I never thought I'd say this, but I now fully approve of social media bans for children, screw under 16s, let's go further no children on the internet full stop. No mobile data plans for under 18s, arrest parents if they are found allowing their children to use a computer with an internet connection at home. Remove the internet from schools.
Then we can get rid of the online safety act, no need to dox adults if we just ban the children.
Then when the government refuses to repeal the OSA, we can then have an open and honest discussion about the real reasons that act exists.
> arrest parents if they are found allowing their children to use a computer with an internet connection at home. Remove the internet from schools.
Schools, yes 100%. Likewise mobile data plans.
Home internet? Could work, but I don't know how much time would be needed to transition any "do this on your computer" homework tasks. (Are there any?)
As one extra twist, the UK age-gates a lot of stuff at 16 rather than 18 in a way that is relevant here: back when I was at school myself, an era when writing letters to the editor of a newspaper was the closest most people had to a comments section, I noted the oddity that I was allowed to perform sexual acts at age 16 but wasn't allowed to photograph myself doing those things and couldn't buy videos of those things.
And between 16 and 18, the education choices in the UK are either A-levels, apprenticeships, or volunteering; I think mobile internet could reasonably be considered mandatory by that point in life.
It drives me nuts that local governments in the US continue to use Twitter/X to disseminate communications, despite having perfectly good web sites of their own.
Those websites aren't easy to update. I have a website of my own too, and even though I've set it up to be as painless as possible, it's always going to be easier for me to open a social media app and post.
Now imagine that the local government has a website that can only be changed by contacting a web developer, who takes 1-2 business days to reply. It might not be as bad as that, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's the ballpark.
Most content websites that are managed by a organisation such as a council/government or are usually driven by some CMS software. Updates are usually done by a content/social media team. These people are also posting the updates to twitter.
It isn't the late 90s/2000s anymore where people are uploading HTML files over FTP.
Every city and town has a website with information on services and paying taxes. They usually use a third party payment system in my experience, but the main site is theirs and they still use shitter and bookface.
If our governments can't update an HTML page same way they update a twitter status then we are all doomed and should just nuke ourselves to get it over with.
That's like saying parents would give meth to their kids. Make the crime equivalent and you'll find they won't, or if they do, they won't have their kids for long.
Parents are obviously far too stupid to do what's in their children's best interests re social media and smart phones. That plus the general indifference most parents have to this kind of thing mandates state interference. Banning social media for them specifically is a pain for everyone involved, just ban the phones - simple.
How is it more enforceable? It seems far more clear cut than 'little kimmy has an iphone 74++ pro but can't have snapchat' or whatever stupid app predators are using in year X. If little kimmy has an iphone 74++ pro it's getting confiscated and her parents fined at a minimum, that should make them strongly re-consider in future.
I think desktop computer use under some level of parental supervision is fine, but smartphones are not appropriate for kids at any level. I can't see any benefit whatsoever to under 18's possessing one.
> a ban on social media for users under 16, like Australia. Pretty dramatic change.
Meanwhile the government and official accounts continue to use X even as they're trying to ban it. Mixed messaging.
I think you'd find Govt. account users are over 16.
Meanwhile the government and official accounts continue to use X even as they're trying to ban it. Mixed messaging.
Lead proponent of the VPN ban: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Nash,_Baron_Nash; he's https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_for_Policy_Studies again, the dead hand of Thatcherism.