"Do We Love Our Children?" Steven Rosenbaum Responds on TED Stage in Vancouver.

TED Conference speaker poses a provocative question: Do We Love Our Children?" - SMC Exec Director Rosenbaum Responds on the TED stage.

VANCOUVER, CANADA, April 22, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In front of a packed house at the prestigious TED Conference in Vancouver, NYU Professor Scott Galloway presented a collection of statistics that made the case that we have built a digital world that is putting our children in danger. “If you acknowledge that our kids are the most important thing in our lives, everything else that we do here is meaningful, but our kids' well-being and prosperity are profound. If you acknowledge that they’re doing more poorly than previous generations, then I ask: Do we love our children?“

It’s a provocative question “Do we love our children?” and Sustainable Media Center co-founder and Executive Director Steven Rosenbaum was invited on the TED Stage the next day to respond.

Said Rosenbaum: "It’s the right question and a looming danger. Our children and our democracy are under attack."

In front of more than 2,000 scientists, CEOs, designers, intellectuals, entrepreneurs, artists — Rosenbaum sharpened the focus on the impact young people are facing. "Social Media - is not sustainable. The damage it’s causing can be seen in the words of Surgeon Gerald Vivek Murthy, or the pages of Johnathan Haidt, or the voices of the 25 GenZ leaders that are on my Board of Advisors. The social media business model traffics in the private feelings, hopes, dreams and fears of our children with ruthless efficiency," said Rosenbaum.

Rosenbaum then called the audience to action. "I challenged the TED audience to use their power to partner with GenZ to fight Big Social. Let’s support legal changes, use our economic power to call on Social media CEOs and Boards to abandon the hate-for-profit business model that chews at our democracy."

He proposed a three-point plan with Transparency, Responsibility, and Inclusion as its focus.

- Transparency. The social networks know that their reckless use of private data trades teen mental health for illicit profits. This has to stop - now.
- Responsibility. We need to hold the platforms responsible for sending young children provably harmful content. Currently, platforms benefit from unlimited immunity and advertisers who look the other way.
-Inclusion. GenZ knows they’re being treated with cavalier carelessness. Now they’re demanding agency and inclusion in their digital media lives.

Rosenbaum called on the audience to embrace the urgency of the issue and work together - parents, students, and government.
"Let’s be honest with each other - the danger we face is uniquely hard. Today, under section 230, Social Media has absolute immunity from responsibility. With Section 230 making the social platforms immune from prosecution, no one feels good about where social media has taken us. But the road ahead need not spiral downward. Profits over people need not remain the business model we all face," said Rosenbaum.

Rosenbaum closed with this call to action: "So, “Do we love our children?” If the answer is yes - what are we going to do about it? Write to me with your ideas info@sustainablemedia DOT center. Reach out - together, we have the power to make social media change."

The audience responded with enthusiastic applause.

STEVEN ROSENBAUM
SustainableMedia.Center
info@sustainablemedia.center