Banned for sixteen years
I'm not a fan of social media; there's reasons and some have tried to sway me but I'm resolute in my dislike for it. Of course, there's so many people that disagree with me and that's ok, if they want to waste their lives there that's their prerogative.
Anyway, one of the big issues here for parents is the damage social media is doing to their children and that damage eventually spirals outwards to effect others and society in general. It's with that in mind the Australian Communications Minister introduced a law to Parliament that (if passed) will ban children below the age of 16 from accessing social media - a world-first law - with fines to operators of Facebook, X, Tik Tok, Snapchat, Reddit (and others) of up to $50 million for failure to prevent young children holding their accounts. It's designed to pull back on the trend of social media which has become the "defining feature" of a childhood in Australia. The social medias would have a year (after this becoming law) to comply and determine how they will implement the age restriction.
Predictably, the social medias are outraged, that cock Elon Musk is livid, and have begun denouncing the planned law; I guess they feel that under-developed minds absorbing their unfiltered content couldn't possibly be a bad thing. #fuckenidiots
However, is this another step towards total control of the population, is it removing another freedom in a world where Governments seek to exert more and more influence over people's lives? But then...don't the social media companies exert a control of sorts, the theft of people's information, creating individual profiles on users...Hmm, I wonder.
So, here's the thing folks, what do you think?
Should the undeveloped mind of a child be influenced and brainwashed by social media? Should they have access to an endless stream of unfiltered content parents can't control...or could they be doing something more productive and valuable in those formative years?
What do you think? Feel free to reach out in the comments and let me know if you want to get involved in the discussion.
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I can not speak to how difficult it must be to be a parent in this current clown show world we live in. I do not have children. That was my choice. I do know I was a nightmare child to raise. I regret that.
But I see very little "parenting" being done these days. It seems like a child is now a hot potato. Pop em out of the oven and serve em up to someone else to consume.
I mean should the government raise them. I will never be for more laws and oppression of proven out of control tyrannical governmental power trippers.
50 million? Really? And it is the web site owners fault not the hands off sleep walking thru life parent? My parents were horrible. We basically raised ourselves with the bad influences of some pretty wild babysitters.
The power trippers here can fine me for a hands free cell phone violation for over $11k? With a dual fine for the company who's name is on the door. Making you basically unemployable like an alcohol violation or a failed drug screen would. True Story here in this clown country.
But the same violation for a non commercial driver in a vehicle is only a few hundred dollars.
How about a dual fine for the parents and web wanker? We all know the tyrants could always use more money to misappropriate and spend recklessly.
I would think freedom and non censorship should win out every time.
Maybe we should hold the ones who created that child responsible for the first 16-18 years of that childs life.
100% responsible. JMO. Hey, You asked...😳
Yep, pretty much what I'd expected you to say should you have chosen to respond...which you obviously did. Parents (I mean generally not all) are piss weak these days and probably too busy wasting time on social media themselves to raise their kids right...and not just with social media but many other things.
From what your bro Taraz shares here they are doing it the way it should be done. The way I wish I were raised. I am assuming your other bro is just as good with Mr Bonkers.
Sad but true. My birth mother and my father both have never said these three words to me...
I Love You
I was gonna go with that on the #weekend-engagement but I did not want to go to such a dark place. I try not to think about it much. And it was a huge factor in my not wanting children of my own.
I did not like Elon much but he has done a 180° turn around so it seems. Do we ever really know?
He just might "change the world" by pushing the space travel and making our species interplanetary. But he def was a wanker. 😉
Yeah, they both do it pretty well, a little differently but the same result happens. More should do it that way.
So many people's lives are affected negatively by the wrongs of their parents which effects society in general. It's a shame you had the experiences you had but you seemed to rise above it which is a credit. I think parents do a lot wrong these days and allowing their kids to access social media is one of them.
As for Elon Musk, the only person Elon Musk has in mind is Elon Musk and what he does is for Elon Musk. And humans being interplanetary...best they die out all together than fuck up yet another planet.
Ya know, I fear that too. Look at the fukkin mess we have made if Earth.
Point taken. I am a sci-fi fan so it appeals to me. But logic and common sense lands me 100% on boards with your comments about Elon and frikkin up another planet. 😳
I agree with you entirely. When has more legislation ever improved anything? I have no idea what the purpose of government is, but it certainly isn't raising children.
100% Not.
They mismanage and overspend on everything they are involved with.
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While I agree how unfiltered content can be damaging to children's minds and social media platforms should be held liable for continuously feeding children with unfiltered content, does not mean that all the blame goes to the social media platforms. Internet in general can be dangerous with children and as long as parents leave their children unattended while surfing the internet, they could be exposed to far more dangerous stuff in the internet. What I'm saying is that, parents should act as parents to their children, set parental controls on their devices to restrict their internet usage and the sites they can see then when they get exposed on harmful things in the internet, parents should be there to properly guide and explain things to their children.
