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I really do think a lot about how big tech systematically destroyed all the reasonably-safe places intended specifically for kids online…. and now powerful interests are turning around and claiming that we have to destroy Internet privacy because being online is obviously dangerous for kids.

I am not the only person by far to observe this, but I do think there’s some real truth to this. When I was a kid online, I think there was some safety in my being able to hang out in more decentralized and explicitly kid and teen focused spaces (which nobody was really making big money off of).

I do in fact believe we COULD create an online world that’s safer for kids without destroying everyone’s online privacy from big tech and repressive governments - but this would also require more and more nuanced work than the authoritarian sledgehammer solution of age verification.

I genuinely think that in the future we’re going to look back at this current era of “the internet is obviously deeply broken for everyone, and in response, we’re going to dismantle internet privacy while pretending it’s for the good of children” with deep embarrassment. Rather like Prohibition.

There also used to be so much more to do online that wasn’t inherently social.

I remember early BBSs, and I remember a lot of sexual predation. I recall hidden BBS areas where goodness knows what went on, a local BBS reportedly run by a pedophile, and BBS meetups where one guy brought his 12 year old girlfriend. I don't remember any safe spaces.

I don’t know if this is what Faine is referring to, but a good example of the now-gone kid focused spaces is Club Penguin. There were a bunch of sites like that which well predated it, and they were easy to overlook if you weren’t looking for them.

I think the thing that's standing out to me is that like...groomers aren't nearly as common as they're made out to be, but even if they were, "hey kid, tell anyone and you'll get in trouble for breaking the law" is one fucking amazing way to guarantee kids will hide it.

And even if the law is written so that it's the companies who allowed the kids on their platform who'll be in trouble, not the kids themselves, kids aren't necessarily going to be aware of that. They'll hear "kids are banned from social media" and think that does mean legal trouble for them. >