Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Saturday that social media companies must moderate the content on their platforms or they “lose complete control.”
Clinton told CNN host Michael Smerconish that while some steps have been taken at the state level to regulate social media, she would like to see the federal government do more to moderate content. he said.
“If you look at California and New York, I think some other states have taken action as well,” Clinton said.
“But we need national action, and sadly our Congress is dysfunctional when it comes to addressing these threats to children,” she added.
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Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks on a panel at the Vital Voices Global Festival in Washington, DC on May 5, 2023. (Getty Images)
Clinton said the issue should be “at the top of every legislative and political agenda” and that online platforms should be held accountable for third-party content, including user content on the internet. They called for the repeal of Article 230 of the Communications Act, which protects online platforms from social media. This disclaimer applies to the content itself and its removal in certain circumstances.
“In my view, something called Section 230 should be repealed. It gives immunity to platforms on the internet, because they are just a pass-through and judged by the content that is posted. Because it was thought that we shouldn't do it,” Clinton said.
“But we now know that that was an overly simplistic view. No matter the platform: Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, if we don't manage and monitor content, we have complete control. ” she continued. “And it has not only social and psychological effects, but also real-life effects.”
Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton speaks at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois on August 19, 2024. (Reuters/Kevin Lamarque)
Clinton said social media companies should be stripped of their immunity so they can put “guardrails” in place.
She said cell phone use should be restricted in schools, an initiative approved by several U.S. states, including Florida and California. Individual school districts in various states across the country have also adopted policies banning or restricting cell phone use during school hours.
“Please remove cell phones from schools,” she said. “I’m really happy to see schools starting to hand out their phones when kids walk in the door.”
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Hillary Rodham Clinton attends the opening night of Broadway's 'The Wiz' at the Marquee Theater on April 17, 2024 in New York City. (Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
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Clinton added, “So what? Kids are paying more attention in class.” “They're talking to each other in the lunchroom. It's something that was part of your daily life when you were a kid, when you were in school.”
Appearing on MSNBC last month, Clinton cited the 2016 election, which she lost to Trump, and said that Americans accused of interfering in the U.S. election by spreading “propaganda” promoting former President Trump have filed a civil suit. , or suggested that criminal charges should be filed.
