Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 506 posts

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#21

Post by sarchertech »

deadbabe wrote: post #5

Knowing how kids are, they will just snicker and skirt their way around these bans anyway thinking they are some super bad ass. This is mostly symbolic.

Depends on how it’s enforced.

The data we have on bans on underage drinking and smoking show that they work. Some kids will still smoke and drink, but the number is reduced, drunk driving accidents go down, and eventually fewer adults abuse alcohol and smoke cigarettes.

The myth about age limits making it forbidden and attracting more kids to do it is just that it’s a myth. Spend some time looking at the studies. They almost universally show that age limits on drinking and smoking are harm reducing.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#22

Post by patja »

dyauspitr wrote: post #3

We need this in the US yesterday.

We already have COPPA. The result of which I have seen in my child's classroom when the teacher instructs the class "enter a different birth date to get around this restriction so we can use this website for our class activity"

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#23

Post by postexitus »

rgblambda wrote: post #19
postexitus wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not sell cigarettes and alcohol to kids, but also educate them that it's harmful?

A VPN can't get around a cigarette and alcohol ban. Perhaps children should be given locked down phones, with fines for parents who buy non child safe phones for their kids. It would take time for this to take effect but a social media ban would actually be effective at the end.

Just like you can't get around a random adult buying for kids. It's just a imperfect deterrent.

Although I agree- hardware level control would be so much better. Apple's on-device age checks can be a good compromise.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#24

Post by Aurornis »

deadbabe wrote: post #5

Knowing how kids are, they will just snicker and skirt their way around these bans anyway thinking they are some super bad ass. This is mostly symbolic.

I always find it entertaining to see the contrast and tech sites between everyone bragging about circumventing internet blocks when they were a kid, then when a story about blocking parts of the internet from kids comes up it’s just assumed that it will work.

Then there’s the contrast between calls for regulating social media for kids followed by the outrage when people realize that 1) products they use are considered social media (Discord, Reddit, Hacker News) and 2) you can’t keep kids out without age checking everyone who uses the product.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#25

Post by burningChrome »

ozgrakkurt wrote: post #7
benj111 wrote: post #2

Is there any evidence for all this? This sums up my understanding of the current situation ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understand-the-im... ) That isn't anywhere near definitive. Further it seems to me, this will just allow the tech companies to assume there are no kids, and remove the protections currently available. Yes there is an issue of quantity, but it seems that we should be focussing on soci…

Seriously. I see at least one baby with a phone in hand every time I go out. This is 100% an education issue and they don't understand how harmful that can be to their child's brain. Governments are focusing on banning things because some reason but real solution is education and support imo. Similar issue with school shottings. Government wants to ban guns or put controls on schools but they don't invest enough on m…

Anecdotal evidence that made me smile a bit.

Was at my daughter volleyball game a few years back. Sitting in the gym. In walks mom with a baby girl and a boy that looked around 10ish. They sit down. Mom gives the baby the ipad to futz around with. The son? Takes out his book and starts to quietly read.

It was an interesting contrast to say the least.

This is also something I've heard from my son about more kids are getting off of social media, or giving it up for other means to communicate. My son just graduated HS and said all of his peers have left Facebook, Snapchat, X and several others. He said his generation now sees social media as something for Boomers and my (Gen X) generation. He said people think you're lame if you're still on social media. Everything is now back to Discord servers and other platforms like 4Chan. Anonymous, under the radar stuff, out of the prying eyes of adults.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#26

Post by shevy-java »

I claim this is not about "protecting children", but to mandate age sniffing on the OS level eventually.

I also find this all questionable. A 18 years old is not penalised? So why is that a difference? I should say that I don't use "social" media (unless commenting on a forum is called "social" now), but I find the attempt to explain this ... very poor. I could not try to reason about this. I could not claim it is meant to "protect" anyone at all. Is this pushed by over-eager parents, who don't understand what to do on a technical level? I really hate censorship in general. So, even while I think unsocial media such as Facebook should be gone, I hate any such restrictions. Then again I also don't trust any legislator who pushes for this - I am certain this is to force age-sniffing onto everyone. And then extend this slowly. Step by step. Salami by Salami. Until anonymity is gone.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#28

Post by Aurornis »

postexitus wrote: post #23
rgblambda wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A VPN can't get around a cigarette and alcohol ban. Perhaps children should be given locked down phones, with fines for parents who buy non child safe phones for their kids. It would take time for this to take effect but a social media ban would actually be effective at the end.

Just like you can't get around a random adult buying for kids. It's just a imperfect deterrent. Although I agree- hardware level control would be so much better. Apple's on-device age checks can be a good compromise.

> Just like you can't get around a random adult buying for kids. It's just an imperfect deterrent.

This argument feels really weak. Convincing an adult to buy alcohol for kids is dramatically more difficult on average than setting up a VPN.

If you’re on this tech website you should know that it’s not hard to get VPN access even with cash by buying cards at retail. You can also use one of the various free (ad supported or spyware) VPN products.

It’s nothing like trying to involve another adult and asking them to take on the legal liability of that action.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#29

Post by shevy-java »

pj_mukh wrote: post #14
ozgrakkurt wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seriously. I see at least one baby with a phone in hand every time I go out. This is 100% an education issue and they don't understand how harmful that can be to their child's brain. Governments are focusing on banning things because some reason but real solution is education and support imo. Similar issue with school shottings. Government wants to ban guns or put controls on schools but they don't invest enough on m…

"This is 100% an education issue" It is not. Most parents I know have seen what it does to their kids, but have zero childcare. I have a white-collar remote job and can police my kids. If I was dual-parent working class, I don't think I'd be able to pull it off. I'm glad these laws are getting on the books, so at least the peer pressure of a classroom can get to a good majority of kids. The kid with the iPad at the r…

> It is not. Most parents I know have seen what it does to their kids, but have zero childcare.

And you are able to tell this ... how exactly? Why should other parents care about YOUR opinion in this regard? Because ultimately this comes down to a difference in opinion.

Re: Norway set to become latest country to ban social media for under 16s

#30

Post by pipes »

benj111 wrote: post #2

Is there any evidence for all this? This sums up my understanding of the current situation ( https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/understand-the-im... ) That isn't anywhere near definitive. Further it seems to me, this will just allow the tech companies to assume there are no kids, and remove the protections currently available. Yes there is an issue of quantity, but it seems that we should be focussing on soci…

My main worry is this is just another step towards government controlling discourse online. Once implemented it will become difficult to be anonymous on social media.

Some one in the UK civil service was quoted in the Times, they stated that the online safety act is not about protecting children. It is about controlling the discourse.

Post reply on HN