Austria Plans Social Media Ban For Under-14s (bbc.com) 11
Austria plans to restrict under-14s from using social media platforms over concerns about addictive algorithms and harmful content. The government says draft legislation should be ready by the end of June, though details around enforcement and age verification have yet to be finalized. The BBC reports: Announcing the plans, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler of the Social Democrats said the government could not stand by and watch as social media made children "addicted and also often ill." He said it was the responsibility of politicians to protect children and argued that the issue should be treated no different to alcohol or tobacco: "There must be clear rules in the digital world too." In future, said Babler, children under 14 would be protected from algorithms that were addictive. "Other information providers have clear rules to protect young people from harmful content." These, he said, should now be implemented in the digital space. Yesterday, juries in two separate cases found social media giants liable for harming young people's mental health. The verdicts are being hailed as social media's Big Tobacco moment.
Further reading: California Bill Would Require Parent Bloggers To Delete Content of Minors On Social Media
Further reading: California Bill Would Require Parent Bloggers To Delete Content of Minors On Social Media
Why not just ban the harmful algorithms? (Score:2)
My own life would be better without infinite scrolling, and I'm over 14.
Re: Why not just ban the harmful algorithms? (Score:3)
It is psychologically engineered to engage a human's attention. Modern web marketing is shady as hell and there really is no reason to try and defend the practices.
So how about we prohibit shady business practices. There is limited time and space in this world, so let's shutdown the garbage businesses that do us no good and leave more time and space and capital for those offering a legitimate goods and services.
Re: Why not just ban the harmful algorithms? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
My own life would be better without infinite scrolling, and I'm over 14.
We tried this with alcohol prohibition; it didn't work out so well. Turns out some people don't take too kindly to the government deciding which addictions they need to kick.
Re: (Score:3)
Easier than Friends Only Conent (Score:3)
The social media platforms would rather have it treated like an R rated movie that kids can't get into than simply not run ads or show content for people they aren't explicitly connected to on the platform.
Because most people would opt for that.
Imagine only seeing content from people you follow and who follow you back.
Where are the parents? (Score:3)
The real world is full of all kinds of things that are harmful to kids, too. There's roads full of cars that can run you over, bodies of water you can drown in, poisonous plants and dangerous wildlife (oh, that says "Austria", not "Australia", I digress), etc. Seems kind of weird that when it comes to the internet though, parents' brains seem to shut off and they no longer realize it's supposed to be their responsibility not to give their kids devices with unrestricted internet access.
I suppose the difference is that it was never feasible to make real life child-safe, but since the internet is all computer, it can't be any harder than pressing a few buttons, amiright politicians?
Re: Where are the parents? (Score:2)
Tried and tested slippery slope argument? On slashdot?
And What Are They Supposed to Do Instead (Score:2)
Life seems to me to be one big war with boredom as the enemy. When young, I was in a constant state of battle for "something to do." At one point, I had an impressive collection of Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, and to a lesser extent Hot Rod Magazines that I would read, sometimes multiple times on the same articles, or even dissecting the ads for the X-ray glasses. It seems like a solution to tell kids to "go outside and play", but "outside" is often a failure due to temperature, precipitation, a