The move was due to fears that messaging functions on the platforms allowed strangers to groom children, according to the newspaper. It suggested similar reselling platforms, Depop and Facebook Marketplace, would also be included in the list of banned sites.
I don’t even know what to say to this LOL.
This is a valid take that I hadn’t really considered. While I still prefer not to engage with literal children, I will concede that it may help for future interactions.
I still l think they could gain experience in online interactions through age-oriented platforms though. Lemmy does not strike me as a welcoming place for minors.
Yeah, it’s a legitimately difficult situation trying to balance effective safety measures with the needs of teens and young adults to be able to participate in civil discourse. And I’ll be the first to admit that I do not have a good answer for how to handle this.
Also I’m pretty new around here but so far my experience has been that Lemmy does not strike me as a welcoming place(period) so that likely goes double for anyone with an undercooked prefrontal cortex.
Communication only between minors has the disadvantage that there is a whole populations worth of years of experiences missing in their daily lives. A lot of this knowledge is aquired though cultural osmosis, which also means minors benefit from seeing, hearing and taking part in “grown-up” discussions.
As I said, i’d rather see some teens here than on Instagram or TikTok. People around here are a lot more willing to explain concepts or sincerely engage with someone than what i experienced on other platforms. There’s a lot less cult of personality going on here, and moderation is leagues above what we can currently expect from commercial platforms. All in all, both the fediverse in terms of activity and teens would benefit if they met.