Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by bozey07 760 days ago
I think it is. What does Meta's annual revenue have to do with a parent's ability to say "no, you can't install Instagram"?

Because that's the crux of the issue; children should not have access to social media, and the solution is not to weave intricate legislation regulating the entire industry, or obliging me to hand over my ID, it is for parents to not give children access to social media.
3 comments
ceejayoz 760 days ago
> no, you can't install Instagram

They go to the website. They turn off wifi to evade the home filter. They get a buddy from school to show them how to set up a VPN or use a proxy. They use their (required!) school computer you don't have admin rights on. They log in at a friend's house.

Now they can enjoy the "why and how you should kill yourself" content barrage in peace. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-04-20/tiktok-ef... / https://archive.is/SO98F

It is remarkably tough to keep a smart kid off a social network they're interested in.

link
nemomarx 760 days ago
How can a parent enforce that, though? Did you listen to your parents as a kid about what you installed on your computer or when you could use it? I know I snuck around their rules a lot.
link
b800h 760 days ago
Do you want your child to be the social pariah in the class?
link
JeanMarcS 760 days ago
This exactly.

When our kids reached 12, they were almost the only ones in their class to not have a smartphone, nor any social media.

So what to do ?

Trying by ourselves to educate every parents whom made bad decisions letting their children get access to social media way too early ?

Continue holding to our valor and isolate them from any outside school social interaction with their schoolmate ?

Bend the knee to the power of social media that have rotten our society so deep, and let our kids use WhatsApp to communicate with their mates ?

Of course, in my ideal world, it would be the first option. But I've tried and failed (may be I'm not a good talker ?) so many times that I gave up.

So if any government rule was made to protect my kids and protecting other's ones, well I'll sure want a debate on it. And a people debate, not a lobbyist one of course.

link