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Georgia Attorney General urging parental controls for TikTok, Snapchat

There's a new coalition urging TikTok and Snapchat to strengthen parental controls, and Georgia's Attorney General Chris Carr is a part of it.

MACON, Ga. — There's a new coalition urging TikTok and Snapchat to strengthen their parental controls, and Georgia's Attorney General Chris Carr is a part of it.

Attorney General Carr says the reason why he joined the coalition is because in today's online environment, children are at a greater risk of encountering harmful content and predatory users.

Tynessia Harrold has nine children but just one still living at home.

"Me, I would definitely be clicking that parental control like, 'No, you won't be watching that. You won't be dancing to that,'" said Harrold. 

Harrold says she would like to have more control over the content her 17-year-old is consuming.

"I don't think we should be exposing our kids to stuff that we haven't had a simple discussion about first," Harrold said. 

Attorney General Chris Carr says while some children might not understand the risk associated with heightened social media use, providing parents with the tools to protect their loved ones can help to prevent any dangerous or unintended consequences.

"To be able to monitor that is so important because they can get the wrong information into their hands," Yalonda Best said. 

Parental control apps empower parents to be full partners with the platforms to maintain a safe space online for their children.

Best is a grandmother of eight, and says, unfortunately, sometimes outside influences are not always positive.

"A child's first influence should be their parents, first of all, and not to allow any outside influences to make a difference in the choices they actually make," Best said. 

Carr says we know this is a concern for Georgia families, and he stands with them in supporting the development and implementation of strong parental controls meant to keep kids safe.

"When you have more control over the environment you are allowing your child to have, to me, it creates more opportunities to talk," Harrold said.

In a letter sent to TikTok and Snapchat, the coalition wrote: 

"Parental control apps can alert parents of schools to messages and posts on your platforms that have the potential to be harmful and dangerous."

Research continues to show possible negative impacts that social media can have on the physical, emotional and mental wellbeing of children and teenagers. 

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