The world wants to ban children from social media with grave consequences

5 hours ago

Over two dozen countries have proposed social media bans, often under the guise of child safety, leading to mass surveillance and censorship.
Australia, Germany, France, the UK, and others have pursued bans or age verification laws for social media users under certain ages.
In the US, over half of the states are considering or have passed online age verification laws, with big tech companies like Meta and Google pre-complying.
Social media bans are ineffective and endanger both children and adults by enabling government tracking and censorship.
Age verification systems require collecting sensitive data, posing significant privacy and cybersecurity risks.
Laws are being pushed by reactionary groups with ties to far-right and religious fundamentalist movements.
The timing of these laws coincides with broader crackdowns on free expression and protest, particularly in the US and UK.
Age verification technology is flawed, as human aging is not linear, and requires invasive data collection.
These laws consolidate power with big tech companies, while smaller platforms may be forced to close.
Instead of bans, comprehensive data-privacy reform and breaking up big tech are suggested solutions.

Hasty Briefsbeta