Transparency is the Cornerstone of Accountability

The reintroduction of this bill represents a critical step toward a safer internet. Transparency is the cornerstone of sound public policy. Lawmakers cannot craft effective policy without insight into how an industry operates or how its products affect the public; researchers cannot assess those impacts without access to the necessary data; regulators cannot hold companies accountable without information to monitor compliance; and consumers cannot make informed decisions without meaningful disclosure. This flow of information is how we ensure planes are safe to fly, food is safe to eat, and medicines are safe and effective.

Yet digital media companies operate with limited external visibility. For too long, social media companies have operated behind closed doors, controlling vast amounts of data about their products’ effects on children and society while disclosing only fragments of that information. As a result, researchers, policymakers, regulators, and the public are often forced to rely on inference rather than evidence. PATA would bring digital media platforms more in line with the transparency expectations applied to other sectors that affect public health and safety. 

In public discussion about social media, we often hear that there is insufficient evidence to justify stronger safeguards. PATA directly addresses that gap. The legislation requires platforms to provide qualified, independent researchers access to critical data under strict privacy and safeguards, protects researchers acting in good faith, creates meaningful reporting requirements, and mandates public disclosure of information that help users make informed decisions.

Transparency is essential to advancing high-quality, independent research. Without improved access to relevant data, researchers and policymakers will remain in a perpetual game of catch-up with an industry that moves at breakneck speed. Children and Screens has long supported PATA—we extend our deepest gratitude towards Senators Coons and Cassidy for their commitment to platform accountability through transparency, and we look forward to working with them and other members of Congress to advance this vital legislation.