: about those experiences with that can be really detrimental to

613
00:30:50,120 --> 00:30:52,840
Speaker 3: your mental health. And so one thing I was thinking about,

614
00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:54,800
Speaker 3: So there was this campaign what I was growing up

615
00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,360
Speaker 3: that was called it Gets Better, and I'm be real,

616
00:30:57,440 --> 00:30:59,720
Speaker 3: it was really corny, Like I thought it was really dumb.

617
00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:03,920
Speaker 3: That being said, I think it was well intentioned. I think,

618
00:31:03,960 --> 00:31:05,800
Speaker 3: like I'm looking back I'm really glad it was like

619
00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:08,719
Speaker 3: a thing. I'm glad, and again, especially given the situation now,

620
00:31:08,760 --> 00:31:11,640
Speaker 3: I'm like, oh, I did not realize that that was

621
00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:12,560
Speaker 3: like really good.

622
00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:14,600
Speaker 2: I do think I missed the mark a little bit.

623
00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,880
Speaker 3: Anyways, I think the point of what that whole campaign is,

624
00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:23,360
Speaker 3: that campaign was supposed to be and I think something

625
00:31:23,400 --> 00:31:24,960
Speaker 3: that I think is really important. It's supposed to be

626
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:27,520
Speaker 3: like showing kids this idea that like, you can have

627
00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:31,480
Speaker 3: a happy queer future. And I think for me, again,

628
00:31:31,520 --> 00:31:33,560
Speaker 3: that whole campaign didn't early work. I was a really

629
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,880
Speaker 3: agsty kid. I think I was just like very like whatever.

630
00:31:37,920 --> 00:31:41,280
Speaker 3: But what I the things that like helped me sort

631
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,320
Speaker 3: of imagine like a happy queer future for myself where

632
00:31:44,320 --> 00:31:46,680
Speaker 3: I would be able to be like my true self

633
00:31:46,720 --> 00:31:49,040
Speaker 3: and be again yeah, just be happy, just be like

634
00:31:49,680 --> 00:31:53,239
Speaker 3: not suffering all the time. Access to the internet was

635
00:31:53,280 --> 00:31:56,960
Speaker 3: access to YouTubers and to Tumblr and to just like

636
00:31:57,480 --> 00:31:58,360
Speaker 3: and a fan fiction.

637
00:31:58,720 --> 00:32:01,120
Speaker 2: Again, like I keep going back, but that was really

638
00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:02,000
Speaker 2: the first time.

639
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:08,320
Speaker 3: I I read stories about queer people. And again, these

640
00:32:08,360 --> 00:32:09,840
Speaker 3: are all things that are going to be attacked to

641
00:32:09,880 --> 00:32:12,760
Speaker 3: sort of like wiping the existence of queer people from

642
00:32:12,800 --> 00:32:13,440
Speaker 3: the internet.

643
00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:16,760
Speaker 2: All you're gonna do with that is show kids that like,

644
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:18,120
Speaker 2: you don't have the.

645
00:32:18,120 --> 00:32:20,640
Speaker 3: Future, You don't have a future where you can be

646
00:32:20,680 --> 00:32:23,760
Speaker 3: happy and accepted and be your true self. And that

647
00:32:24,120 --> 00:32:28,200
Speaker 3: is terrifying. That is that is what leads to suicide.

648
00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:32,640
Speaker 3: So anyways, yeah, right wing politicians want us dead.

649
00:32:32,640 --> 00:32:33,400
Speaker 2: What else is new?

650
00:32:34,080 --> 00:32:38,000
Speaker 3: Anyways, let's talk about the Democratic co sponsor of this bill,

651
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:43,560
Speaker 3: Richard Blumenthal. Oh my god, this guy. Okay, So he

652
00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:49,880
Speaker 3: has been a co sponsor on a lot of similar bills,

653
00:32:49,920 --> 00:32:52,840
Speaker 3: a lot of these bills that have been tracked by

654
00:32:53,080 --> 00:32:57,480
Speaker 3: the Electronic Freedom Foundation and Fight for the Future.

655
00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:01,160
Speaker 2: This has been just looking at kind of his legislative history.

656
00:33:01,800 --> 00:33:04,440
Speaker 3: He also like tried to pass some bills in like

657
00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:08,840
Speaker 3: the late nineties early two thousands about like regulating MySpace,

658
00:33:09,200 --> 00:33:12,240
Speaker 3: and I don't know, this just seems to be his

659
00:33:12,360 --> 00:33:15,120
Speaker 3: whole thing. He is very into like restricting what people

660
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:19,040
Speaker 3: can see online. Apparently he is also the co sponsor

661
00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:22,200
Speaker 3: of the earn It Act, another bill that Fight for

662
00:33:22,240 --> 00:33:25,479
Speaker 3: the Future is organizing against, which if you look at

663
00:33:25,480 --> 00:33:28,720
Speaker 3: what Congress has online, they summarize the bill as quote,

664
00:33:28,760 --> 00:33:31,840
Speaker 3: this bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of

665
00:33:31,840 --> 00:33:35,760
Speaker 3: online sexual exploitation of children end quote, which, again, that

666
00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:38,800
Speaker 3: sounds great. I don't think anybody can disagree that like that.