In terms of banning social media platforms for children, I do not have a problem with it but I do not know how the platforms can implement it. Maybe by adding KYC for each users to make sure they are above the age restriction but that can lead to security and privacy issues.
I agree, it's the parent's responsibility to say, no you little fucker, you're not having social media.
I think there is no need for that ban because that is the reason why parental control exist, and now it is not just children but married people too who are using social media for their self pleasure by hooking up with another person. But it's all about control though I mean of you dont to get involve in something you really cant false but most get involved
Parents don't often exert the control which raises issues like this and it's quite pathetic really, so I agree with you. When i was a kid my parents told me I couldn't do this or that (no social media back then of course) and I accepted it...might have complained, and then I got a clip around the ear and that was that. These days there's many reasons parents are losing control and failing to bring their kids up properly and one of them is they are fucken lazy.
Lolzzz absolutely agree more with you on this.
Hi Galen, I totally agree with you regarding social media. And I would like to stress the huge scam that is confusing data with information.
In other words, we have access to an avalanche of data and at the same time there is a great inability to sort and process this information, to separate the relevant from the irrelevant, to detect what is missing and, what is worse, in general there is no interest in checking the sources and the veracity of what we are told. This, to me in particular, refers to the absence of any critical thinking in the society in which I live, and that cannot be fixed by censoring access to data, nor do States (I speak in general) have any interest in governing a population that practices critical thinking.
In my opinion, this measure that you inform us about is one more step in censorship and population control. And one more step in the direction of taking away from parents the education of their children.
It's a complex issue with many parts from censorship and control by authorities to lack of parental control, the lowering of tolerance to certain behaviours and things on social media (which means the boundaries are pushed further and further, and a lot more in between. If I was a parent I'd not need the government to tell me how to do it...but with (many) parents these days having grown up with social media it could be difficult for them to know how and what they need to do. A complex issue and one that will not soon be resolved.
Thanks for your intelligent response and opinion.
The subject is very complex, as you say.
I hope this weekend is going well for you. Best regards, Galen
Going well mate, a bit of everything, work, relaxation, a sleep in, a bit of a hike and some shopping...not really pleased about the shopping but it has to be done. Hopefully you're in for a good one.
The weekend here has also started well, and I hope it continues that way. See you tomorrow.
The truth is that both sides exert control in their own way and both can and do cause harm, but social networks are already beyond parental control, they are everywhere and they get into the minds of children and children should not have networks, definitely not. They should play and grow up like the children of old, encouraging creativity and good mental health and not be made to look like dummies.... when I think about it it makes me angry!
Just another example of how fucked things are.
Thank goodness there are still people like sunshine....
This is 1984 in action, control control control the nanny state are considering a similar law in the UK. The problem is lazy irresponsible parents, happy to fuck and make kids but not prepared to devote the time needed ..."shove an ipad in his hands he will be ok" THAT is not responsible parenting, I brought my two kids up to maturity pre internet days and they both hold very high positions in their chosen careers. Thankfully my example has been followed and have tech time useage controlled. BUT the fucking schools their kids go to set homework requiring online research.
The world is fucked
Your last four words say it all pretty well I think.
Yup
Would be interesting if that law passed and how they would enforce it. Something definitely needs to be done but I don't think there is an easy solution. Thinks are bound to get worse in the years to come. We will look back at this and think it's nothing compared to whatever is happening in the time to come
There's no easy solutions, just hard ones but like you say, something needs to be done before the damage is irreparable.
exactly but I don't see much we can do except not be part of feeding nonsense to children and supporting a solid solution. I think parents will have to step it up if they care about what their children are absorbing
This is definitely the fine line situation. On the one hand it’s imperative that parents keep their kids off social media for as long as possible for so many mental and physiological reasons. At the same time gubment doesn’t belong putting itself more into our lives than it needs to be.
This is where it absolutely gets murky. I was listening to a podcast the other day, as I often do, and one guy mentioned something that makes total sense and is nefarious. These companies fund both sides of the argument because it fuels division. They find a way to pull the strings of those on the progressive side of an issue to rile them up, and do the same for conservatives. It ends up in stalemates but puts attention on certain issues while they skirt things under the radar elsewhere which is better for them.
I don’t know where this issue may lie in particular but it lines up with that I think. For someone like Elon it could go like this:
If it doesn’t pass, he continued to expose younger audiences to his platforms he uses to harvest data and expose them to dopamine-addictive technology. This is a win in the short term.
If it does pass it inserts government into more aspects of our personal lives than it did before and has no business doing but this is an erosion process. Eventually it can insert itself in other ways again in the future and ways he can financially profit off of. This is the long term mindset.
I am of the mindset that it’s the parents job to control this issue with the kids. We know our families the best and what works. This empowers us to continue to make decisions for ourselves instead of outsourcing it to others for us. This is the nanny state argument, where we contribute to the nanny state by letting them do it for us. There is a point where the kids can have these things in a controlled manner to start to learn good habits with it but too early gets them addicted.
