SOCIAL REGULATION: Government regulation that addresses specific social problems, including pollution, product safety, worker safety, and discrimination. The late 1960s and early 1970s was a period of considerable social regulation. Within a 10-year period the government established several regulatory agencies, including Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Consumer Product Safety Commission, to deal with social problems. See also | regulation | government | government functions | pollution | discrimination | second estate | third estate | Occupational Safety and Health Administration | Consumer Product Safety Commission | deregulation |