Without ChatGPT, Gen Alpha struggles with simple emails to grandma. The time has come for a ‘Digital Harm Tax’.

(SeaPRwire) –   A teenager recently confided in me, saying, “I realized I had a serious issue when I sat down to email my grandmother and found I couldn’t do it without using Chat.”

This statement brought me to a standstill, as 11 years ago, I was also struggling with my connection to technology. I almost took my own life because of social media’s impact. Since that defining moment in my college dorm, I have dedicated myself to keeping teenagers from falling into the same trap by providing them with the necessary tools to succeed online. I have spent countless hours with parents who have lost children to suicide or whose teenagers had college admissions withdrawn because of deepfakes. Over the past year, I have collaborated with lawmakers and teachers to address the defining challenge of our era: mobile phones in schools. I have devoted my time to classrooms and direct messages, listening to adolescents who are projected to spend an average of three decades on their phones.

The verdict remains the same: prohibiting phones and filing lawsuits against Big Tech are insufficient measures.

As we move into an even more significant age of artificial intelligence, we must draw lessons from our past errors with social media. If social media represents the stage, consider AI the greenroom—a private sanctuary where children turn not merely for schoolwork, but for guidance, emotional comfort, and investigation, often approaching it before they seek out a person.

We have constructed a cognitive nuclear weapon, placed it in the hands of children, and labeled it innovation. However, this time the issue isn’t just insiders leaking documents. This time, individuals are throwing Molotov cocktails—both literally and figuratively. So, how should we respond?

To rescue our children, we must think more broadly, act more intelligently, and accelerate our efforts. I am proposing a fresh incentive framework for Big Tech, termed the “Digital Harm Tax,” which is modeled after an already successful system: the Green Tax.

This entails overhauling the incentives and policies governing corporations, as well as securing funding for educational initiatives and community solutions. Big Tech will not alter its course voluntarily—it is functioning precisely as the system was designed to function: to prioritize profit maximization above all else.

The Green Tax was initially established to address environmental expenses and encourage corporate sustainability. Practices that harmed the environment were levied with taxes, while sustainable operations received tax breaks. The approach was successful: the European Union has slashed its emissions by half since introducing this tax framework in 2005. This tax finally provided corporations with a motivation to factor in these societal costs. The reason? It affected their financial bottom line. The Green Tax did not rely on companies developing a conscience; instead, it made destruction costly and conservation profitable.

So, how would a “Digital Harm Tax” function for Big Tech? It would be driven by two primary mechanisms:

First, impose taxes on compulsive design elements—such as infinite scroll, autoplay video, and continuous chat—to minimize the number of children drawn into catastrophic content. Likewise, tax the algorithmic boosting of disturbing material and the hyper-specific targeting of minors to ensure that children’s insecurities and anxieties are not exploited for financial gain.

Second, offer significant tax deductions to platforms that actively safeguard children. Platforms that include safety measures notifying parents of mental health issues would receive benefits. Companies that restrict AI access to those under 16, or implement mechanisms allowing parents to control the flow of content to their children, could also receive tax reductions. AI developers might even qualify for tax write-offs for demonstrating culturally sensitive design that is rooted in equity and free from bias.

The significant ruling in the Meta trial last month indicated a shift in public sentiment. A California jury held Meta and YouTube accountable for intentionally constructing addictive platforms that injured children, leading to a $3 million settlement. However, $3 million is negligible for a trillion-dollar corporation; it is merely a rounding error. We do not have the luxury of battling each platform and instance of harm individually. We need the tech industry to play offense—shielding children before damage occurs, rather than merely writing small checks after the fact.

This issue is no longer solely about screen time or even just mental health. It concerns brain health. It is about preserving the capacity of the coming generation to think, act, and resolve the very crises we are bequeathing to them.

As Laura Marquez-Garrett, senior counsel at the Social Media Victims Law Center, states: “These corporations will cease addicting and exploiting children only when we make that specific business choice less lucrative than prioritizing safety by design.”

We levied taxes on pollution because it was destroying the planet. We must now tax digital harm before it claims an entire generation. The Green Tax did not resolve every issue, but it altered the realm of possibility. It is time to apply the same approach to technology.

We cannot continue to allow Big Tech to profit at the expense of our children.