292. Costs of Regulating Away Parenting and Innovation with Jessica Melugin | Let People Prosper Show Ep. 115🎙️

Find out how regulations influence parenting and innovation.

Hello Friends!

In this episode of the Let People Prosper Show, I am joined by Jessica Melugin, Director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, to discuss critical issues surrounding technology policy, including social media regulation, antitrust overreach, and the future of innovation in the U.S.

You can watch the episode on YouTube below, listen to it on Apple Podcast or Spotify, and visit my website for more information.

Key Topics Discussed:

1. Age Verification for Minors on Social Media: We begin by discussing the growing movement among politicians to require age verification for minors on social media platforms. Jessica expresses concern that while these bills may have good intentions, they introduce significant privacy risks for users and create unintended consequences. The key concern is the implementation of age-verification measures, which could force users to give up sensitive personal information to third-party entities, potentially leading to misuse or breaches.

2. Political Momentum to Ban Social Media for Minors: Jessica argues that politicians are increasingly jumping on the bandwagon to ban social media for minors as a quick solution to concerns about mental health and online safety. However, these approaches overlook the broader implications for privacy and parental rights. Rather than implementing sweeping bans, she advocates for parental involvement and better digital literacy as more balanced alternatives.

3. Better Alternatives to Protect Minors: We explore whether there are better alternatives to the outright banning of social media for minors. Jessica suggests that empowering parents with better tools to monitor their children's online activity, rather than government intervention, is a more effective solution. An increased focus on educating minors about responsible social media usage could also help address concerns.

4. FTC Overreach with Antitrust Laws: Shifting gears to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), we discuss how the agency is overstepping its bounds with antitrust enforcement. Jessica critiques the FTC’s aggressive stance against large tech companies, noting that its actions often undermine consumer choice and innovation. For example, the recent antitrust lawsuit against Apple limits the company's ability to offer integrated products that benefit consumers, as highlighted in CEI’s analysis.

5. The Future of Technology and Innovation: We wrap up the episode by exploring where technology and innovation should head nationally and across the states. Jessica emphasizes creating a regulatory environment that encourages innovation without stifling competition. She points to Florida’s social media law as an example of how well-meaning policies can endanger privacy and have unintended consequences. In contrast, she advocates for a more hands-off approach, where consumer preferences and market competition guide the future of technology.

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