[kumarvvr]

It is undeniable that big tech has warped the way even adults deal with each other. It warps social norms, social habits, human interactions, perspectives on the world and a lot more, all for the worse than the better.

For children, it is very important for them to build their social skills based on interactions with other kids and adults, rather than from social media. They must learn about the world from the world, rather than through a commercial filtered lens of a big tech company, that is focussed on clicks, views and profits.

True, its a nanny state move. But, in my view, it is absolutely essential, as big tech seldom seems to worry about their products and their effects on children.

Sometimes, when the problem is big, the action must also be big.

[throw0101d]

> It warps social norms, social habits, human interactions, perspectives on the world and a lot more, all for the worse than the better.

See Penny Arcade's "John Gabriel Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory":

* https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/green-blackboa...

[BLKNSLVR]

> It is undeniable that big tech has warped the way even adults deal with each other. It warps social norms, social habits, human interactions, perspectives on the world and a lot more, all for the worse than the better.

Also true for television. Old Media had the monopoly on opinion-guidance back then. Part of the (encouragement of the) negative reaction to social media is it's threat to the status quo, much like Australia's previous legislation to force Facebook and Google to pay old media for linking to their news articles.

Different groups of people will have different lists of things they don't like about society and where it's headed; violent video games, advertising, music videos (that tend to be soft-porn these days), internet browsing tracking. Where does a government draw the line on what to act on and what to leave to the responsibility of parents? (how does this help other agendas? Will this look like we're "doing something"? Will this score votes? which way is the breeze blowing on this topic?)

Social media is a concentrator. I'm not convinced it's a 'cause'. There seems to be an epidemic of (social) anxiety, and maybe Facebook is the cause, but to me it feels societally deeper. World leadership is demonstrably not "the best of us" (I'm not just saying that because of Trump), to me, it feels as if there's a pervasive attitude of "I'll get mine and fuck the rest of you", which predictably trickles throughout the society whose leaders portray that attitude. Social media being one outlet of this, but I see plenty of 'us vs. them' polemics in traditional media.

Just my theory. I'm already poking holes in it mentally, but anyway. I don't have any useful answers. I guess we'll see if this ban makes a difference.

[bamboozled]

I think it has the potential to basically ruin society as we know it, the amount of hysteria, hype, division, lies, distraction and hate it breeds is enormous.

I look at some of the stuff on Reddit, especially some of the right wing stuff, it's actually alarming the stuff people say, and believe on there. I know they are extreme examples but holy shit.

The ability to amplify falsehoods and certain narratives is ridiculous.

I remember reading 1984, and being terrified, some of the stuff I read in online communities makes me at least that scared and worse.