Privacy News Australia to Ban Social Media for Children Under Age 16

[bazang]

Social networks shouldn't be abolished. I'm more for heavy regulation. I think no one would have anything against social networks from the past. It's in human nature to socialize, both, physically and online.

What it needs to be done is force social networks to disclose how their algorithms work and make them more private by forbidding them to learn from you. Currently, the algorithms are company secrets, they are easily manipulated to push fake news, propaganda, and made to target you only with the content you like. This is dangerous because it divides us as people (we vs them).
And don't be fooled; companies love this because it benefits them, helps social network being active and rises the engagement; which makes you addicted and makes platform stay relevant.

I'd gladly use Facebook if it was like from early 2010s. In fact, I really miss this era. No bullshit, just you, your friends, bunch of games which you played together and chat. All you really need. And all of that without shady algorithm. This is also why Facebook became popular in the first place, but then... enshittification began.

People can socialize using their smartphones. Just make a call. Better yet, meet face-to-face.

Social media is global poison. To make it not poison would require such a huge, massive, very expensive effort that would make it not feasible.

Social media (which now includes the "main stream" media, is contributing to the global disintegration of societies. All societies are being destroyed from within by their own people. Because social media is making it possible.

Really, social media itself is not the problem. It is people. It is people that make social media so terrible. People are ALWAYS the problem. ALWAYS.

It is the same argument with weapons. Weapons are just inanimate objects. It is people that pick up the weapon and use it to harm or kill others.

When there is something that people use that causes problems, my perspective is REMOVE THE PERSON\PEOPLE.

Oh well. The world needs 3 or 4 Thanos Moments anyways. It will be the only thing that saves the species. If social media contributes, I suppose one could say that social media did good by enabling a few Thanos Moments.

 

[Digmor Crusher]

People can socialize using their smartphones. Just make a call. Better yet, meet face-to-face.

Social media is global poison. To make it not poison would require such a huge, massive, very expensive effort that would make it not feasible.

Social media (which now includes the "main stream" media, is contributing to the global disintegration of societies. All societies are being destroyed from within by their own people. Because social media is making it possible.

Really, social media itself is not the problem. It is people. It is people that make social media so terrible. People are ALWAYS the problem. ALWAYS.

It is the same argument with weapons. Weapons are just inanimate objects. It is people that pick up the weapon and use it to harm or kill others.

When there is something that people use that causes problems, my perspective is REMOVE THE PERSON\PEOPLE.

Oh well. The world needs 3 or 4 Thanos Moments anyways. It will be the only thing that saves the species. If social media contributes, I suppose one could say that social media did good by enabling a few Thanos Moments.

I don't think anything will save us, we're destroying the planet and ourselves rather well now.

 

[Marko :)]

People can socialize using their smartphones. Just make a call. Better yet, meet face-to-face.

Social media is global poison. To make it not poison would require such a huge, massive, very expensive effort that would make it not feasible.

Social media (which now includes the "main stream" media, is contributing to the global disintegration of societies. All societies are being destroyed from within by their own people. Because social media is making it possible.

Really, social media itself is not the problem. It is people. It is people that make social media so terrible. People are ALWAYS the problem. ALWAYS.

It is the same argument with weapons. Weapons are just inanimate objects. It is people that pick up the weapon and use it to harm or kill others.

When there is something that people use that causes problems, my perspective is REMOVE THE PERSON\PEOPLE.

Oh well. The world needs 3 or 4 Thanos Moments anyways. It will be the only thing that saves the species. If social media contributes, I suppose one could say that social media did good by enabling a few Thanos Moments.

You can't share photos/videos/files over cloud. And you can't be everywhere with your friends at all times. This is where social media comes useful.

I wouldn't even say people are problem. Problem is malicious algorithm which makes social media worse for all of us. The sooner we get rid of it and expose it, the sooner social networks will be fixed. This is why I say the regulation is the best way. Because, currently, they make money on people suffering... and that's a fact. The more we're divided, the more money social networks make.

I used Facebook in the past, it was awesome. It was nothing like now. And people weren't as near as addicted as they now. I don't have a profile anymore; deleted it when I saw where it was all heading. I also never had Instagram. Now I'm only using YouTube, WhatsApp and Reddit. And few web forums; that's all.

I don't think anything will save us, we're destroying the planet and ourselves rather well now.

Maybe the damage is already done, I really like to believe we can still fix ourselves and that we aren't corrupt to the core. If we can't save ourselves, we can at least spare younger generations of this mess.

 

[bazang]

I wouldn't even say people are problem.

Oh, people are definitely the problem. ALWAYS.