667
00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:41,920
Speaker 3: That's yeah, we shouldn't be having that happen, but that's

668
00:33:41,960 --> 00:33:45,920
Speaker 3: not what the bill actually does. This is again from

669
00:33:46,200 --> 00:33:49,840
Speaker 3: Fight for the Future's website. Bad Internet Bills also will

670
00:33:49,840 --> 00:33:53,200
Speaker 3: also have that in the description. They have a lot

671
00:33:53,240 --> 00:33:55,240
Speaker 3: of information about not just KOSO, but like all of

672
00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:57,840
Speaker 3: these bills that earn earn It Act and other bills

673
00:33:57,840 --> 00:33:59,760
Speaker 3: that are happening right now. But yeah, so from their

674
00:33:59,760 --> 00:34:04,440
Speaker 3: web site, this bill quote threatens to undermine online encryption

675
00:34:04,520 --> 00:34:08,480
Speaker 3: by punishing companies that provide encryption services. Again, I'm not

676
00:34:08,520 --> 00:34:10,960
Speaker 3: a very tachy person. I don't know exactly how end

677
00:34:10,960 --> 00:34:14,560
Speaker 3: to end encryption works, but basically, it is what keeps

678
00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:19,080
Speaker 3: online messaging private. It is what prevents Again, we don't

679
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,080
Speaker 3: really have good data privacy laws in this country, but

680
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,839
Speaker 3: it is like the one thing that prevents hackers from

681
00:34:23,920 --> 00:34:25,600
Speaker 3: accessing your personal information.

682
00:34:26,200 --> 00:34:27,920
Speaker 2: We all use it, even if you don't think you

683
00:34:27,960 --> 00:34:29,000
Speaker 2: do like you use it.

684
00:34:29,200 --> 00:34:31,520
Speaker 3: And again this is the same guy who's arguing that

685
00:34:31,600 --> 00:34:35,560
Speaker 3: KOSA will protect data privacy, and they've used some of

686
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:37,520
Speaker 3: the language from the arn IT Act. They put some

687
00:34:37,640 --> 00:34:40,719
Speaker 3: of this into KOSA. Both of these bills are going

688
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:42,719
Speaker 3: to destroy what little data privacy we have.

689
00:34:43,080 --> 00:34:43,319
Speaker 2: Yeah.

690
00:34:43,320 --> 00:34:46,120
Speaker 3: So. Also from Fight for the Future, in twenty sixteen,

691
00:34:46,440 --> 00:34:50,680
Speaker 3: a bipartisan congressional commission concluded that quote encryption is an

692
00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:55,520
Speaker 3: exorbally tied to our national interest. Senator Ron Wyden has

693
00:34:55,560 --> 00:34:58,400
Speaker 3: pointed out that quote, you can't only build a backdoor

694
00:34:58,440 --> 00:35:00,560
Speaker 3: for the good guys. Once you weaken in encryption with

695
00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:03,239
Speaker 3: a backdoor, you make it far easier for criminals and

696
00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:04,800
Speaker 3: hackers and predators to get into.

697
00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:05,480
Speaker 2: Your digital life.

698
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:10,560
Speaker 3: So, like back in twenty sixteen, we had congress people

699
00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:12,640
Speaker 3: being like, we need encryption.

700
00:35:13,080 --> 00:35:15,080
Speaker 2: This isn't like we shouldn't end encryption.

701
00:35:15,200 --> 00:35:17,960
Speaker 3: This is literally the one thing that is preventing hackers

702
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:19,280
Speaker 3: from getting into your stuff.

703
00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:25,520
Speaker 2: This bill also allows for like a heightened surveillance state.

704
00:35:25,840 --> 00:35:26,520
Speaker 2: Also from the.

705
00:35:26,480 --> 00:35:30,480
Speaker 3: Fight for the Future website, quote, Beyond the systemics surveillance

706
00:35:30,520 --> 00:35:34,520
Speaker 3: issues we face, individual police officers routinely misuse their access

707
00:35:34,560 --> 00:35:38,600
Speaker 3: to confidential databases to get information on neighbors, romantic partners,

708
00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:41,239
Speaker 3: and business rivals. We know the giving law enforcement and

709
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:44,439
Speaker 3: intelligence officials access to our communication results in them taking

710
00:35:44,480 --> 00:35:46,680
Speaker 3: advantage of that access in the ways that hurt us,

711
00:35:46,960 --> 00:35:49,719
Speaker 3: often with absolutely no benefits to the public good. Why

712
00:35:49,719 --> 00:35:52,239
Speaker 3: should we trust them to with even greater access to

713
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:53,480
Speaker 3: our private conversations?

714
00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:55,040
Speaker 2: Simply put, we shouldn't.

715
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:58,719
Speaker 3: So. Yeah, like, remember how like ten years ago we

716
00:35:58,760 --> 00:36:02,040
Speaker 3: had this whole like like the snowed in leaks happen

717
00:36:02,239 --> 00:36:04,640
Speaker 3: and we were like, oh my god, the government spent

718
00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:08,160
Speaker 3: like recording all these phone calls and stuff, and it

719
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:13,240
Speaker 3: hasn't even really done anything to like prevent terrorism.

720
00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:14,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, this whole conversation.

721
00:36:14,840 --> 00:36:17,680
Speaker 3: I thought we universally like decided massurveillance is a bad thing.

722
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:19,600
Speaker 3: But again, now we're apparently doing that.

723
00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:20,239
Speaker 2: Yeah.

