WASHINGTON (August 15, 2025) – On Thursday, August 14, the Supreme Court allowed Mississippi to enforce a law requiring social media platforms to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for minors. This move is part of a growing national push to regulate adolescent’s access to social media platforms. Supporters say the law protects children from predators; however, critics warn it raises constitutional concerns, limits access to safe online spaces for marginalized youth, and could create new privacy risks.
Vikram R. Bhargava, assistant professor of strategic management & public policy at the George Washington University School of Business, can offer insight on the ethical trade-offs between protecting minors and preserving access to free speech. His research on social media addiction, which was the most read Business Ethics Quarterly article from 2021-2023, has been cited in California’s “Protecting Our Kids from Social Media Addiction Act” (SB976), referenced by the World Economic Forum, and included in Deloitte’s ethics in technology curriculum. He can speak to how social media companies design adaptive algorithms that increase addictiveness for users, leaving young people especially vulnerable.
If you would like to schedule an interview with Professor Bhargava, please contact Claire Sabin at claire [dot] sabin
gwu [dot] edu (claire[dot]sabin[at]gwu[dot]edu).
-GW-