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acceptance evokes activation in the brain's reward center.67 Further, minors' prefrontal cortex,
<br /> which helps regulate responses to social rewards, is not as mature as adults,.61 These factors all
<br /> converge to create a feedback loop in which, because minors crave this social reinforcement,
<br /> they seek it out, and ultimately are unequipped with the tools to protect themselves against
<br /> the allure of"rewards" that these manipulative design features purportedly promise.
<br /> Social manipulation design features also exploit young people's tendency for social comparison
<br /> and recreate, on a 24/7 basis, the high school cafeteria experience where everyone can
<br /> instantly see who is popular and who is not. Features such as like and follower counts and
<br /> comment displays induce anxiety in minors that they or their content may not be as popular as
<br /> that of their peers. In the words of one high school student, "[I]f you get a lot of likes, then
<br /> 'Yay,' you look relevant, but then if you don't get a lot of likes and/or views, it can completely
<br /> crush one's confidence. Especially knowing that you're not the only one who's able to see it.1169
<br /> Snapchat streaks literally quantify the strength of users' relationships and create pressure on
<br /> users to communicate with their friends on the app daily.70 Teens report feeling obligated to
<br /> maintain Snapstreaks to "feel more popular" and show that they "care about that person.1171
<br /> Ultimately, these design features create strong incentives for young people to engage in
<br /> potentially harmful behaviors. Their drive for social rewards "lead[s] to greater relinquishing of
<br /> security in certain arenas to gain social validation and belonging, for example, disclosing
<br /> publicly to participate in online communities and accrue large amounts of likes, comments, and
<br /> followers.1172 Young users quickly learn that they can improve their social media metrics by
<br /> posting frequently and posting particularly provocative or risque content.73 Such posts can
<br /> increase the risk of cyberbullying and sexual exploitation. In addition, the pressure to
<br /> 67 Eveline Crone& Elly A. Konijn,Media Use and Brain Development During Adolescence,9 Nature Comm. 1,4
<br /> (2018), :tt
<br /> :.I.?.a..././.... ..::. . .:..!..::.!..�..i ..:.!..!..h.:.I
<br /> 68 For example,adults"tend to have a fixed sense of self that relies less on feedback from peers"and "adults have
<br /> a more mature prefrontal cortex,an area that can help regulate emotional responses to social rewards."Zara
<br /> Abrams, Why Young Brains Are Especially Vulnerable to Social Media,APA(Feb.3,2022),
<br /> b.t;t.Ls.//WWuvu.aLa.or'p .!7.. u..s./.... .�a/2022/no1al-rnPdia-cNIdrei7-teeo7s.
<br /> 69 Katie Joseff,Social Media Is Doing More Harm than Good,Common Sense Media (Dec. 17,2021),
<br /> I7ttlas.//www.corrirrioiiseiiserriedia.or.g/Iaids-actioi7/articles/social-media-is-.doiiig-.more-17arrri-tliaii-.good.
<br /> 70 Taylor Lorenz, Teens Explain the World of Snapchat's Addictive Streaks, Where Friendships Live or Die, Insider
<br /> (Apr. 14,2017, 1:58 PM), I7tt�Ds.//www.iiisider.corri/teeois-ex�Dlaii7-siia�Dcliat-streal<s-.wliy-tlieyre-so-addictive-aiid-.
<br /> irri�Dortai7t-to-frieoidsl7ilas-201 7-4; Lori Janjigian, What I Learned After Taking Over My 13-Year-Old Sister's Snapchat
<br /> for Two Weeks, Business Insider(Aug.4,2016, 11:53 AM),!:!.::..h..p..:././ ..:.. .?.:L..!..1:!..�'..�..�.!.!!..�.!..d.�'.9:.:.:.corn./.17 u.......... . .P.7.....:.: r: .:.:.?.:L...!..!..IA.::.
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<br /> 71....Id.
<br /> 72 Nicholas D.Santer et al.,Early Adolescents'Perspectives on Digital Privacy, Algorithmic Rights and Protections
<br /> for Children (2021)at 6(citing J.C.Yau &S. M. Reich, "It's Just a Lot of Work":Adolescents'Self-Presentation Norms
<br /> and Practices on Facebook and Instagram,29 J. Res.on Adolescence 196, 196-209 (2019)).
<br /> 73 For example,Adolescent girls report feeling pressure to post sexualized selfies as a means of generating
<br /> attention and social acceptance from their peers. Macheroni,G.,Vincent,J.,Jimenez, E. 'Girls Are Addicted to Likes
<br /> so They Post Semi-Naked Selfies':Peer Mediation, Normativity and the Construction of Identity Online,9
<br /> Cyberpsychology:Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace (May 1,2015), 17„t;tps.ZLdoi.orp/,,CY s,a.IZ/ ,(�,...CY, ,s„
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<br /> Testimony of Josh Galin, Fairplay, February 14, 2023 11
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