"Big tech has embraced a business model of addiction," Hawley said. "Too much of the 'innovation' in this space is designed not to create better products, but to capture more attention by using psychological tricks that make it difficult to look away."

Or "stop eating." Or "walk away from the slot machine."

"Addiction," in its slangiest sense, is the business model for many products that aren't illegal, but stimulate brain receptors.

I agree this can be a problem with children's heads, but theoretically there's a parent involved who can lay down the law (oh, my sides!).

As far as adults, it's none of Mr. Hawley's business, nor yours, nor mine.

All soon to be covered in the 'Stop liking things I don't like' bill of 2020.

I'd be in favor of banning autoplay video for a completely different reason -- it's a use of my bandwidth that I didn't authorize. However, I agree that, in general, Hawley's bill is over-regulation. It's also, from the looks of it, going to turn out to be yet another bill that grants broad discretionary powers to unelected bureaucrats, which means that corruption and abuse will be along shortly.

How long before regulation of "addictive" technology" becomes regulation of content?

"Social media companies deploy a host of tactics designed to manipulate users in ways that undermines their wellbeing," said Josh Golin, executive director of campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood.

If Golin thinks this is limited to social media companies, he needs to wake up. A host of non- social media companies has been manipulating users for decades. "Stores are carefully engineered, and every aspect of the design has a highly specific purpose — from the background music to the interior wall color."

• Bright colors and jingles in advertising and store design catch the customer's attention
• Subtle messaging is used in advertising and product design (e.g., the Mr. Clean mascot and bottle are both design to be phallic to appeal to suburban housewives)
• Wording in advertising is carefully chosen to be truthful and misleading at the same time
• The layout of supermarkets is designed to maximize the time the store has to sell items to customers (e.g., Milk and dairy in the back of the store - making you walk through it for them)
• Having shopping carts at the front of the store encourages customers to "fill them up"
• The music played in stores is carefully timed to influence customer moods - slow music slows customer pacing and extends shopping time while classical music encourages expensive purchases
• The bakery bakes cookies at 3:30, when mothers with school-age children are hitting the stores and bread at 5:30 when working people are shopping hungry
• Pricier items are usually shelved at eye-level and discount items on the lower shelves

In the '20s and '30s grocery stores were small shops where you presented a list to the grocer and he sent a helper to the back room to get your items. Grocers discovered that if people could touch a product, they were more likely to buy it and open-shelf designs replaced back rooms.

F.W. Woolworth was famous for pricing things at $4.99 instead of $5.00, having discovered that people were more willing to buy the product at what they perceived as a lower price - this was back when that 1¢ difference could be used to splurge on candy or gum.

Sam Walton added a greeter to his stores, not because he wanted them to be friendly, but because a friendly greeter helped get the customer in a good mood and ready to spend money.

So, Hawley is upset that social media companies manipulate us? Welcome to the party, pal.

There's a special place in hell for the designers of autoplay media. Right next to the place for Netscape's engineers who thought that sending email both as plain text and html marked up text was a Good Idea.

Olive Garden breadsticks: Yes.

Chocolate Cake: No.

It's a particularly pernicious form of xenophobia to suggest otherwise. Think of the children.