[zenbowman]

100% correct. At this point the harms to children from social media use are very well documented.

Like everything else in society, there are tradeoffs here, I'm much more concerned with the damage done to children's developing brains than I am to violations of data privacy, so I'm okay with age verification, however draconian it may be.

[logifail]

> At this point the harms to children from social media use are very well documented

Our middle child (aged 12) has an Android phone, but it has Family Link on it.

Nominally he gets 60 mins of phone time per day, but he rarely even comes close to that, according to Family Link he used it for a total of 17 minutes yesterday. One comes to the conclusion that with no social media apps, the phone just isn't that attractive.

He seems to spend most of his spare time reading or playing sports...

[edgyquant]

I commend this but I always try to think about the arguments for something like cigarettes. People didn’t buy the argument that parents need to be preventing their kids from smoking

[zobzu]

most kids dont have parents who care to that degree.

[logifail]

As part of the unofficial bargain in which we limit screen time I get to spend a big chunk of my spare time driving him (and his siblings) to and from various sports fixtures.

Just one of the many joys of parenting :)

[meowface]

We need to destroy privacy and anonymity online for the noble goal of the government banning teenagers from looking at Twitter and Instagram?

If it's a concern, parents can prevent or limit their children's use. If all this were being done to prevent consistent successful terrorist attacks in the US with tens of thousands of annual casualties, I'd say okay maybe there is an unavoidable trade-off that must be made here, but this is so absurd.

[zenbowman]

"Preserving privacy and anonymity online" is not an inherent good. It depends on how it is being used and what the consequences on society are.

Thus far, privacy and anonymity have been used to get children addicted to garbage, distribute CSAM, create elaborate schemes of financial fraud (cryptocurrency), and develop drug distribution networks.

It's completely reasonable to limit privacy in order to combat these social evils.

[edgyquant]

It isn’t just about teenagers though I think I outlined that? We need to make sure people online are real people and yes we should prevent kids from being exposed to algorithms designed to addict then.

[meowface]

Adults are nearly as susceptible to such addiction. If this is the goal then the actual legislation should be to prohibit social media companies from doing it to anyone. (I think this would be government overreach and a possible first amendment violation, though. I say this as a center-left person who deeply hates what Musk has done to Twitter. I would even describe myself as an anti-free speech person; I just respect the nation's laws and the principle that the state should not be able to imprison you just for speech.)

[modo_mario]

Do you genuinely believe the major tech companies and gov reps actually want to close their addiction revenue taps?