724
00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,200
Speaker 3: So in an article about this bill, the Electronic Freedom

725
00:36:24,200 --> 00:36:26,880
Speaker 3: Foundation states that quote in the name of fighting crime,

726
00:36:27,040 --> 00:36:29,200
Speaker 3: the earn It Act creates all Internet users like we

727
00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:31,880
Speaker 3: should be in a permanent criminal lineup under suspicion for

728
00:36:31,960 --> 00:36:34,799
Speaker 3: child abuse. If enacted, earn It will put massive legal

729
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:37,200
Speaker 3: pressure on Internet companies both large and small, to stop

730
00:36:37,280 --> 00:36:40,399
Speaker 3: using true end to end encryption and instead scan all

731
00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:43,800
Speaker 3: user messages, photos, and files. And like I said before,

732
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:47,200
Speaker 3: we all use end to end encryption if we use

733
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:50,760
Speaker 3: it for so many things. The Electronic Freedom Foundation points

734
00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:53,919
Speaker 3: out that this bill could be used to target people

735
00:36:53,960 --> 00:36:58,000
Speaker 3: who seek reproductive healthcare, since that's something that's been under attack.

736
00:36:58,480 --> 00:37:01,400
Speaker 3: Also could be used to target trans folks. We're already

737
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:04,520
Speaker 3: seeing some state governments that are going out of their

738
00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:08,600
Speaker 3: way to target and harassed trans folks. Last year, Texas

739
00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:12,719
Speaker 3: Attorney General Ken Paxton attempted to use government resources to

740
00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:16,120
Speaker 3: compile a list of trans adults who changed their legal

741
00:37:16,160 --> 00:37:19,040
Speaker 3: gender marker on their ID. That is creepy, Like he

742
00:37:19,200 --> 00:37:22,160
Speaker 3: wanted a list of everybody that changed their gender marker

743
00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:25,920
Speaker 3: on their ID. There's no way that ends well, Like

744
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:29,120
Speaker 3: I just it's it's weird. And again, like even if

745
00:37:29,160 --> 00:37:30,960
Speaker 3: if you're somebody, if you're in a position where like

746
00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:32,840
Speaker 3: I'm never going to deal with this, I am a

747
00:37:32,920 --> 00:37:38,920
Speaker 3: sis white man, I have whatever the most privileged ever,

748
00:37:41,600 --> 00:37:43,960
Speaker 3: why would you want less data privacy? Like?

749
00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:45,440
Speaker 2: Why again?

750
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:47,560
Speaker 3: And these are things like we use we use an

751
00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:51,600
Speaker 3: encryption for healthcare, we use it for finances. Why would

752
00:37:51,640 --> 00:37:53,479
Speaker 3: you want to make it easier for people to hack

753
00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:56,359
Speaker 3: into your health care information, your health information or your

754
00:37:56,440 --> 00:37:58,319
Speaker 3: your again your finances like.

755
00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:02,120
Speaker 2: That that doesn't seem good.

756
00:38:02,320 --> 00:38:04,359
Speaker 3: A number of senators have spoken up against this bill,

757
00:38:04,360 --> 00:38:08,520
Speaker 3: including Senator Corey Booker and John Ossoff and one hundred

758
00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:11,600
Speaker 3: and thirty two LGBTQ plus human rights organizations have signed

759
00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:14,800
Speaker 3: on to a letter opposing this bill. Also, just a

760
00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:20,520
Speaker 3: quick note brought up this bill and relation to Senator Bloomenthal,

761
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,080
Speaker 3: who is the Democratic co sponsor of this bill. The

762
00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:26,720
Speaker 3: Republican co sponsor is Lindsay Graham. Ted Cruz is another

763
00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:27,480
Speaker 3: co sponsor.

764
00:38:28,320 --> 00:38:28,839
Speaker 2: I don't know.

765
00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,359
Speaker 3: I don't think those are people that have my best

766
00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:36,000
Speaker 3: interest in mind. That's just my thoughts on that anyways.

767
00:38:36,360 --> 00:38:38,720
Speaker 3: So again, KOs isn't the only bill that is attacking

768
00:38:38,760 --> 00:38:41,800
Speaker 3: internet freedom or data privacy.

769
00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:44,560
Speaker 2: Senator Bluenthal apparently thinks.

770
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:46,920
Speaker 3: He's like an LGBTQ plus ally and has like spoken

771
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:52,160
Speaker 3: up in the past about LGBT issues. If you want

772
00:38:52,160 --> 00:38:53,959
Speaker 3: to give me a call and explain to me why

773
00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:56,560
Speaker 3: you think like you can call yourself an ally and

774
00:38:56,680 --> 00:38:59,960
Speaker 3: lay the charge for both of these bills, Like, explain

775
00:39:00,080 --> 00:39:02,759
Speaker 3: that to me, because I'm confused. And yeah, again, because

776
00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:06,080
Speaker 3: Congress is weird. There's also two nearly identical bills that

777
00:39:07,480 --> 00:39:11,280
Speaker 3: Blumenthala is sponsoring that are called One is called Stop

778
00:39:12,320 --> 00:39:16,400
Speaker 3: See Sam and the others called the Cooper Davis Act,

779
00:39:16,520 --> 00:39:18,600
Speaker 3: and they both are essentially the same thing where they're like,

780
00:39:18,760 --> 00:39:24,279
Speaker 3: we're gonna stop sexual abuse and child abuse by just

781
00:39:25,120 --> 00:39:28,160
Speaker 3: monitoring everything on the internet. And let I guess, look

782
00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:31,160
Speaker 3: at anything on the internet. Go to bad Internet Bills

783
00:39:31,160 --> 00:39:32,640
Speaker 3: dot com if you want to learn more about this.

784
00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:36,560
Speaker 3: They have some really great information. But yeah, this is scary.

785
00:39:36,760 --> 00:39:38,880
Speaker 3: All of this is scary, fun stuff.

