I’m asking for public policy ideas here. A lot of countries are enacting age verification now. But of course this is a privacy nightmare and is ripe for abuse. At the same time though, I also understand why people are concerned with how kids are using social media. These products are designed to be addictive and are known to cause body image issues and so forth. So what’s the middle ground? How can we protect kids from the harms of social media in a way that respects everyone’s privacy?
Ban advertising.
No, seriously, think about it. Imagine a word where narrow, strictly defined thing called “advertisement” is illegal. I mean, obviously, we’re in magic fairy wonderland here, but y’know… I live in a state where billboards are illegal. Nothing’s truly impossible… just ‘unthinkable’ mostly. Without ads, the incentive to make the platform addictive evaporates, suddenly companies are competing just to, y’know, make a better platform.
How to say you’re from Vermont without saying you’re from Vermont. 😁
busted!
Without ads, they just wouldn’t make the platform, not make it better??
Define “they,” and you might answer your own concerns.
Social media companies news sources would start to be corrupted without money from other sources, etc.
To put it plainly, I couldn’t muster a single shit if Facebook ceased to exist.
Actually, I’d celebrate. The web can survive without being commercialized. It’d look much different, for sure. That’s the point.
Edit: I’m not saying this isn’t a super idealized fantasy that will never happen. I’m just saying I’d partake in that fantasy.