# FILE NAME: 00002492.soc
# TITLE: Should the government have a greater role in regulating social media platforms? [fbdad8f95670d27067ae6e809a6442c5]
# DESCRIPTION: 
# DATA TYPE: soc
# MODIFICATION TYPE: original
# RELATES TO: 
# RELATED FILES: 
# PUBLICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# MODIFICATION DATE: 2025-10-12
# NUMBER ALTERNATIVES: 4
# NUMBER VOTERS: 5
# NUMBER UNIQUE ORDERS: 4
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 1: Statement 1 - Social media platforms are a relatively new technology and the regulation of these platforms has not kept up with their use and influence. Social media platforms have been used for good and for bad. They have been used to bring people together and to raise awareness of important issues. They have also been used to spread hate and to target individuals and groups. The social media platforms have not regulated their own platforms and have not put their users' interests first. The social media platforms have a huge influence on society and on individuals and they should be regulated by the government. This regulation should be a hybrid regulation with input from the public, the social media platforms and the government. The social media platforms should not be allowed to get away with not regulating their platforms. The social media platforms should be fined and given warnings for things like fraud and other criminal activities if they are not doing anything to regulate their platforms. The government should be able to step in and regulate the platforms if the social media platforms are not doing enough to keep their platforms safe.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 2: Statement 2 - The government should have a greater role in regulating social media platforms. The government should have a greater role in regulating social media platforms. However, it should not be the only role and should be a shared responsibility between the government, social media platforms and the public. This would be the best way to ensure that regulation is not biased according to the government's policies and views. The regulation should be in place to protect the public, especially children and young people, from the negative effects of social media. This includes protecting them from the negative effects on their mental health and wellbeing and also protecting them from the spread of misinformation and disinformation. The regulation should also be in place to ensure that social media platforms are not used to spread hate-speech and racism, ableism and sexism. Regulation should also be in place to ensure that social media platforms are not used to spread fraudulent activities or to target individuals.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 3: Statement 3 - Social media platforms should be regulated by the government. This is because the social media platforms are not doing enough to regulate their own platforms and the government has a duty to protect its citizens from harm. The government needs to have greater powers to regulate social media platforms, particularly for children and young people. There is a large discrepancy between some of the information available on these platforms and the actual facts when considering issues like elections and politics, vaccines and medicines and other issues such as LGBTQ+ issues. However, if the government had greater powers, unscrupulous governments or politicians could regulate and control social media so that some opinions, facts or information was not readily available thus swaying public opinion, perhaps incorrectly, and influencing voting.  I think it is important to have independent fact checkers who can alert people to the misinformation contained within some posts. Some social media should not be seen by young people as it can harm their mental health and wellbeing and this is where the government needs to have more powers to regulate this.
# ALTERNATIVE NAME 4: Statement 4 - Social media is a relatively new phenomenon. It is not something that human society has been prepared for. Social media is used by a large number of people, particularly young people. The way that social media is used has a huge influence on the way that people think, act and vote. The owners of social media platforms are not using their power for good. They are using it to make money and they are not putting the interests of their users first. They are allowing hate speech, bullying, harassment, misinformation and lies to be spread on their platforms. This is having a negative effect on society and on the mental health and wellbeing of a large number of people, particularly young people. It is not an exaggeration to say that lives have been destroyed and even lost. Social media platforms should be doing more to keep their users safe. They should not be allowing hate speech, bullying, harassment, misinformation and lies to be spread on their platforms. The government should have a greater role in regulating social media platforms. This role should be a hybrid regulation between the public, the companies and the government.
2: 3,1,2,4
1: 1,2,3,4
1: 4,3,1,2
1: 3,4,1,2