Aegis Social is a Non-Profit Foundation for the Development, Promotion and Deployment of a Federated Social Media Rating System

Our Mission

Our charter is to protect teens and preteens from the harmful effects of social media by creating, in close collaboration with the world’s leading mental health professionals, an age-based rating system for social media content. In parallel with that effort, we will develop and promote, alongside industry and government partners, standards for software that implements the rating system universally across all social media platforms.

Our Goals

By the end of 2022, Aegis will enlist the help of prominent child psychiatrists to build a consensus around the fundamental requirements and guiding principles for a robust and universal social media rating system. Also in 2022, we will consult with industry partners concerning the baseline technical requirements that will guide development of the associated software standards. In 2023 Aegis will announce a preliminary version and the ratings system and begin promoting it with industry stakeholders and federal and state lawmakers. In parallel with that effort, Aegis will collaborate with industry stakeholders and software architects to identify key technical requirements and develop a preliminary standards for software that will enforce the ratings system.

Should Kids Be Kept Off Social Media?

Yuval Levin argues that it’s a mistake to let kids onto social media sites. I would argue that it is more of a mistake to let adults onto social media sites. Aren’t they the ones who are supposed to be doing their jobs and making the world run? It’s no surprise the world is falling apart when these adults are glued to their phones all day.

Social media use puts teens at risk of developing drug and alcohol issues

New research has found adolescents who are active on social media are being exposed to content that could put them at risk of developing drug and alcohol issues.

The Impact of Social Media on Teens' Mental Health

Social media has some good intentions—connecting you with people all around the world, showing you content you are interested in, providing endless entertainment—but there are also negative consequences to endless scrolling. Research has shown that young adults who use social media are three times as likely to suffer from depression—putting a large portion of the population at risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors.