Comment on More than 60 Labour MPs urge Starmer to back under-16s social media ban
pirc_lover@feddit.uk 15 hours ago
Shit idea to blanket ban it. Browsing best of Redditor updates way back when, so many posts were kids looking for an outside perspective on their family — e.g. to recognise signs of abuse; to ask advice on coming out; to ask how to buy contraceptives or to have an abortion; how to deal with suicidal thoughts or bullying. Kids (particularly those that are vulnerable) need a safe space to be able to ask those kinds of questions anonymously, and get answers. Trying to ban social media outright in that age category will just lead to unsafe workarounds.
I wonder if we need a body like the bbc for a social media age to produce a platform with the public good rather than profit in mind.
Photo55@mastodon.social 15 hours ago
@pirc_lover @BrikoX
email discussion lists?
A rationing of incoming and outgoing messages?
Local mesh networks?
pirc_lover@feddit.uk 12 hours ago
If I had to suggest something off the top of my head, a mastodon/lemmy/whatever clone that has an instance moderated for age-appropriate interaction for young people, and the option for wider federation with any instance once over — say — 16.
Photo55@mastodon.social 12 hours ago
@pirc_lover
Possibly limited federation, some listing of real identities, a limit to the number of contacts, offset by some aggregation of topics within an identifiable community - the school, or the village for instance.
yakko@feddit.uk 2 hours ago
I like the sound of a form of social media that has no anonymity (but only for those in power such as mods and admins, anonymity being a proven handicap that levels the playing field for younger people) and integrates directly with a real community. No matter what we do, it’s important to remember that we’re tinkering with the actual fabric of society, and the more we try to control and limit people, the weaker that fabric will become. Better moderation and more oversight of people in positions of power is always going to be preferable to limiting expression and demanding more from the most vulnerable people in society.