Social Media Regulation and Achievement of SDG 16

It is well recognized that a vital public sphere is essential to maintaining democracy and rule of law. Today significant amounts of public discourse have shifted from traditional print and broadcast communication to social media. Increasingly evidence suggests that social media is having highly negative effects on matters central to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. In multiple countries with differing levels of economic and political development, it has contributed to instances of mass violence, hate speech, disinformation campaigns, and foreign election interference—all matters encompassed in SDG 16. By implication, the use of social media bears heavily on the achievement of this objective in many places. Despite its critical role in governance today, many of its aspects are unregulated or rely solely on forms of industry self-regulation. This situation raises several important questions of relevance. First, to what degree does the achievement of this goal hinge on the ability of governments to regulate social media effectively? If so, what kinds of regulation are needed? This chapter surveys the main regulatory issues and suggests elements of possible mechanisms to address the requirements of specific targets under SDG 16.