786
00:39:49,280 --> 00:39:52,200
Speaker 1: Clearly you've laid out why it's scary, but it's also

787
00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:55,360
Speaker 1: scary that I hadn't heard of it before.

788
00:39:55,440 --> 00:39:58,000
Speaker 3: Then, Oh yeah, I think that's that's the other part is,

789
00:39:58,040 --> 00:40:03,799
Speaker 3: like I there's been very minimal coverage. Again, it is

790
00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:07,040
Speaker 3: both of these are bipartisan bills that are going through.

791
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:09,799
Speaker 3: There has been you can't just point to it to

792
00:40:09,840 --> 00:40:13,880
Speaker 3: a right wing or a lefting issue. There's been a

793
00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:17,920
Speaker 3: lot of propaganda like kind of trying to portray this

794
00:40:17,960 --> 00:40:21,239
Speaker 3: bill a certain way. Again, really big shout out to

795
00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:23,600
Speaker 3: all of these activists on TikTok that are talking about this.

796
00:40:23,680 --> 00:40:26,160
Speaker 2: I think they've done a really great job of, like especially.

797
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,680
Speaker 3: Educating younger folks. Sarah Phillips, who I mentioned at the top,

798
00:40:29,840 --> 00:40:33,280
Speaker 3: she wrote a really awesome piece for teen Vogue about

799
00:40:34,000 --> 00:40:38,120
Speaker 3: this bill and kind of laying out also talking about

800
00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:40,000
Speaker 3: the AO three crash and laying out sort of a

801
00:40:40,040 --> 00:40:41,400
Speaker 3: lot of things that are going to be affected by

802
00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:41,800
Speaker 3: this bill.

803
00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,839
Speaker 2: But yeah, it's it is. It is scary. Again, it's terrifying.

804
00:40:45,920 --> 00:40:49,200
Speaker 3: This is going to have if this passes it, it's

805
00:40:49,480 --> 00:40:56,320
Speaker 3: going to have a terrible impact on our data privacy,

806
00:40:56,360 --> 00:41:00,280
Speaker 3: on internet freedom, on freedom of speech. Where it's again,

807
00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:01,640
Speaker 3: this is one of those things where it's like it's

808
00:41:01,640 --> 00:41:06,400
Speaker 3: clearly a freedom of speech issue, and none of the

809
00:41:06,520 --> 00:41:12,120
Speaker 3: supposed freedom of speech whatever purists seem to be speaking

810
00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:12,680
Speaker 3: out about this.

811
00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:16,719
Speaker 2: So that's a whole other discussion. But yeah, again I

812
00:41:16,800 --> 00:41:18,560
Speaker 2: think this is really important to talk about. Now. This

813
00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:19,560
Speaker 2: is the second attempt they did.

814
00:41:19,640 --> 00:41:22,120
Speaker 3: Yeah, they tried this back and I believe twenty sixteen

815
00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:23,440
Speaker 3: where that quote was from.

816
00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:26,520
Speaker 2: But they're trying to rush this theory right now.

817
00:41:27,000 --> 00:41:31,120
Speaker 3: I believe they're supposed to vote on it in September.

818
00:41:31,719 --> 00:41:34,799
Speaker 3: I might be wrong about that anyway. It's that being said, though,

819
00:41:34,840 --> 00:41:36,800
Speaker 3: it is this is an urgent issue. This is something

820
00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:40,840
Speaker 3: that I think especially again I think it is it

821
00:41:40,960 --> 00:41:44,719
Speaker 3: is no coincidence that this is happening tangentially to all

822
00:41:44,760 --> 00:41:50,400
Speaker 3: of these anti trans anti queer legislation that's happening, especially

823
00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,160
Speaker 3: those that are targeting trans kids. And again I've talked

824
00:41:53,160 --> 00:41:58,200
Speaker 3: about the social contagion, conspiracy theory, lie, whatever the hell

825
00:41:58,239 --> 00:42:00,560
Speaker 3: you want to call it. These are the same things

826
00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:04,480
Speaker 3: that are fueling this legislation. And it's terrifying that this

827
00:42:04,520 --> 00:42:06,480
Speaker 3: could be a this could be a national this could

828
00:42:06,520 --> 00:42:07,640
Speaker 3: be a national law.

829
00:42:07,719 --> 00:42:08,080
Speaker 2: Oh yeah.

830
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:11,400
Speaker 3: And also just to add Senator Blumenthal, who is the

831
00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:16,080
Speaker 3: co sponsor of this bill and of the burn It Act,

832
00:42:16,520 --> 00:42:19,040
Speaker 3: he's also a co sponsor of this restrict Act, which

833
00:42:19,080 --> 00:42:21,640
Speaker 3: is the bill that is, if you read the actual bill,

834
00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:25,600
Speaker 3: what it says is it authorizes the Secretary of Commerce

835
00:42:25,640 --> 00:42:28,400
Speaker 3: to review and prohibit certain transactions between persons and the

836
00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:33,759
Speaker 3: United States and foreign adversaries and for other purposes. This

837
00:42:34,160 --> 00:42:38,439
Speaker 3: was this is being promoted and response to TikTok, which

838
00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:43,959
Speaker 3: there have been some Again that's a whole other complicated conversation,

839
00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:48,560
Speaker 3: but it's the myths that are going around is like

840
00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:52,200
Speaker 3: TikTok's gonna be a used to spy on the US

841
00:42:52,280 --> 00:42:58,120
Speaker 3: from the Chinese government, and I don't know. Again, there's

842
00:42:58,120 --> 00:43:01,800
Speaker 3: so much unpacked there. There's so much wrong with that claim.

