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Australia bans social media for under 16s
(www.theverge.com)
This is a most excellent place for technology news and articles.
A social safety net you say... like a place we could gather all the children to teach them things and let them play under supervision?
So are we gonna put teens in kindergarden?
What? No! They can have their own age appropriate place to learn and play under supervision.
Well I hope Australians are a homogenous society. Like they don't have racial minorities or LGBT kids that have to keep their identities closeted and have no one to talk to. Every Australian is so open and accepting amirite?
Imagine kids have conservative parents that would kick them out if they came out as LGBT, classmates are just constantly using "yo thats's gay" as an insult, while teacher and administrators dismiss any reports bullying. Have no adult they trust, and the same conservative parents would not let them see a therapist because that being "weak". Then when they wanna go online and vent and just have someone to talk to, the government steps in and "help" them by banning online communications.
"We Saved The Kids" Amirite?
But what about those Parental Responsibilities you were talking about earlier? Are you saying we now need extra social safety nets for kids who don't fit the mold and get bullied? Extra places for them to learn and play under supervision? Because I don't think that's going to be economical without boarding them there, away from their parents.
Parents should be loving and caring and and set up restrictions on their phone and block acess to danger things, what these restrictions would entail is up to the maturity of each kid.
In the event that the parents are shitty horrible people, they should have supportative environment in school that can help them. Adults to talk to, classmates that friendly and form friendships
In case the parents are not just shitty, and become abusive, there should be a legal procedure to transfer them to suitable guardians.
Unfortunately, there are often shitty/abusive parents, school environment is also toxic, and then social services don't do anything about it. Therefore there should not be any restriction by the government on the internet. In case 1,2 and 3 all fail, the internet provides a last resort for peer support.
Before attempting to restrict internet access, first fix everything else.
So you do want a nanny state.
The term "nanny state" typically refers to a government that intrude on every aspect of life that should not be the role of government.
Examples:
What food to eat.
Clothing to wear.
Places you are allowed to go.
What time you have to return home.
Bed times.
Having a non toxic school envionment or invervening in cases of child abuse is not typically under the unbrella of "nanny state".
Otherwise you'd be saying that any country that protects against child abuse to be a "nanny state".
Funny, conservatives would absolutely include telling parents how to raise their kids in the definition of a Nanny State.