Australia passes social media ban for under 16s

[Damocles]

This is completely unenforceable and it will have zero effect

 

[PragueBlue]

Its just as frightening how iPhones affect some of the adult population.

Just iPhones or all mobile phones? ;-)

 

[Onholiday(somemightsay)]

This is completely unenforceable and it will have zero effect

I don't know the answer to all this, however I like the intent Australia is showing if nothing else.

I am very conscious of when to introduce / much much leash to give my little ones as they grow up............

 

[BlueHammer85]

This is completely unenforceable and it will have zero effect

Nothings unenforceable when the vast majority of adults want it to happen.

 

[I'm With Stupid]

This is completely unenforceable and it will have zero effect

I think aspects of it are unenforceable. Teens will still access porn, for example, because there will always be motivation to do so like there is with alcohol. But I feel like social media is different, because it derives its value from the fact that everyone else is on it. So if it becomes this illicit activity that teens are only able to access occasionally and anonymously, you then suddenly don't have the same level of engagement and you have less reason to post on it. You might get the same consumption of harmful stuff, but perhaps less of the validation-seeking behaviour, posting their own pictures, asking for likes, etc. Anyway, I guess we'll see. It's nice to have one country willing to do the experiment, I suppose.

 

[Kompany Car]

Nothings unenforceable when the vast majority of adults want it to happen.

What like taxing the very rich ?

 

[BlueHammer85]

What like taxing the very rich ?

Yes the very rich get taxed.

 

[Kompany Car]

Yes the very rich get taxed.

Really ? Bezos, Musk and Bloomberg beg to differ. Just because the majority of people want something doesn't mean it will happen. Particularly where large sums of money are involved.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Really ? Bezos, Musk and Bloomberg beg to differ. Just because the majority of people want something doesn't mean it will happen. Particularly where large sums of money are involved.

The wealthiest having tax loopholes is hardly a comparison to this point, if the vast majority of adults do not wish for children to have social media it can be achieved - strange mentality that some have completely ruled it out ever happening, there will be multiple bodies looking into this and working with governing bodies to implement this.

 

[mancity111]

Just iPhones or all mobile phones? ;-)

Fair point to include all mobiles into the conversation albeit I used to have a mobile many moons ago.

They do come in handy from time to time but I learnt fairly early in life its not too good to be totally dependent on any device as such.

I wouldn't be too upset if the internet ceased to exist tomorrow and all mobile towers were replaced with a few trees not that they will.

 

[Kompany Car]

The wealthiest having tax loopholes is hardly a comparison to this point, if the vast majority of adults do not wish for children to have social media it can be achieved - strange mentality that some have completely ruled it out ever happening, there will be multiple bodies looking into this and working with governing bodies to implement this.

I dont think its people ruling it out or saying its a bad thing to try, its just people being realistic. There are lots of things that people have wanted to stop but have failed miserably, kids taking drugs, drinking alcohol, watching violent movies etc. None were successful, however education around them helped minimise the impact.

Once the genie is out of the bottle its nigh on impossible to put back in.

 

[BlueHammer85]

I dont think its people ruling it out or saying its a bad thing to try, its just people being realistic. There are lots of things that people have wanted to stop but have failed miserably, kids taking drugs, drinking alcohol, watching violent movies etc. None were successful, however education around them helped minimise the impact.

Once the genie is out of the bottle its nigh on impossible to put back in.

Yes but if kids were openly allowed to take drugs and alcohol then it would be 1000x worse than it is now.

Regulating stronger rules, having stronger measures and curbing the use of social media platforms for kids has to be a priority.

I’m sure if gambling websites can prevent 99% of under age from using their platforms - social media sites can do the same .

 

[Damocles]

Nothings unenforceable when the vast majority of adults want it to happen.

Young people understand what a VPN is and there's tons of free VPNs about. It's prohibition for the modern age and nobody with any knowledge of the IT sector believes this could possibly work

 

[BlueHammer85]

Young people understand what a VPN is and there's tons of free VPNs about. It's prohibition for the modern age and nobody with any knowledge of the IT sector believes this could possibly work

Why can’t youngsters not access gambling websites and place bets ?

 

[I'm With Stupid]

Yes but if kids were openly allowed to take drugs and alcohol then it would be 1000x worse than it is now.

Regulating stronger rules, having stronger measures and curbing the use of social media platforms for kids has to be a priority.

I’m sure if gambling websites can prevent 99% of under age from using their platforms - social media sites can do the same .

Because that requires payment, so by definition, you have to have a payment method to use the service, and you typically need to be an adult to get the payment method (or at least you did back in my day). If paying for an OnlyFans subscription was the only way to watch porn, you probably wouldn't find as many teens watching porn either. Incidentally, there's a huge epidemic of teens online gambling, so even that doesn't work.

The point about money is an important one. The reality is whatever they say, the social media companies have absolutely no incentive to prevent kids from using their service, just like Youtube have no incentive to prevent kids from having harmful shit advertised to them. The incentive has to be imposed on them with massive fines. Most adults don't want kids to be able to access alcohol, but that doesn't matter if the only thing between your teen and alcohol is the bloke who runs the off licence who has a massive incentive to sell to anyone who wants it. He only doesn't sell to them because he'll get a massive fine if he's caught doing it and the same needs to happen with social media companies for a law like this to work. I've not read too much about how this is going to work practically, but presumably asking people to verify their ID is the only way to do it in reality.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Because that requires payment, so by definition, you have to have a payment method to use the service, and you typically need to be an adult to get the payment method (or at least you did back in my day). If paying for an OnlyFans subscription was the only way to watch porn, you probably wouldn't find as many teens watching porn either. Incidentally, there's a huge epidemic of teens online gambling, so even that doesn't work.

The point about money is an important one. The reality is whatever they say, the social media companies have absolutely no incentive to prevent kids from using their service, just like Youtube have no incentive to prevent kids from having harmful shit advertised to them. The incentive has to be imposed on them with massive fines. Most adults don't want kids to be able to access alcohol, but that doesn't matter if the only thing between your teen and alcohol is the bloke who runs the off licence who has a massive incentive to sell to anyone who wants it. He only doesn't sell to them because he'll get a massive fine if he's caught doing it and the same needs to happen with social media companies for a law like this to work. I've not read too much about how this is going to work practically, but presumably asking people to verify their ID is the only way to do it in reality.

Exactly, already two ways to regulate and prevent kids from social media, have a payment method or have ID controls like other adult sites.

 

[Damocles]

Why can’t youngsters not access gambling websites and place bets ?

Generally they can and do

 

[BlueHammer85]

Generally they can and do

so then why bother restricting it at all ? just let kids on all gambling sites as the 'horse has already bolted' and they 'will find a way anyway'

 

[Damocles]

so then why bother restricting it at all ? just let kids on all gambling sites as the 'horse has already bolted' and they 'will find a way anyway'

I agree, any kids who want this are doing it anyway and regulation doesn't work so scrap it.

 

[BlueHammer85]

I agree, any kids who want this are doing it anyway and regulation doesn't work so scrap it.

Come off it ! Gambling sites have strict measures and require a lot of ID proof, address, bank details to let anyone over the age of 18 be permitted to place a bet. Yes, some tiny % of kids still slip through the net and manage to place a bet. but surely we should do all we can to prevent them ? Not total deregulation and let it be a free for all, how many hundreds of thousands would that be a risk too ? same for alcohol, some kids manage to purchase it so by your logic just let every child have access to alcohol ? really don't see how you can argue against this unless you really don't care about kids and if they want to do alcohol, cocaine and go into strip joints then so be it!