843
00:43:02,120 --> 00:43:04,880
Speaker 3: It also is very strange that we are like, you know,

844
00:43:05,040 --> 00:43:07,960
Speaker 3: we have Facebook, and we have all these other corporations

845
00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:12,200
Speaker 3: that are tracking our data and have no problems like

846
00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:15,480
Speaker 3: sharing it with the US government. Probably have no problems

847
00:43:15,600 --> 00:43:17,680
Speaker 3: like sharing it with foreign governments too, So it.

848
00:43:17,640 --> 00:43:21,160
Speaker 2: Is weird that. And again, I the reason they're going.

849
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:24,000
Speaker 3: After TikTok is because TikTok has become a new platform

850
00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:29,440
Speaker 3: for young people to organize on. Trump was really against TikTok,

851
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:34,319
Speaker 3: and like that makes sense because remember he had that

852
00:43:34,360 --> 00:43:36,160
Speaker 3: one rally where like there was supposed to be like

853
00:43:36,160 --> 00:43:37,800
Speaker 3: a like a there's like a huge crowd that was

854
00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:39,840
Speaker 3: supposed to be there, and that was like really tiny

855
00:43:39,880 --> 00:43:43,480
Speaker 3: because a bunch of people on TikTok like started basically

856
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:45,000
Speaker 3: explain like here's how to get tickets, and.

857
00:43:45,080 --> 00:43:47,080
Speaker 2: Like, like I think it literally.

858
00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:49,200
Speaker 3: Is just all these these politicians that are like mad

859
00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:51,480
Speaker 3: that people are organizing against them and are trying to

860
00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:55,200
Speaker 3: restrict the platforms that people are using to organize. Yeah,

861
00:43:55,280 --> 00:43:58,400
Speaker 3: and this is a conversation again, Like there definitely is

862
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:00,600
Speaker 3: a conversation to be had about Internet safety, and there

863
00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:02,919
Speaker 3: definitely is a conversation to be had about how kids

864
00:44:02,960 --> 00:44:06,319
Speaker 3: are interacting with the Internet. And how the Internet affects us.

865
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:09,799
Speaker 3: But this is something this whole idea of like we

866
00:44:09,840 --> 00:44:11,600
Speaker 3: don't understand it, so we just have to like we

867
00:44:11,680 --> 00:44:13,080
Speaker 3: just have to block it. We just have to like

868
00:44:13,120 --> 00:44:15,520
Speaker 3: get rid of it. This is something that happens every

869
00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:17,160
Speaker 3: time there's a new piece of technology.

870
00:44:17,760 --> 00:44:19,600
Speaker 2: Yeah, when I was a kid, it was video games,

871
00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:20,359
Speaker 2: like it and.

872
00:44:21,800 --> 00:44:23,400
Speaker 3: Like before I get again, like it's been used for

873
00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:26,360
Speaker 3: certain types of music. It's been used for my favorite

874
00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:28,520
Speaker 3: thing to point to. In the nineteen fifties, there was

875
00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:31,160
Speaker 3: a whole congressional trial about comic books and about how

876
00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:36,239
Speaker 3: comic books are like destroying the youth of America. Look

877
00:44:36,320 --> 00:44:38,880
Speaker 3: up a like nineteen fifties comic book panel. They're corny

878
00:44:38,920 --> 00:44:43,319
Speaker 3: as hell. Like it's so like there it's again. This

879
00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:45,680
Speaker 3: is it's the same conversation over and over again. I

880
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:48,480
Speaker 3: think in twenty years this conversation is going to look

881
00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:49,640
Speaker 3: equally as ridiculous.

882
00:44:50,280 --> 00:44:51,120
Speaker 2: I hope it does.

883
00:44:51,280 --> 00:44:54,120
Speaker 3: But yeah, it's again and also my issue again when

884
00:44:54,120 --> 00:44:56,160
Speaker 3: we when we have these conversations about the Internet, I

885
00:44:56,160 --> 00:44:58,759
Speaker 3: think a big problem is very quickly a lot of

886
00:44:58,760 --> 00:45:02,160
Speaker 3: times it gets sort of split into either the Internet's

887
00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:04,239
Speaker 3: good or the Internet's bad. Social media is good or

888
00:45:04,719 --> 00:45:07,920
Speaker 3: or social media is bad, and both are complicated.

889
00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:09,480
Speaker 2: It is a very complicated situation.

890
00:45:10,120 --> 00:45:12,160
Speaker 3: And regardless of whether it's good or bad, it's the

891
00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:14,359
Speaker 3: thing that exists, Like we're not. You can't put that

892
00:45:14,920 --> 00:45:18,000
Speaker 3: back in the box. Like it's out there. The Internet exists.

893
00:45:19,000 --> 00:45:21,000
Speaker 3: We interact with the Internet every day of our lives.

894
00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,680
Speaker 3: If you want to participate in everyday life, you need

895
00:45:24,719 --> 00:45:28,480
Speaker 3: to know how the Internet works. And I think, again,

896
00:45:28,800 --> 00:45:30,600
Speaker 3: it is complicated. I do think there needs to be

897
00:45:30,719 --> 00:45:33,279
Speaker 3: like some sort of conversation about this. But I think

898
00:45:33,360 --> 00:45:35,600
Speaker 3: one of the positives of being a kid and growing

899
00:45:35,640 --> 00:45:38,000
Speaker 3: up with the internet, growing up with internet access is

900
00:45:38,000 --> 00:45:41,320
Speaker 3: that you learn internet safety at a much younger age

901
00:45:41,320 --> 00:45:44,080
Speaker 3: and you learn kind of how to interact with the

902
00:45:44,080 --> 00:45:44,840
Speaker 3: Internet from.

