[WA]

You messing with a computer and teens doom-scrolling social media are two entirely different things.

Yes, some teens are creative with uploading videos, most are not. But teens can still be creative with a smart phone, just don’t post that stuff on social media.

[eptcyka]

We don't need a nanny state to help with either of the two things. We can just have parents do their jobs if they wish to restrict social media usage.

[richsouth]

But they don't - either through lack of knowledge or just can't be bothered to enforce it because they don't want to upset their kid. If parents were doing this already, the government wouldn't have to step in.

[eptcyka]

The only reason government are doing this is because they want to force everyone to identify themselves online.

[dijit]

You walked right into his point.

There were pedophiles, porn, extreme gore, cults, scams and a primitive notion of brainrot. Music and games (not that I played games, but honestly my mum thought that this is why I liked computers and what I was doing) were generally thought to turn kids into killers.

Computer users even in the best conditions (and not children) were looked at negatively- as if they were no life losers. The techbro thing, and the normalisation of computer use is a very modern notion.

FWIW I had the same exact situation as the parent, and heard it all from my mum. The computer was considered undesirable at best and actively harmful at worst.

[WA]

Their point is: for some individuals it can be beneficial.

My point is: on a societal level, the numbers are pretty clear that teens consume too much media (and social media is even more addictive) and their skills and attention span deteriorate.

[veltas]

I think you understood my point and you understand the reasons for the act. But I'm just protesting on behalf of the kids that will pretty much have their lives ruined or made worse for this decision, for what it's worth.

[dijit]

You missed it again.

The “computers were considered dangerous” means that people generally thought they were dangerous, especially to children.