The case against social media regulation

The ideas and innovators shaping health care

May 30, 2024 View in browser   By Ruth Reader, Carmen Paun, Daniel Payne and Erin Schumaker POLICY PUZZLE A group of researchers is questioning the conventional wisdom on social media. | AFP via Getty Images Social media regulation could do more harm than good, say researchers at Duke University, Princeton University and UNC Chapel Hill. In a new report, they warn that state and federal laws seeking to bar or curb the spread of certain content are driven by an unproven belief that social media is causing a youth mental health crisis. Child online safety laws won’t solve mental illness and could harm marginalized kids by cutting them off from vital online communities and information, Alice Marwick, lead author of the report and associate professor at UNC Chapel Hill, told Ruth. Marwick said age-verification requirements would require kids and their parents to hand over more data to platforms to prove their age and might limit their free expression. And the government shouldn’t determine whether content is harmful, she said. Why it matters: The report raises concerns about the Kids Online Safety Act, which is making its way through the House and enjoys broad support in the Senate. A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee advanced it last week. Though the bill doesn’t require age verification, it tasks the Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology with studying ways to verify the ages of website users. The researchers also argue that the bill gives the Federal Trade Commission too much power to determine what constitutes harmful content and could be used to take down LGBTQ+ content, abortion information or material about racism in the U.S. Notable: The report doesn’t take issue with legislation that calls on platforms to increase tools for kids to control their online experience or mitigate the use of features like infinite scroll or algorithmic content recommendation. What’s next? States are enacting child safety laws faster than the feds. However, some are getting waylaid by lawsuits that argue age-verification laws and rules that limit access to content violate free speech rights. Marwick says policymakers should seek to preserve privacy for all age groups and that everyone, not just children, could benefit from having more tools for curating their online experience.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF HEALTHCARE POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries, like healthcare, equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced and better sourced than any other. Our healthcare reporting team—including Alice Miranda Ollstein, Megan Messerly and Robert King—is embedded with the market-moving legislative committees and agencies in Washington and across states, delivering unparalleled coverage of health policy and the healthcare industry. We bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     WELCOME TO FUTURE PULSE Litchfield, Conn. | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Researchers have identified a gene they believe puts people at an extremely high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com or Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.  CHECKUP AI could help diagnose people with heart problems. | Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/AFP via Getty Images An artificial intelligence model was able to predict the risk of cardiac mortality, even in patients without the established hallmark signs of coronary artery disease, according to a new study in The Lancet. Researchers at the University of Oxford used a metric evaluating coronary inflammation and an algorithm to predict cardiac risk based on that score, coronary plaque metrics and other risk factors for tens of thousands of patients. They found that the resulting risk classification “predicted cardiac mortality and [major adverse cardiovascular events] independently from cardiovascular risk factors." Why it matters: The researchers said the technology fulfills a need to identify high-risk patients who don’t have obstructive coronary artery disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S ENERGY SUMMIT: The future of energy faces a crossroads in 2024 as policymakers and industry leaders shape new rules, investments and technologies. Join POLITICO’s Energy Summit on June 5 as we convene top voices to examine the shifting global policy environment in a year of major elections in the U.S. and around the world. POLITICO will examine how governments are writing and rewriting new rules for the energy future and America’s own role as a major exporter. REGISTER HERE.     WORLD VIEW Developing countries say they need a lot more aid to prepare for the next pandemic. | AFP via Getty Images The Pandemic Fund, which the United States and other nations set up at the World Bank nearly two years ago to help developing countries prevent and prepare for pandemics, doesn’t have nearly the funds it needs to meet demand. How so? More than 100 countries have requested $4.5 billion to boost disease surveillance, laboratories and the health care workforce after the fund recently offered $500 million in grants, said Priya Basu, the Pandemic Fund’s executive head. The fund hasn’t even garnered $2 billion in donations since 2022, and those were mostly from the European Union and the U.S. Why it matters: The Pandemic Fund aims to improve the global response to the next pandemic compared with the world’s response to Covid-19. The funding shortfall comes as delegates to the World Health Assembly struggle to come to terms on a pandemic agreement that would set national obligations if another disease starts to spread. What’s next? The fund aims to raise another $2 billion at an event in late October in Rio de Janeiro. American and European officials hope other countries and financing institutions will start contributing. “We need to deliver on the vision of the Pandemic Fund originally, which was co-financing, innovative financing, bringing new donors to the table,” said Stephanie Psaki, the National Security Council global health security coordinator, at an event in Geneva Tuesday.   Follow us on Twitter Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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