903
00:45:44,719 --> 00:45:45,680
Speaker 2: A much younger age.

904
00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:47,720
Speaker 3: And I think again, like, you know, we joke about

905
00:45:47,760 --> 00:45:51,360
Speaker 3: how like older people not being tech savvy and younger

906
00:45:51,360 --> 00:45:53,840
Speaker 3: people kind of having a more of an idea of

907
00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:56,960
Speaker 3: how these platforms work, but like the reason is because like, yeah,

908
00:45:57,000 --> 00:45:58,840
Speaker 3: people my age, we all grew up with this, We

909
00:45:58,880 --> 00:46:03,120
Speaker 3: all grew up learning this, learned how to be you know,

910
00:46:03,280 --> 00:46:08,680
Speaker 3: citizens on the internet, whatever that means. And just taking

911
00:46:08,719 --> 00:46:11,680
Speaker 3: that away and just saying like, no, kids shouldn't be

912
00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:15,120
Speaker 3: able to interact with this, kids shouldn't understand the realities

913
00:46:15,160 --> 00:46:17,920
Speaker 3: of how the internet works and how it affects us.

914
00:46:17,960 --> 00:46:22,040
Speaker 3: Like that, doesn't that just it's gonna you're just putting

915
00:46:22,040 --> 00:46:25,960
Speaker 3: off the problem. You're just putting it off till they're older. Yeah,

916
00:46:26,040 --> 00:46:29,959
Speaker 3: it's it's weird. It's it's not gonna end well, and

917
00:46:30,080 --> 00:46:33,239
Speaker 3: it's we living a really cool time. It's a lot

918
00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:34,480
Speaker 3: of weird stuff's happening right now.

919
00:46:35,800 --> 00:46:40,160
Speaker 2: Yeah, the folks talking about AI, I tell you, talking

920
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:45,120
Speaker 2: about AI apparently about this too, is like.

921
00:46:45,120 --> 00:46:48,360
Speaker 3: What I brought up that quote like gen Z activist

922
00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:52,920
Speaker 3: group that's behind supposedly supporting COOSA. One of the things

923
00:46:52,920 --> 00:46:57,120
Speaker 3: they've been really like advocating like regulating AI, which I

924
00:46:57,160 --> 00:46:59,560
Speaker 3: think is a totally like, yeah, that's a whole.

925
00:46:59,320 --> 00:47:01,680
Speaker 2: Different issue first of all, And yes, we do need

926
00:47:01,719 --> 00:47:02,680
Speaker 2: to be regularly in the AI.

927
00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:06,080
Speaker 3: We do need to be having some conversations about AI.

928
00:47:06,680 --> 00:47:08,920
Speaker 3: That's not the same thing as social media and just

929
00:47:09,000 --> 00:47:11,520
Speaker 3: like the ability to find things on the internet. These

930
00:47:11,560 --> 00:47:15,759
Speaker 3: are all again, like I said before, ageism is bad,

931
00:47:15,800 --> 00:47:16,320
Speaker 3: but I think.

932
00:47:16,160 --> 00:47:18,600
Speaker 2: It is a little like these are people that are.

933
00:47:18,520 --> 00:47:20,680
Speaker 3: In their seventies that are that are trying to explain

934
00:47:20,719 --> 00:47:22,320
Speaker 3: the internet to us. They're trying to explain how the

935
00:47:22,360 --> 00:47:25,400
Speaker 3: internet works, like this isn't I don't know, there's so

936
00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:27,560
Speaker 3: many I just yeah, that's.

937
00:47:27,480 --> 00:47:34,040
Speaker 2: That's too, That's what they told me. There is a

938
00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:39,279
Speaker 2: bike that is a real quote. That's a real quote

939
00:47:39,320 --> 00:47:42,560
Speaker 2: from a politician. Yeah that makes sense.

940
00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:48,319
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's yeah. I mean, thank you for breaking this down.

941
00:47:48,360 --> 00:47:51,560
Speaker 1: I feel like we're seeing all of these book bands,

942
00:47:51,600 --> 00:47:54,160
Speaker 1: we're seeing all of this attempts at censorship, and a

943
00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:59,000
Speaker 1: lot of times people don't equate what's going on online

944
00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:02,799
Speaker 1: with quote life, but it is. We do interact with

945
00:48:02,840 --> 00:48:06,799
Speaker 1: it every day. I lost it for a little bit

946
00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:08,719
Speaker 1: recently and I was like, well, what do I do?

947
00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:11,680
Speaker 2: I don't how do I function? Like it's a part

948
00:48:11,680 --> 00:48:12,600
Speaker 2: of where everyday lives.

