Po

The most ardent critic of social media is at it again.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., this week introduced the social media addiction reduction technology (SMART) Act to curb what he calls “addictive and deceptive methods,” the latest step in his personal crusade against the biggest players in social media.

“Big Tech has embraced the business model of addiction,” Hawley Said in a statement announcing the bill. “Too much’ innovation ‘ in this space is designed not to create better products, but to attract more attention through psychological tricks that make it hard to look away.”

In addition, the SMART law will ban infinite scrolling and auto-play features that give users access to an infinite supply of content. Social media platforms will need to include “natural stop points,” Hawley Said in a statement. (On Hawley’s website, some videos use autoplay.)

Snap did not respond to an email seeking comment.

The Internet Association, whose members include Facebook and Snap, opposes Hawley’s bill.

Hawley representatives did not respond to a phone call and email seeking comment.

Hawley, 39, the youngest member of the Senate, quickly carved out a reputation as an enemy of Big Tech. He introduced bills on data tracking, children’s online privacy and data monetization; was an animated opponent of tech executives during numerous hill hearings about their impact; and openly called for the dismantling of Facebook and Twitter.

“Maybe social media is best understood as a parasite of anathema investments, on meaningful relationships, on a healthy society,” Hawley wrote in the us today opinion piece on may, in which he suggested: “Maybe we’d be better off if Facebook disappeared.”

Facebook declined to comment on Hawley’s latest bill. But the company, like the IA “Internet Association,” is favorable to bipartisan legislation from Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., which authorizes the National institutes of health to lead a research program on technology and the impact of media on infants, children, and adolescents in the core areas of cognitive, physical, and socio-emotional development.

Facebook has been in the eye of a political storm for big Tech’s influence. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that the Federal trade Commission is looking into Facebook’s acquisition as part of an antitrust investigation into the social media giant. The FTC last month reached a record $ 5 billion settlement with Facebook after a series of privacy-related errors.

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