Social media has transformed how we communicate, share information, and build communities. It offers immense potential for good, enabling personal connections, supporting activism, and even fostering innovation. However, as social media has become increasingly integral to daily life, it has also presented significant challenges. The proliferation of harmful content, including obscene images, violent videos, hate speech, and cultural degradation, has raised concerns globally. To protect citizens and promote positive online environments, governments must take an active role in regulating social media platforms. This article examines the primary issues that make such regulation necessary.
Obscene Images and Videos: A Threat to Public Morality and Mental Health
One of the most pressing concerns regarding social media is the ease with which obscene and inappropriate content can circulate. Explicit images and videos that depict nudity, pornography, or other graphic content are often accessible on social platforms. While these images may appeal to specific audiences, they also pose serious risks to younger users and to society’s moral fabric. Exposure to such material can have damaging effects, particularly on children and teenagers, who may not fully understand the implications of such content.
Moreover, continuous exposure to sexually explicit material can lead to normalization of inappropriate behavior, impacting individual mental health and social relationships. Governments can establish regulations requiring social media platforms to implement stricter age verification, filtering, and moderation policies to curb the spread of obscene material.
Violent Content: Fueling Aggression and Desensitization
Graphic images and videos depicting violence have become alarmingly common on social media. From videos of real-world fights to depictions of animal cruelty, this violent content is often shared widely. Consistent exposure to violent content can desensitize viewers, making aggression seem more acceptable or normal. For vulnerable individuals, such content can even inspire copycat behaviors, potentially leading to real-world violence.
To address this issue, governments should require social media platforms to use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and block violent content. Stricter guidelines on what constitutes violent material, as well as prompt removal mechanisms, are necessary to prevent the harmful effects of this content on society.
Hate Speech: Fostering Division and Threatening Social Harmony
Hate speech has become a widespread issue on social media, with derogatory remarks and harmful stereotypes aimed at specific races, religions, genders, and other groups. This kind of speech fuels discrimination, polarization, and sometimes violence, fostering a toxic online environment. It not only affects those targeted but also destabilizes communities and promotes divisive ideologies.
To combat hate speech, government regulations can require social media platforms to monitor, flag, and remove harmful language more effectively. By enforcing stricter policies and penalties for repeated violations, authorities can help reduce the spread of hate and foster greater social cohesion.
Cultural Degradation: Undermining Traditional Values and Norms
In many societies, social media has introduced influences that may erode traditional values and cultural practices. While cultures naturally evolve, the spread of certain content on social media can lead to rapid, unbalanced shifts that negatively affect local traditions. Young people may emulate foreign practices or values they see online, neglecting their cultural heritage. This cultural degradation is particularly harmful in societies with strong communal values, where traditional customs play a role in social identity.
Government regulation can encourage social media platforms to promote culturally sensitive content and discourage materials that might degrade societal values. These guidelines could be reinforced with AI systems to detect and manage culturally harmful content, while still allowing for a diversity of expression.
Privacy and Data Security Concerns: Protecting Citizens in the Digital Age
While not directly related to harmful content, social media’s handling of user data has raised concerns worldwide. Many platforms collect massive amounts of personal information, often without clear explanations of how that data will be used. This data is sometimes sold or used in ways that compromise users’ privacy and can even lead to targeted harassment or fraud.
Regulating data security and privacy practices on social media is essential to protect citizens. Governments can enact policies requiring transparency in data collection, allowing users to control who has access to their information, and mandating that companies take responsibility for protecting personal data.
The Way Forward: Collaborative Efforts and Clear Guidelines
While government regulation is essential, addressing these issues requires collaboration between regulators, social media platforms, and society at large. Governments should work with social media companies to establish clear, enforceable guidelines that address harmful content without infringing on freedom of expression. By incorporating feedback from diverse social groups, policies can be developed to protect cultural values while promoting safe and respectful online interactions.
As social media becomes an ever-present part of life, governments have a responsibility to protect citizens from the harmful effects of obscene content, violent material, hate speech, cultural degradation, and privacy risks. Effective regulation can help ensure that social media remains a space for positive connection, expression, and growth. However, regulation alone will not solve these challenges; it must be part of a broader societal effort to cultivate digital responsibility and respect in the online world.
IDRIS BUNU UMAR student of Mass communication Borno state University maiduguri