949
00:48:13,360 --> 00:48:18,080
Speaker 1: And they're just using all of these fake like we've

950
00:48:18,080 --> 00:48:23,000
Speaker 1: talked before about how often they use sex trafficking and

951
00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:25,760
Speaker 1: the safety of children and all these things that sound

952
00:48:25,800 --> 00:48:29,480
Speaker 1: really good, but they're just using it to distract you

953
00:48:29,520 --> 00:48:33,359
Speaker 1: from the real thing and like those issues, distracting from

954
00:48:33,400 --> 00:48:37,919
Speaker 1: those issues like yeah, exactly, exactly. Yeah, It's it's really

955
00:48:37,960 --> 00:48:42,439
Speaker 1: scary because the Internet. We've also talked before about Yeah,

956
00:48:42,440 --> 00:48:46,200
Speaker 1: they're perfectly happy to for American companies to make money,

957
00:48:46,880 --> 00:48:53,040
Speaker 1: but so many places that people frequent that you were discussing,

958
00:48:53,239 --> 00:48:56,480
Speaker 1: where you might find like a community around your marginalized identity,

959
00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:02,160
Speaker 1: are free and that's important. But they probably that's like

960
00:49:02,160 --> 00:49:03,480
Speaker 1: the first thing they're gonna get rid of. Like the

961
00:49:03,520 --> 00:49:06,760
Speaker 1: companies that can like get your data right now, nothing's

962
00:49:06,760 --> 00:49:09,680
Speaker 1: gonna happen to them. But like those kind of free

963
00:49:10,520 --> 00:49:14,600
Speaker 1: spaces where people can find community that they maybe couldn't,

964
00:49:15,400 --> 00:49:18,480
Speaker 1: that's that's gonna go first, exactly.

965
00:49:18,560 --> 00:49:23,120
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think also we're watching this happen.

966
00:49:23,000 --> 00:49:25,799
Speaker 3: While like Twitter's kind of fallen apart, and I think

967
00:49:25,840 --> 00:49:29,040
Speaker 3: that's been a great like that's been a great example

968
00:49:29,080 --> 00:49:30,359
Speaker 3: of how like Twitter for a while.

969
00:49:30,360 --> 00:49:31,360
Speaker 2: Again, it wasn't perfect.

970
00:49:31,440 --> 00:49:33,480
Speaker 3: There were a lot of issues with Twitter, but it

971
00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:36,440
Speaker 3: was a place that a lot of activist movements like

972
00:49:36,719 --> 00:49:38,919
Speaker 3: kind of gained popular. That's where like the Black Lives

973
00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:42,200
Speaker 3: Matter movement and me Too, like really gained momentum.

974
00:49:42,760 --> 00:49:45,960
Speaker 2: It was like a networking platform for a lot of people. Again,

975
00:49:46,120 --> 00:49:49,720
Speaker 2: like I'm a I'm a journalist. I used Twitter a lot.

976
00:49:49,600 --> 00:49:51,880
Speaker 3: To connect with people and to connect with sources or

977
00:49:51,960 --> 00:49:54,080
Speaker 3: just connect with other people with like similar identities. I

978
00:49:54,160 --> 00:49:56,040
Speaker 3: met a lot of other I have a lot of

979
00:49:56,040 --> 00:49:58,120
Speaker 3: friends that I met through the internet just because we again,

980
00:49:58,239 --> 00:50:02,439
Speaker 3: like we were both we're both like trends or we're

981
00:50:02,480 --> 00:50:06,000
Speaker 3: both interested in the same like nerdy fandom.

982
00:50:05,600 --> 00:50:08,200
Speaker 2: Stuff like it's it's it's.

983
00:50:08,040 --> 00:50:12,120
Speaker 3: Been a really I again, I think I think the

984
00:50:12,120 --> 00:50:14,080
Speaker 3: whole is the internet good or bad thing? Isn't a

985
00:50:14,080 --> 00:50:16,880
Speaker 3: productive conversation because again, it exists. But it's like, but

986
00:50:16,920 --> 00:50:18,680
Speaker 3: there are a lot of benefits. And I think, again

987
00:50:18,880 --> 00:50:21,400
Speaker 3: going back to that report that the supporters of those

988
00:50:21,400 --> 00:50:23,840
Speaker 3: bill keep pointing to about the mental health effects and

989
00:50:23,920 --> 00:50:26,600
Speaker 3: social media, they're really ignoring the fact that this report

990
00:50:26,600 --> 00:50:29,160
Speaker 3: also is like no, like this can be really great

991
00:50:29,200 --> 00:50:32,719
Speaker 3: for kids with marginalized identities. There are a lot of

992
00:50:32,760 --> 00:50:37,640
Speaker 3: positives to this. It's yeah, it's it's much more complicated.

993
00:50:38,000 --> 00:50:40,799
Speaker 3: It's and if we want to talk about mental health too,

994
00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:44,320
Speaker 3: like we have, like the healthcare situation in this country

995
00:50:44,360 --> 00:50:46,040
Speaker 3: is a mess. We don't want to like why aren't

996
00:50:46,040 --> 00:50:47,560
Speaker 3: we talking about that? You know what, it would be

997
00:50:47,600 --> 00:50:50,480
Speaker 3: a great like thing to help out mental health in

998
00:50:50,480 --> 00:50:53,000
Speaker 3: this country. It would be to like strengthening our actual

999
00:50:53,040 --> 00:50:56,280
Speaker 3: like healthcare system and the ability of people to access

1000
00:50:56,320 --> 00:50:59,000
Speaker 3: healthcare because so many people like don't have health insurance

1001
00:50:59,200 --> 00:51:02,719
Speaker 3: or and that and in itself self causes more, you know,

1002
00:51:02,960 --> 00:51:06,319
Speaker 3: the harm to your mental health. Financial insecurity causes harm

1003
00:51:06,360 --> 00:51:09,360
Speaker 3: to your mental health. The fact that we live in

1004
00:51:09,400 --> 00:51:14,279
Speaker 3: a planet that is burning. Definitely, that's that's only a

1005
00:51:14,280 --> 00:51:17,440
Speaker 3: big thing. I don't know again, like as aliens, apparently, I.

