Social media ban? Arguments against restricting minors

Why banning minors from accessing social media etc is a bad idea:
(i) While I think it is unjustified fear-mongering, several consumer rights organisations and privacy researchers say it will lead to mandated surveillance of Internet usage, and that it will concentrate power among the platforms that are able to deploy age verification effectively. I disagree with this fear, but there are other reasons for opposing a ban – and it shows many arguments come into play.

(ii) I am keener on the more basic aspects. Tell a teenager “no” and it will sound like a challenge. (Have some lawmakers perhaps forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager?)
Tell an informed teenager “it’s to protect you”, and they may be smart enough to respond “why doesn’t my freedom of information prevail?”.

(iii) The typical response is “but no, we need to protect them – and I don’t know how else”. Education! Playing violent video games, listening to metal music, watching gory movies, this doesn’t turn you into a bloodthirsty killer or wacko – lack of awareness about the difference between fiction and reality is more of a cause. Banning something you are uncomfortable explaining isn’t the right reflex – explaining (or learning to explain) is better.

(iv) Some age verification mechanisms are effective – I have worked /advised on some solutions that are really well thought out. But they don’t work in each scenario. Some are complex to roll out, others depend on certain kinds of government IDs. Some solutions have been shown to be easily fooled. There are also additional data protection considerations (though I disagree with fears relating to those forced to implement these mechanisms).

(v) If decent platforms become hard to access, teenagers might turn to a less well-known, potentially darker alternative. If age gating is mandated, those ignoring this requirement will likely also ignore EU rules like the GDPR, DSA or others. Alternatively, instead of teaching online safety, are we teaching teenagers to use VPNs and to bypass age verification mechanisms?

The letter by 371 security & privacy scientists and researchers (from 30 countries) calling upon world leaders to think twice before demanding “age assurance” on platforms such as social media is important in this context.

While I don’t personally agree with everything that is said in the letter, the sentiment is one that consumer rights organisations, industry representatives and many others can get behind: when it comes to the protection of children online, there are no simple measures – and a ban is definitely not a good idea.

[The key measure in my view? Awareness & education. It’s not easy – I’ve been discussing online safety with my pre-teen kids for a while now – but it’s very important.]

Link: https://lnkd.in/ena9ejVy