What are your views on all these countries banning under 16's from social media?

[Chloe_Jones]

It's already been done in Australia and about to probably happen in the UK and a few more countries.

Does it make the world a safer place or does it mean people miss out on a lot of information they used to be able to access?

Obviously as well simply using a free VPN can make the ban obsolete so does a ban actually work?

[Telekinetic-Potato]

it's weird. I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why but it feels like a poorly thought out solution.

I worry as a whole, we keep running into the same problems and never learning our lessons.

So much of what makes life worth living is the risk. Yet we try to factor it out from what feels like everything. And then people seem to get dumber and more depressed and more selfish. More lonely too.

When I was a kid social media was for kids. We thought it was weird for anyone older than maybe college age to be on there and even then, not like how we were in the 6th grade 😂

I'm optimistic about the idea getting what seems to be a fair chance though. It really is an exciting mix of anticipation and uncertainty isn't it?

[Purpleronnie]

I support it


It backups the parents who want to protect the mental health of their children instead of them being perceived as the villains who wants to deny their children’s when others have access.


It protects the infancy of those under 16 from grooming , exploitation , harassment and manipulation.


Social media is known to be addictive , especially in younger more impressionable minds


I don’t deny that it may be simple to get around but not every “child” will have the means

[sawno]

Its extremely bad for adults the way its being implemented because it ruins our ability ro critisize the government properly. We should mass reject online verifications.

[Hoolapu]

"Mental" health is a scam. I think the ban for under 16 humans will cause more suicides in thag group because for already outcasted children and teens this is the only place to find friends or at leasd have AI to speak to for help. Very sad for some.

[Anonymous]

That’s a great thing. It should 18 years old though. It’s also good for parents to have a law to point to when they say no to their kid who wants social media because ”everyone else has it”.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

Honestly, this is just an extension of puritanism in the form of censorship, claiming anyone under 16 is too young to be allowed to know the world and all its hedonism and whatever

[Hoolapu]

They just want to control and collect data in my opinion. It violates the free speech rule for humans (teens are humans too) and it punishes girls, even though most hate comments and interest in pornography, gore, bullying come from boys.

The age is never the reason for safety issues, it's mostly boys/men who are dangerous and the nuclear family at a whole is just toxic, the men are often rapists. I have in my environment many of such "ideal normal families" around. They are simply morally rotten. Everyone who produces offspring is, for explanation read Antinatalism or VHEMT.

[MrChinaski]

The link between social media and teen mental health is established, much like the link between smoking and lung cancer, and between drinking and reckless behaviour and liver disease.

The first-best solution is parental guidance. That has not been effective to stop deterioration in teen mental health.

Where you draw the line to over-ride parental discretion with laws is always going to be a difficult decision.

That's is my way of deftly sitting on the fence.

And for those that cry free speech I cry 'Fire, fire, fire' in a crowded theatre, sedite, perjure, and scream my sermon from my rooftop at 2am, megaphone and all. We curtail free speech to achieve social outcomes all the time.

[sawno]

Its top down (possinly from a UN meeting) and its extremely dangerous. If we can't speak freely and anonymously then countries can arrest you for dissenting opinions.

Get apps like Element and get on Nostr while you can, those are the least likely to be effected.

[Hoolapu]

For messaging Signal and Browsing maybe Tor Browser.

[sawno]

@Hoolapu Signal is not a good choice because it does not solve the problem. Its a centalized solution so you are going to be dependant on a company that could be forced to spy or age gate. Element doesn't have this issue because it can connect to multiple servers and Unredacted already pledges not to do so.

[Chazmatazz269]

Bans never work. It just turns law abiding citizens into outlaws. That is the whole point. They don’t really want people to stop using social media. How else can they brainwash millions and keep them brainwashed? They can marginalize anyone they want now, at any time.

[genericname85]

You can't circumvent it with a VPN if it's globally introduced. And I think that will eventually happen. And the reason that will happen is not because they wanna protect children. That's just an argument they use to legitimate it. The real reason is: they want people online having to use their real ID so the government can more efficiently track what you're doing online.

[Hoolapu]

Yes this is true, the rich and their labor working slaves want to control. Many of them use natiolansocialist methods to harm poorer, disabled and other vulnerable people. Especially women. The world becomes more criminal because only morally rotten or very dumb humans want biol. offspring and want to be a labor working slave to make rich people richer and many produce sons that are biol. already more aggressiv than girls. It is bad but it get's worse.

Humanity is since many years now just a bunch of cancer cells.
I am sk sorry for all females in my opinion.

greenmatters. com/pn/female-tortoises-in-macedonia-are-walking-off-cliffs-due-to-constant-sexual-aggression-from-males

The only hope are maybe PFAS, because nobody wants to castrate the XY, so hopefully the forever chemicals will do their part. They are in many waters now but they need to be stronger for systematic infertility.

[WonderingManII]

I think banning young people from social media has good intentions. But it's the world wide web! It's kinda stupid to try and do that to the world wide web. Honestly I wish there was a way to ban us all from social media. Because honestly social media brings so much negativity into our lives. It would force people to go out and talk to people face to face like they used too.

[Kaneki05]

It's fascist, and they'll try to ban Vpns too which is even more so. Eventually they'll control all information as that's a goal for sure. It's a spiral that people won't fight against enough until it's too late.

[foxsquirrell]

VERY GOOD IDEA. I just uninstalled my Instagram app. It is a very distracting platform, which wastes a lot of time. Only very few people mange to get an income or some success from Instagram. The rest are probably paying for the success of the few.

[molonski2]

The ban works.. it's about sending a vital message , these sites are self destructive..

One of the few times I can say " well done Australia" and thank God this shite was not around when I was 14 , it's horrendous.

[Spencer10]

Sadly it seems clear social media can be damaging to human development. Also sadly it seems parents are unwilling to control and educate their kids social media use. Thus its appropriate that government intervene for the good of society.

[jshm2]

It's more a legal thing.

Sure there are plenty of ways around it, but that means YOU bear the responsibility for going round the ban if stupid shit happens to your kid.

[slatyb]

I'm generally opposed. Social media can be lifesaving for a teen who does not fit into his community, and there are many teens in that position.

[Anonymous]

A big change. Growing up a girl could pose topless in a magazine at age 16, you could smoke at 16, join the military at 16, leave school and get a job at 16.

[Anonymous]

It’s a good thing. Social media is bad for the mental health. If I was in control of a country I likely would have banned people under 18 years (not 16 years) from all social media.

[Nikki1989]

Makes sense, but it is already failing. There are many ways to get around the ban.

[DryGermanGuy]

I don’t know what my country’s stance is on that, but I would support it.

[TonyMetal___86]

No ban is 100% perfect and today's kids are smart enough to figure out a way to see what they shouldn't be able to see!

[_piotr]

Very good thing. Social media poison young brains with wokenes.

[AngryCarl2]

I think it's a good idea that isn't going to work.

[strawberryapple]

That's what I think. Where there's a will there's a way.

[AgentG111]

Who cares they aren't part of the USA and 16 isn't an adult they are a child.

[In_Trance]

Ironically it's the people on social media over the age of 16 that make it such a shitty place

[Anonymous]

It would be great, if they could make it work

[exitseven]

probably a good idea except how do you enforce it?

[Mike_Hum]

Social media should be banned universally.

[CuriousMufuxka]

Lol @ simply using a free vpn.

[zombiewoof]

Probably to keep them from interacting with adults

[Hoolapu]

No, the men have access to underage girls outside the internet all the time and all their life. It's not for any protection for children or teens.

[Hispanic-Cool-Guy]

I think is stupid.