[mezzie2]

I have one primary worry about this. Do you spend much time on college campuses or around military bases? If so, you know that credit card companies and shady car dealerships loooove the newly 18 year old adults.

I think that introducing people to social media right when they'll be on the hook for all their bad decisions during the exploratory period is going to result in a lot of 18-20 year olds in a ton of debt + them being even more hooked on social media than kids are now because they'll also be away from adult supervision. Imagine the sports betting ads for the newly 18. The influencers puffing up the newly 18 about how adult and mature they are and all adults buy product X, etc. They'll have no way of knowing what's normal to share and will probably overshare, but unlike minors, they'll be legally able to torpedo the rest of their lives. Etc.

Making it 18 puts a target on their back for the ad and social media companies: Fresh meat that aren't entitled to any protection. That seems like a bad combination to me.

[NeutralCrane]

I mean if 13 year olds had cash to spend and were able to buy cars and open credit cards, they’d target them too. It’s not because they aren’t inoculated, it’s because they are susceptible to the negative consequences at that age regardless.