I fully agree. Also, this nicely highlights differences in the average mentality between EU and US in multiple areas:
Health care: It's private in the US, but government-run in most of the EU.
Weapons: You can sell weapons in the US because the new owner is expected to be a responsible citizen. In the EU, who you may sell to is strictly controlled by government rules.
Drugs: The FDA will let you sell almost literal poison, as long as you mark the ingredients clearly on the box. The EU has much stricter rules for what may be sold to the general public.
In general, US laws are built around the idea that your average citizen is a responsible adult. The EU, on the other hand, is built around the idea that most people need guidance to do the right thing. I dislike the EU system because it limits my freedom. But looking at social media, I feel like the US assumption that most people are responsible adults is simply not true anymore. Maybe by now, we need to treat most people like kids, for their own good ...
Oh and I believe it's absolutely appropriate for parents to sue social media companies if they screw up the age check. What they are doing is akin to putting bottles of poisoned water in a public place. It's just that their poison is psychological. At the very least, we can hold them responsible to keep it out of reach of children who simply don't understand the issues yet.
>But looking at social media, I feel like the US assumption that most people are responsible adults is simply not true anymore. Maybe by now, we need to treat most people like kids, for their own good ...
I argue they never were to begin with, but I still fundamentally disagree with the stance that the government should control private consumption.
>Oh and I believe it's absolutely appropriate for parents to sue social media companies if they screw up the age check
I don't. I see it more as suing a candy store for giving kids cavities. Candy is inherently bad and unnecessary ~~Just like Alcohol, oh wait...~~ But not poisonous ~~alcohol is tho~~.
Teach them moderation. Be it with video games, food, or now social media. There is no activity that is safe for you when done in excess, so better to get that lesson instilled ASAP instead of blaming the rest of the world for your problems. It's a good universal lesson to have since you can't protect kids from every bad factor of the world.
Health care: It's private in the US, but government-run in most of the EU. Weapons: You can sell weapons in the US because the new owner is expected to be a responsible citizen. In the EU, who you may sell to is strictly controlled by government rules. Drugs: The FDA will let you sell almost literal poison, as long as you mark the ingredients clearly on the box. The EU has much stricter rules for what may be sold to the general public.
In general, US laws are built around the idea that your average citizen is a responsible adult. The EU, on the other hand, is built around the idea that most people need guidance to do the right thing. I dislike the EU system because it limits my freedom. But looking at social media, I feel like the US assumption that most people are responsible adults is simply not true anymore. Maybe by now, we need to treat most people like kids, for their own good ...
Oh and I believe it's absolutely appropriate for parents to sue social media companies if they screw up the age check. What they are doing is akin to putting bottles of poisoned water in a public place. It's just that their poison is psychological. At the very least, we can hold them responsible to keep it out of reach of children who simply don't understand the issues yet.