...by ID checking everybody. Big Tech loves this.
> Google Wants to Be the ID Checkpoint for Europe’s Internet
https://reclaimthenet.org/google-wants-to-be-the-id-checkpoi...
UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
21–30 of 106 posts
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#22Huge win for surveillance capitalism. If Agentic AI is the future of online interaction, shopping, etc., a signal of "this is a verified human being" is golden to advertisers.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#23I presume I'll be forced to dox myself for free to use those platforms?
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#24> “Children will be given back their childhoods,” As a parent, I completely agree. We need to protect children from the dangers of the completely uncontrolled "jungle" of social media. But above all, we need to give children back the right to experience a true, real childhood, made up of true friends, fresh air, friendships, and real relationships!
> As a parent, I completely agree. What's stopping you from doing this so far? Handing a child a smartphone is a decision parents can make, withholding access to a smartphone is also a decision parents can make.
I'm not in favor of these social media bans, but I would think the benefit here is that without the ban your child will be in the "real world" while everybody else's is on social media. This would make the "real world" socialization benefits more difficult.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#25Earlier quoted context omitted.
The only thing that worries me here (although I'm not in UK; but if this practice will get adopted worldwide...) is how exactly the social media platforms will verify the age of their users. Pretty common worry these days, I guess, but I would rather not use any social media, including "needed" ones like LinkedIn, than give my passport to hell knows which third party or parties. Oh yeah, and what about BlueSky, Masto…
I'm in the UK; BlueSky already requires age verification for DMs, which I can no longer use.
Wow. Sorry to say that, but a few more steps in that direction from UK government - like blocking "non-compliant" platforms and/or banning VPN services and blocking VPN protocols entirely - and you will have a Western Russia here in terms of censorship. Maybe even worse... I'm feeling sorry for you; no irony or sarcasm intended, honestly.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#26> “Children will be given back their childhoods,” As a parent, I completely agree. We need to protect children from the dangers of the completely uncontrolled "jungle" of social media. But above all, we need to give children back the right to experience a true, real childhood, made up of true friends, fresh air, friendships, and real relationships!
> As a parent, I completely agree. What's stopping you from doing this so far? Handing a child a smartphone is a decision parents can make, withholding access to a smartphone is also a decision parents can make.
Maybe they are already doing it. But they're allowed to want the same for others too.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#27If I was someone under the age of 16 in the UK I would absolutely attempt to circumvent this ban myself; and I'm happy to contribute to software that facilitates kids in the UK circumventing it.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's also a huge win for children's future and cognition. Both of these things can be true. We need to figure out how to navigate this new reality and no action was getting really dangerous.
Parents have the choice of handing smartphones to their children. If cognition and future is that important, surely a parent wouldn't wait for government intervention
Teach a classroom of comprehensive children and then come back and say parents both want to and are able to control their children all of the time.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#29Feels heavy handed, but the brain-rot seems to be quite real, so I don't see a better option.
A significant part of the brain rot involves full adults. Elon Musk is openly advocating riots in Northern Ireland; several people have been firebombed out of their houses. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/belfast-riot... Targeting kids is a distraction from making the difficult choice of confronting powerful adults.
> Musk wrote, “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”
I'm certainly not defending the man, but that comment to me is definitely not plainly seen as "advocating riots"... I'd call that a very disingenuous stretch of the truth.
If we're going to criticize people, I think we need to do it for the right reasons.
Re: UK Brings in Full Social Media Ban for Under-16s
#30YouTube seems a little much. Plenty of examples of bright kids who learn coding or electronics at a very young age, no doubt having access to YT is a big part of it.
Hmm I guess those kids would use their parents account or something like that.