Comment on Florida ban on kids using social media likely unconstitutional, judge rules
neblem@lemmy.world 3 weeks agoThe main difficulty is defining social media in a way that doesnt restrict other modern communication, education, idea publication, operating a business, shopping, sharing ideas, etc.
Should such laws block Etsy, your family’s Nextcloud, a school ran web forum that only students/parents/faculty can access, Crash Course on YouTube, encrypted communication between your family, etc?
The other difficulty is defining the term “children” consistently. Many US states have simple categories that go all the way to 18, if not later.
Should there be a difference in laws for access for toddlers, elementary ages, and adolescents?
If you think this is an easy question I suggest you look at the dialog around the UK’s Online Safety Act who is having to answer these questions after the fact.
neblem@lemmy.world 3 weeks ago
Granted this law was more clear cut with 14, 16, and 18 being the dividing lines, but it definitely fails to concisely define social media.
The other issue is how do you verify age, and that has been another difficult question if you think people should have reasonable expectations of privacy and aren’t comfortable with the “enter your birthyear” forms.