We haven’t reached rhe social media age with my son but we are approaching the phone days. I am vehemently against both of them but it’s also about compromise. I will compromise in the future for a flip phone that only does calls and texts but will not allow a smart phone for as long as possible.
Jack Kruse talks about these things quite well - how technology is destroying the minds of the generations of young kids and we are headed for a dark place if we don’t turn the ship. AI feeds into that nicely by eliminating their ability to think for themselves.
Dark and provocative thoughts for sure.
Yep, that's what makes them so reprehensible...it's insidious.
I also agree with you that it's the parents job but most are so incapable (clueless) that it's not occurring...probably because many parents now grew up the same way they are raising their kid which is probably what has prompted the government's plan.
Yeah, and the kid is what...8?
There's a lot of problems but excuses are made to justify the behaviours and so it perpetuates.
Yeah he is, it's not imminent but my wife has tossed the idea around a time or two. I vehemently opposed it and won the skirmish for now and hope to keep it at bay until he's about 13 or so. There are a lot of ways in which it's important he grows up without those things as I know you're aware.
Thankfully there is a sizable group of parents who are pushing back and highly opposed to kids with phones and social media so it's a growing trend for families to do this. If all goes well we can keep part of that group for many more years but it's important to get prepared for these things now so we don't get blind sided.
It's a tricky situation. Perhaps it's a good thing that the Internet wasn't so developed when I was young. I think there are always pros and cons for social media (it can't be all good or all bad), and finding the right balance/setting the right controls will always be the challenge.
Balance is important.
I think bans like this are a knee jerk reaction and they don't really fix the problem. For example, many of these businesses already have restrictions in place so that children under the age of 13 can't sign up for accounts without parent permission. The problem is the parents have to actually care and be active in the process monitoring their kids activity and behavior online. Sadly, that isn't the case for the ones who need it most.
Yeah, parents these days seems mostly fucken clueless as to how to raise their kids in this changing environment.
For sure and my wife as a school social worker ends up dealing with the aftermath!
This development has two faces. We were happy with web2 and web 3 internet in the sense that it wasn't censored. But now this looks like the beginning of the censorship.
But on the issue of the underaged being restricted, I agree 100%. I only which that it won't to government finally gaining control over every social platform including (Hive Blockchain)
Many parents are incapable of parenting correctly and the results are seen right across society...I think the government are trying to address that and besides, it's not the government that prey on the weak and undeveloped mind ilof kids through social medias...it's the social medias themselves that do that and all for profit and to create mindless followers.
I am absolutely not a fan of social media for young minds. Easily led, easily subverted children are ripe for anybody who wants to exploit them. I am happy to have raised my kids before the internet took over completely. We did have a computer but it was not something the kids were allowed to mess with.
That being said, Parents have to be diligent with their monitoring and not simply rely on government or companies to watch out for their kids. Monitor and inform, over and over.
Parents have so much reliance on devices to entertain and educate their kids but that entertainment and education isn't always legit. I think the government here are trying to mitigate the issues with some control because parents are not doing it for themselves and it's having adverse effects and yet that control is an issue in itself. A complex situation.
Life was never meant to be this complex, yet we are drawn to the complexity by tech and other things that supposedly make life easier/more fun. In reality it just ensnares us further. Parents have an especially difficult time these days it seems. I really hope common sense comes back in style soon.
I once read a conspiracy theory, the Rothschild plan, to destroy the family with the ultimate goal of creating brainless slaves.
Whether it's a conspiracy theory or a lie, I don't know.
But I know that the internet and the media that are at the fingertips of young children, without parental control, have certainly not been used for education and learning, but for who knows what, and for that reason I certainly support the ban proposal.
Well, look at us, over 40 years old, who are on the Internet for hours. Those of us who learned about the Internet in adulthood, and who are still addicted to using it... How does this addiction affect the brains of small children and young people in development?
There's many conspiracy theories passed off as lies...and yet many of them are not lies at all.
The fact that the human population is becoming zombified gives legitimacy to this (conspiracy) theory🤔
Indeed, I agree...and yet there's people out there that don't believe it's happening...talk about "censorship" as if that's the major issue...Yeah, it's an important one, but so is educating 13 year old girls that it's not wise to video their cunt and put it on the internet because that's what some "social media influencer" did.
Yes, but parents need to give the right example. You can't blame your kids for spending too much time on their phone when you do it yourself as well.
I don't have kids so I don't have examples to set, but I think your point is that most parents are fucked, and I agree.
I don't know other people, but I agree with that law. I mean, children don't need to have access to social media, they need to be children and play and learn things by themselves.
I guess it would be an enormous job to social media developers to stablish methods than can keep children out of social media platforms, but it's something necessary.
It doesn't just apply to under 16s. It's a requirement to prove your age and applies to everyone. I'd be a little more open to the idea if it weren't being pushed in multiple countries all at the same time. Doesn't really feel like the wishes of the Australian electorate.
Good for Hive though, if it gets up. So easy to spin up a new window onto the chain.
It should apply to under 85's.
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