1006
00:51:17,360 --> 00:51:19,759
Speaker 2: Think that's fun you know, I do think it was

1007
00:51:19,760 --> 00:51:20,360
Speaker 2: a little funny.

1008
00:51:22,280 --> 00:51:24,279
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's like the people always want to talk about

1009
00:51:24,360 --> 00:51:27,040
Speaker 3: how like gen Z has terrible mental health, we're on

1010
00:51:27,080 --> 00:51:28,360
Speaker 3: a planet that's dying.

1011
00:51:28,640 --> 00:51:30,400
Speaker 2: Like, it's it, it makes sense.

1012
00:51:30,480 --> 00:51:32,960
Speaker 3: What would I don't know, it's this whole thing is

1013
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:36,440
Speaker 3: so yeah, I've said my piece.

1014
00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:38,719
Speaker 2: It's it's messed up. It is. It is.

1015
00:51:40,600 --> 00:51:40,880
Speaker 3: Well.

1016
00:51:42,719 --> 00:51:46,840
Speaker 1: Thank you, Thank you Joey for coming on and bringing

1017
00:51:46,880 --> 00:51:49,840
Speaker 1: this to us and breaking it down, for providing sources,

1018
00:51:49,840 --> 00:51:51,839
Speaker 1: because there are if you look this up, there are

1019
00:51:51,880 --> 00:51:54,799
Speaker 1: some things you can do, like contacting your senators all

1020
00:51:54,800 --> 00:51:56,680
Speaker 1: that kind of stuff, if you want to do something

1021
00:51:56,719 --> 00:52:00,560
Speaker 1: about this very scary thing that's happening. But yeah, Joey,

1022
00:52:00,560 --> 00:52:01,960
Speaker 1: where can the people.

1023
00:52:01,760 --> 00:52:04,680
Speaker 2: Find you online? If they want to for now. Yeah,

1024
00:52:05,120 --> 00:52:06,280
Speaker 2: while we still the internet.

1025
00:52:06,840 --> 00:52:10,200
Speaker 3: You can find me at pat pat T not n

1026
00:52:10,239 --> 00:52:13,520
Speaker 3: ot prat pr a t T. That is my Twitter

1027
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:16,759
Speaker 3: and my Instagram if you're interested in this topic and

1028
00:52:16,800 --> 00:52:20,640
Speaker 3: you want to learn more about the Internet and all

1029
00:52:20,719 --> 00:52:24,440
Speaker 3: the various issues that the internet and technology should check out.

1030
00:52:24,920 --> 00:52:27,440
Speaker 3: There are no girls on the Internet, which with Bridget Todd,

1031
00:52:27,560 --> 00:52:30,440
Speaker 3: I work on that show as well as well as

1032
00:52:30,480 --> 00:52:32,440
Speaker 3: a couple of other Avenue one coming out I'll probably

1033
00:52:32,600 --> 00:52:33,560
Speaker 3: be talking.

1034
00:52:33,280 --> 00:52:35,520
Speaker 2: About next time I'm on here, but as of right now.

1035
00:52:35,400 --> 00:52:39,640
Speaker 3: I don't have any updates, but yeah, yeah, find me

1036
00:52:39,719 --> 00:52:41,719
Speaker 3: on Twitter and Instagram. I'm not on Twitter very much

1037
00:52:41,719 --> 00:52:44,479
Speaker 3: anymore because like who is but you know I'm holding

1038
00:52:44,520 --> 00:52:45,239
Speaker 3: I'm holding.

1039
00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:45,600
Speaker 2: On till.

1040
00:52:47,120 --> 00:52:51,359
Speaker 3: Hold. Yes.

1041
00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:55,319
Speaker 1: Well yeah, well more excuse for you to come back

1042
00:52:55,360 --> 00:52:57,600
Speaker 1: and you can talk about course your upcoming show.

1043
00:52:58,160 --> 00:53:01,920
Speaker 2: Yeah, anytime being on the show so fun. We love

1044
00:53:01,960 --> 00:53:07,160
Speaker 2: having you. So that's so glad. Well, listeners.

1045
00:53:07,160 --> 00:53:08,920
Speaker 1: If you would like to find us on the Internet,

1046
00:53:08,920 --> 00:53:11,520
Speaker 1: you can email us Stephanie mol Stuff at iHeartMedia dot com.

1047
00:53:11,680 --> 00:53:13,320
Speaker 1: You can find us on Twitter at mom Stuff podcast,

1048
00:53:13,480 --> 00:53:15,480
Speaker 1: or on Instagram and TikTok at stuff. I never told

1049
00:53:15,480 --> 00:53:18,200
Speaker 1: you we have a tea public store with merchandise. We

1050
00:53:18,360 --> 00:53:20,919
Speaker 1: have a book you can preorder. It is that step

1051
00:53:20,960 --> 00:53:23,040
Speaker 1: you should read books dot com. We have an audiobook.

1052
00:53:23,040 --> 00:53:25,239
Speaker 1: I have a physical form of the book. Thanks as

1053
00:53:25,239 --> 00:53:28,080
Speaker 1: always to our super producer Christina, our executive producer Maya

1054
00:53:28,239 --> 00:53:34,600
Speaker 1: and Joey who is here, and thanks to you for listening. Stephanderfertilds,

1055
00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:36,680
Speaker 1: production of iHeart Radio. For more podcast from my Heart Radio,

1056
00:53:36,680 --> 00:53:38,520
Speaker 1: you can check out the iHeart Radio app Apple Podcasts,

1057
00:53:38,560 --> 00:53:40,120
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.