The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents • Hacker News Board

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#131

Post by Eddy_Viscosity2 » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 3:11 PM UTC

cowboylowrez wrote: post #119

Eddy_Viscosity2 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Banning kids from alcohol, cigarettes, and sex sure did work. I can't think of a single kid I went to school with that did any of these things (and certainly not me). All those laws and rules were absolutely effective in preventing us as kids from doing them. /s

Yeah but we can sanction the parents. If your friends at school were having sex with strangers for money and their parents were doing the pimping, society would like to have a word. Why is letting your kids sext with adult strangers any different? Is it because the only "pimping" you are doing is giving in to your brat nagging for an iphone?

It isn't any different, parents can already be sanctioned if they let those kids do those things.

The thing is, the vast vast majority of kids are not doing those things and are savy enough not to. It's the same as the alchohol and drugs for teens. Yes there are some that go to far and even get hooked on hard stuff, but most don't.

Don't get me wrong, I think social media is bad for both kids and adults alike, but predation is not its biggest problem. I'd say the biggest problem is the attention black hole it creates along with a misaligned sense of self. But that's a harder story to sell then 'super scary bad thing is happening so we need to do super extreme thing to prevent it'.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#132

Post by timmytokyo » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 3:37 PM UTC

CrzyLngPwd wrote: post #81

Probably an unpopular view, but why not fix the issues with social media.

Banning or regulating algorithmic feeds would be an excellent start.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#133

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 3:39 PM UTC

proxyscore wrote: post #34

There's no defending social media, not for adults, not for kids, ever. It's a toxic trap which will do absolutely nothing good for and to its users. Keep the kids away from it, doesn't take an Einstein reincarnate to realize that.

[deleted]

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#134

Post by inigyou » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 3:53 PM UTC

lux-lux-lux wrote: post #117

inigyou wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"crack dealers are trying to sell crack to my kids at street corners, can we ban that?" "No! Just do your parenting!"

> if I replace ‘internet access’ with ‘crack,’ then that sure changes the argument! Damn dude really makes you think

Just parent your kids.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#135

Post by Citizen_Lame » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 4:17 PM UTC

cowboylowrez wrote: post #125

voakbasda wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if creating more laws designed to punish parents correlates with declining birth rates. Sure makes me think twice about having them.

No, I'm pretty sure declining birthrates are caused by the smartphones, either that or the AI lied to me again but I'm still pretty sure its the smartphones. "Recent economic research links the rise of smartphones to the persistent decline in birth rates. A National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) study estimates that early smartphone adoption accounts for 33% to 52% of the drop in the U.S. general fertility rate,…

This whole thread is dumpster fire of sovereign citizens caught in AI psychosis supporting authoritarian bullshit.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#136

Post by sunaookami » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 4:20 PM UTC

inigyou wrote: post #113

sunaookami wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is not about protecting kids, when will you finally understand?

It's both. Everyone except libertarians wants kids to be protected because right now we're harming them incredibly quickly. Also, Facebook wants that to be implemented by ID scans.

No it's not both. It's an excuse for mass surveillance.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#137

Post by inigyou » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 4:22 PM UTC

sunaookami wrote: post #136

inigyou wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's both. Everyone except libertarians wants kids to be protected because right now we're harming them incredibly quickly. Also, Facebook wants that to be implemented by ID scans.

No it's not both. It's an excuse for mass surveillance.

So you think the children aren't being harmed? Or they are being harmed but we shouldn't make it illegal?

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#138

Post by Citizen_Lame » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 4:23 PM UTC

oliwarner wrote: post #128

cowboylowrez wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Who's buying your kids internet access? Are they getting it on a street corner from a stranger? lol I doubt it.

They could, yes. You can buy 5GB of service for £2.50 at many convenience stores. Paid cash. This is such a weird angle. Like saying shops shouldn't age check for alcohol because the parents would know. They are also friends with other children who have their own parents, devices and network access. Your child doesn't live in a bubble you have control over. These are all the same fantasy arguments that completely ign…

Just parent and educate your children mate, it's simply your personal failure. Have you tried talking to them, you would be surprised, they are not dumb.

Besides this legislation won't solve the problem, it will simply postpone it, while at the same time it will require everyone to do identity verification to access anything. But it's disappointing to see these kind of comments here, as you are clearly individual with limited technical abilities.

Come next election, it will be surprised Pikachu face from many.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#139

Post by Citizen_Lame » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 4:26 PM UTC

sunaookami wrote: post #78

solumunus wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want it. As someone who’s trying to keep their kids off screens and social media it’s easier to win the battle when it’s illegal. If I have to provide ID I’ll probably stop using it to and that’s good. Shit is garbage. Hopefully this becomes a global thing and we might get classic internet back, when it was actually good, before social media…

You do know that you will need to provide your ID for every single website in the future?

No, no, that's not how it works. They will do remaster of old internet. LOL. People are really dumb.

Re: The UK's new under-16 social media ban will cause more harm than it prevents

#140

Post by kelipso » Sat, Jun 20, 2026, 4:47 PM UTC

Eddy_Viscosity2 wrote: post #106

cowboylowrez wrote: post #101

There is nothing good on the internet for kids. If we ban kids from the internet this will all go away. Make a smartphone every bit as regulated as alcohol or cigarettes or sexual intercourse. If a parent is found providing their kids alcohol, cigarettes, sex, or internet, we have to hold them accountable and rehabilitate the kids from their traumatic experience. These parents deserve serious prison terms, and those…

Banning kids from alcohol, cigarettes, and sex sure did work. I can't think of a single kid I went to school with that did any of these things (and certainly not me). All those laws and rules were absolutely effective in preventing us as kids from doing them. /s

What kind of argument is this? "Banning murder sure did work. I can't think of a single person who did any of those things. /s".

Bans would work for >90% of kids and that's good enough.