I believe that the government should have a very loose and restricted role on social Media. The government should make social media liable for any problems on their sites. 

What is social media, and what does it do? The phrase ¨Social Media¨ refers to a computer-based technology that enables sharing of ideas, opinions, and information in virtual communities. Social media gives users electronic communication of content, such as personal information, records, videos, and images. Social media makes personal information, videos, and images easy to share with social networks with friends or followers. 

In October 2021, a Tennessee school district reported 100 acts of vandalism and theft in just a few weeks. The District blamed social media challenges on TikTok, a challenge called devious licks caused thousands of dollars of damages; Bathrooms had tons of damages, dozens of students had to pay fines and restitution. TikTok said such a challenge would violate their policies, but they could not find the challenge on their platform. A 2021 study by the United Nations found that online hate speech has increased worldwide.

 Two years before, a study in the United States reported that over half of Americans said they had encountered hate speech and experienced harassment online. Many users of Social Media reported being a target because of their gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, or race. Younger people aged 18 to 29 experienced hate speech at higher rates than older adults. Harassment takes place on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, WhatsApp, Reddit, Twitch, and Discord. The First Amendment guarantees freedoms concerning belief, expression, community, and the right to petition. 

The First Amendment prohibits Congress from promoting one religion over others and denying a person's religious practices. The Supreme Court states that restrictions on speech because of its content violates the First Amendment. Modern legal laws found that social media users do not have a right to free speech on private social media platforms. Social media platforms are allowed to remove content it deems offensive. Social media platforms are private businesses and can censor whatever they want on their websites. American law and culture are against the government controlling speech on the internet. Social media business regulations might indirectly limit individual speech or restrict the right to create on an internet platform. 

Congress has offered more protections to tech companies by excusing them from most liabilities that can occur on their platforms. The internet has algorithms that create echo chambers and cause issues in the mind of children online. Martin Luther King High School in the RUSD district has came up with three options to fix this issue on social media. Option 1:  Social Media Companies Should Self-Regulate, Option 2: Government Should Make Social Media Companies Legally Liable for Harmful Content, and Option 3: Government Should Require Social Media Companies to Provide Alternative Algorithms. Two out of these three options involve government interference. The government should not interfere with social media because that goes against free speech, but it is clear that the way social media is handling itself will cause more problems in the future.