Kids and teens in Australia self-report that they're easily bypassing their country's social media restrictions.

Kids and teens in Australia self-report that they’re easily bypassing their country’s social media restrictions.

  • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
    144·
    3 days ago

    “Smoking Minimum Age Pointless” - Teenage Smokers

    The point of the ban isn’t to keep teenagers from social media. It’s to mitigate the incentive for corporations to target our children.

    Teenagers still smoke despite restrictions, but at least we don’t have MR BEAST repping Camels.

    Just as this problem didn’t appear overnight, nor will the positive results manifest immediately.

      • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
        42·
        3 days ago

        Corporations want you to assume that ID verification is inseparable from holding them accountable.

        However it is entirely possible to write the law such that companies aren’t required to verify user age, BUT once they have reason to believe they are providing services to an underage person they must suspend the account and investigate.

        If corporations had their way we would have to upload our ID and they would be able to target children.

        Don’t get tricked. We can hold them accountable without giving them our personal data.

      • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
        22·
        3 days ago

        Corporations want you to assume that ID verification is inseparable from holding them accountable.

        However it is entirely possible to write the law such that companies aren’t required to verify user age, BUT once they have reason to believe they are providing services to an underage person they must suspend the account and investigate.

        If corporations had their way we would have to upload our ID and they would be able to target children.

        Don’t get tricked. We can hold them accountable without giving them our personal data.

    • supersquirrel@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      21·
      3 days ago

      Cigarettes kill a MASSIVE amount of people, comparing social media to cigarettes just because both can be addictive is disengenous as fuck.

      Also cigarettes are a physical drug, it is a different magnitude of harm.

      • Canaconda@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        3 days ago

        Smoking kills massive amounts of consenting adults. Far fewer now that people don’t start smoking at 14 mind you. Every family member of mine that smoked started before they were 16.

        I brought up smoking to illustrate the point that the existence of people subverting a ban isn’t mutually exclusive to the positive outcomes. Not to draw a straight line comparison.

        comparing social media to cigarettes just because both can be addictive

        https://socialmediavictims.org/mental-health/suicide/

        Also cigarettes are a physical drug

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine

        …

        IMO the ban should be below 12 or 13yo, not 16. I think where we need to draw the line is children who are at risk of long term mental health damage or victimization.