AN OPEN LETTER TO CONGRESS

Krish Chauhan
Screen Nutrition Inc.
October 06, 2023

The Honorable Members of the United States 118th Congress, Washington, D.C.

Subject: Urgent Request for Legislation to Promote Digital Transparency and Empower Users Through Digital Nutrition Labels

Dear Members of Congress,

I am writing to you on behalf of Screen Nutrition, an organization deeply committed to advocating for the responsible use of digital content and the empowerment of users to make informed decisions about their digital consumption. Given the growing impact of digital content on society, the need for increased transparency in the content provided to users has now become an urgent pressing concern. Mirroring the transparency afforded by FDA food labels, we believe this transparency is critical to maintain a healthy digital lifestyle.

First and foremost, we express our concerns regarding the legislative efforts that attempt to control how individuals use their screens or engage with social media. We believe such legislation, while well-intentioned, may inadvertently infringe upon individual liberties and agency. For example, The Screen Time Act (2018) or the Social media addiction bill (2022) failed to become laws because the focus of these efforts has been to censor the content creators and to reach into the liberties of the individual to control what they may or may not be permitted to see. The passage of the landmark Kids Online Safety Act (2023) underscores the thirst for lawmakers to step in. However, with the bill centered around the notion of “protect kids from harm”, there are already growing concerns that its control-centric framework might do more harm than good.

We urge Congress to consider a different direction. The effort needs to be in empowerment of the individual instead of sacrificing liberties to offer protection, just as Benjamin Franklin warned us over 250 years ago. Putting our children under surveillance and limiting their access to information doesn’t make them safer—in fact, research suggests just the opposite.

The focus of transparency needs to be in providing users with the necessary, timely, actionable and trustworthy information to make informed choices. For the first time, technology has now made it possible to foster such transparency. We propose the implementation of Digital Nutrition Labels, an innovative concept aimed at offering users vital insights into the nature and impact of the content they consume.

What are Digital Nutrition Labels? Much like nutrition labels on food items, Digital Nutrition Labels would provide clear and standardized information about the digital nutrients present in the content, allowing users to understand the potential effects on their mental and emotional well-being.

Digital Nutrition Labels would classify content into three primary categories: Digital Carbohydrates, Digital Proteins, and Digital Vitamins. Each category represents a specific type of content, such as entertainment, educational material, or mindfulness content. These labels would also include an assessment of Emotional Intensity, enabling users to anticipate the emotional impact of the content they engage with. Screen Nutrition has conducted primary and foundational research into the technology and its interplay with human behavior design, to start us on this journey. But it's only the first step.

Call to Action: We propose that Congress takes the initiative to:

  • Require content providers and aggregators (KOSA covered platforms) to fund further research into Digital Nutrition Labels.
  • Require platforms to adopt a digital nutrition labeling approach for all content they serve to users.
  • Require mobile device and browser makers (the consumption platforms) to enable aggregation and daily-diary style capabilities that may enable the creation of wellbeing tools and autonomy for users.

We kindly request your support in pushing for legislation that promotes the integration of Digital Nutrition Labels, making them a standard practice across digital platforms. Such legislation would provide a framework to facilitate research, development, and implementation, ensuring that users can make more informed choices about the digital content they engage with.

We appreciate your attention to this critical matter and look forward to the opportunity to discuss this proposal further. Thank you for your dedication to promoting a healthier digital environment for all citizens. Sincerely,

Krish Chauhan
Founder,
Screen Nutrition, a nonprofit