Reboot in the News

On the short-form video app TikTok, long-established facts about the sinking of the Titanic are being newly litigated as musty rumors merge with fresh misinformation and manipulated content — a demonstration of TikTok’s potent ability to seed historical revisionism about even the most deeply studied cases. Reboot president Helen Lee Bouygues gives her perspective on why conspiracies flourish across the app.

The top-rated cable news show Fox & Friends devoted a segment to Reboot’s report on TikTok and its youngest users. The survey revealed a majority of teenage TikTok users would give up the right to vote in order to keep access to the popular video-sharing app.

National test scores in history and civics show a large drop in student knowledge of what it means to be a good citizen. That’s concerning enough, but when coupled with a survey of teens also Reboot released, it’s clear we’ve missed something huge when it comes to kids’ understanding of — and lack of respect for — their role in civic life. Indeed, the Reboot Foundation survey found 59% of young adults with TikTok accounts said that if forced to choose between their social media or voting rights, they would give up the latter.

Parents need to fully understand the outsize role social networks play in their children’s lives, while also helping them find balance in their online activities by setting an example. Ultimately we have to show our children how to make sense of the social network era. And one important way to teach children good social media habits is to have good social media habits ourselves.

The time has come for social media to be regulated much like tobacco or alcohol, with vigorously enforced age restrictions, warning labels for users and tough penalties for violators. As we reach for these goals, more financial resources for schools and consumer protection groups from governments and the platforms themselves to safeguard against social media will be fundamental.

This is an issue that should concern everyone, regardless of where you live or your politics. Conservatives claim book bannings are needed to protect students from mature themes they are not old enough to understand. But what they are really doing is undercutting the development of critical thinking skills in young people.