Lawmaker Targets Infinite Scroll, Other Techniques To Keep Users Mindlessly Engaged In Apps
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) accused Big Tech of embracing "a business model of addiction.” His bill doesn’t go as far as outright banning social media platforms, but it proposes regulatory measures that would force users to actively choose to engage for prolonged periods rather than being mindlessly sucked into the void.
The Washington Post:
Sen. Josh Hawley Proposes A New Bill ‘To Curb Social Media Addiction’
The youngest senator in Congress, and one of its toughest crusaders against Big Tech, proposed a bill Tuesday meant to curb social media addiction by regulating the techniques that prolong engagement on the platforms. Freshman Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill, the Social Media Addiction Reduction Technology (SMART) Act, would make it illegal for social media companies such as Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat to use infinite scroll, autoplay video or techniques like Snapchat’s “streaks,” which reward a user with badges for repeated use. (Mettler, 7/30)
In other health and technology news —
Stat:
5 Ways Artificial Intelligence Is Already Changing Cardiac Care
Artificial intelligence is poised to alter care in many medical specialties over the next several years. But few doctors are likely to see as much change as cardiologists, whose practices are already shifting with the use of algorithms to monitor patients’ hearts and produce reams of personalized data. These data can be used not only to detect troublesome heart rhythms, but also to predict future life-threatening heart problems and inform treatment decisions that may head off those episodes. (Ross, 7/31)