Even Zuckerberg stated that when he created Facebook he had absolutely no clue as to the deep, lasting, insidious problems it and other social media platforms would cause in global society.

Those problems are created by the people - the participants create the vast majority of the problems, not the algorithms. You can make all the algorithms perfectly harmless or remove them all, but you cannot remove the people who are the cause of all the problems from social media.

Any nation that has truly smart, forward thinking leaders, those leaders would completely abolish social media. It is what is required to save the people from themselves. Make people go out and touch some grass, mandate that they are required to exercise and lose that 100 kilos of chewed bubble gum fat, make them physically work hard, read 25 books per year,... LOL there would be massive violent revolt - because - people are ALWAYS the problem.

Maybe the damage is already done, I really like to believe we can still fix ourselves and that we aren't corrupt to the core. If we can't save ourselves, we can at least spare younger generations of this mess.

The human species ain't gonna make it. It's not in the cards. If humankind didn't destroy itself, then the forces of the Earth or the Universe eventually will.

 

[Victor M]

It is not all doom and gloom. Just as teenagers has this phase of trying to be popular, grown ups may have a social media phase. As we grow older with job duties and family duties we have less time to spare for this social media. We're content to have a smaller circle of friends. And there will be some others that we only call up a few times a year. And we will just ignore social media.

 

[Marko :)]

It is not all doom and gloom. Just as teenagers has this phase of trying to be popular, grown ups may have a social media phase. As we grow older with job duties and family duties we have less time to spare for this social media. We're content to have a smaller circle of friends. And there will be some others that we only call up a few times a year. And we will just ignore social media.

We're talking about teenagers here, but we could apply the same for adults. Sure, adults are less likely to develop depression from social networks and are less burdened about their appearance. The major threat to them is misinformation campaigns, fake news which they continue to spread without realizing what's right and what's wrong. It might look funny, but when you realize that the results of the US elections are actually determined by those same people, it stops being funny.

So yeah... social networks are equally bad for everyone. There isn't a single group of people that aren't targeted.

 

[SpiderWeb]

I don't want to be political but why is Australia so aggressive about online content like nothing ever happens there to justify these extreme censorship and data retention policies.

 

[bazang]

but when you realize that the results of the US elections are actually determined by those same people, it stops being funny.

Trump was not re-elected because of mis-information campaigns. Also, very few of the people that voted for him are the batshit crazy conspiracy theorists and January 76th MAGA rioter types. Lots of intelligent, level-headed, mentally fit people - university graduates, doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc - voted for Trump. So did the average citizen that can differentiate BS from facts.

Much of the reason why people voted Trump back into office is that they hate the American left more than they dislike Trump. There is a huge backlash against the radical left in the U.S. right now. The past years of seeing all the leftist crap on social media and its culture war, resulted in Trump getting voted back into office as President.

People cannot imagine that the majority of Americans would vote for someone like Trump, but American Democracy has spoken. No claims about Russian election interference and dis-\mis-information making dumb Americans vote even dumber.

There was nothing wrong with Harris. She would have made a fine President. Successful? Who knows.

All I know is that all the leftists that wanted to abolish the filibuster are now saying they will use it to fight the RepubliKKKans. Funny how that all works. When it works for the left they want to preserve and protect it. When it does not work for the left they want to dismantle and destroy it.

Social media. Social media is the root of all of it.

While the Americans fight the culture wars against each other on social media, nothing in America gets fixed. Not even a Band-Aid.

I say take social media away from everyone. It would bring the shitshow to a thunderous halt. Might even save the nation.

 

[bazang]

I don't want to be political but why is Australia so aggressive about online content like nothing ever happens there to justify these extreme censorship and data retention policies.

You obviously don't follow Australian news.

 

[marg]

I don't want to be political but why is Australia so aggressive about online content like nothing ever happens there to justify these extreme censorship and data retention policie

I don't want to be political but why is Australia so aggressive about online content like nothing ever happens there to justify these extreme censorship and data retention policies.

The sheeple of Australia can always say " We are not going to take it anymore "

 

[SpiderWeb]

It is too little, too late. The parents raising children today were damaged, influenced, and radicalized by social media decades ago. So they are just going to pass-down their messed-up perspectives, attitudes, and beliefs while raising their children. No social media needed.

Social media is a global cancer and should be abolished. It has done more harm than good. The world got along without social media.

Okay? lol.

 

[Dark Knight]

Good idea but maybe a day late and a dollar short , we already have a generation of anti socials

 

[Cleo]

 

[colin.p]

That's nice...parents are no longer required to raise their children properly with safety and security, they can let youtube look after it.