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OI! Can't we at least take some sort of online exam about disinformation before us crinklies are booted off? Q1. Should we believe r/w journalists who rely only on unnamed sources? Q2. Should we believe a news outlet who base their assertions on what a government minister didn't say? And so on.

Think about it......

Alcohol can be a problem for older ppl, but we don't ban it for them because as a society we recognise adults have to take responsibility for themselves. We have a duty to protect kids. Hence why they can't drink, can't drive, can't marry, can't go traveling alone etc

Online safety shouldn't be an afterthought. It should be part of school curriculum and needs to include identifying misinformation. We also need to make it easier for parents to guide their kids, though i don't know how you accomplish that.

And the reason banning over-60's is a non-starter but banning under-16's isn't is because under-16's don't have voting rights to ensure their point of view is taken into consideration. See John Wall's excellent books arguing for their voting rights.

Just ban the over-60s from voting or holding office, then it doesn't matter how easily they're duped by far-right media (including newspapers and the like). Maybe they would still get to vote if they passed some kind of cognitive test? Like spot the AI slop or explain what working class means?

It’s just another example of at a wider level it feeling politically comfortable to punch down on younger people.Great example is the discourse on introducing all sorts of restrictions on younger drivers, which if you truly solely cared about the data would also introduce to drivers above 80 as well

Foreshadowed by the DCMS. www.cyberleagle.com/2024/12/safe...

Social media isn’t bad, however the companies that run it are. They’re banning the victims and not the perpetrators.

These companies have spent billions hacking the human mind (dopamine) etc. Not only can it negatively affect mental health in crucial years, it's (I think) been shown to be bad for memory and cognition. Older people - its their responsibility. Younger people shouldnt have to make that choice yet.

I'm over 60 but have complete sympathy with this. Have just finished a book which describes societal insiders and outsiders - us oldies are largely insiders & get listened to; kids/teenagers are outsiders and largely don't - although it'll be interesting to see impact (if any) of votes at 16.

Labour’s Victorian urge to ban shit is really bloody annoying. Well-meaning do-goodery.

Its a sticking plaster when what they really need to do is regulate social media properly for everyone. Clear guidance on who has legal responsibility for hate speech and misinformation - it can't be no-one - with real regulatory power to fine and suspend.

Ban the middle aged. They keep having a go at both the old and the young while they have all the political and social power and writing these sort of articles. Curfews and internet bans for 35-65 year olds needed now.

the direction of travel from my dad who had a Private Eye subscription 25 years ago to spending his morning being outraged by everything the Mail Online shoves in front of him is terrifying - you can see how conspiracy stuff is catching

Wonder how long any Government would last if it tried to apply this thinking to the offline world: if they said they were banning a group of people from going out because they couldn't make the streets safe enough for them.

Ahem. I'd read up on what the government is actually doing before sounding off. Perhaps banning social media for middle aged journalists might help?. Love from a vibe immune 73 year old progressive.

Banning it for one group but not another is de facto saying to that group ‘it’s harmful for you but we don’t care’

The 30s and 40s are pretty hooked too, so include them. They are the current parents of young children and might try setting an example.😅

You are venturing into very murky waters there.

It's working fine in Australia, in the main, and will roll out across many EU countries. It's the start of push back against the platforms and will save kids lives. I work in this area. It's needed.

I have an idea for you: Kid beer

Disagree without social media I would not be getting real news from independent journalists only corporate media propaganda. I’m 72 and maybe before we start worrying about social media we need to put a ban on certain guns amount of ammunition you can purchase etc. What happens if house is on fire?

How big of a data breach from AV data do we have to have for it to be realised this tech AV tech is dangerous.

It works so well with smoking, alcohol and sex? /s

What parental supervision? I am a responsible parent but it is simply not possible to effectively supervise online activity under the status quo

I’m going to guess you don’t have kids. Your point is otherwise excellent, logical and reasonable and something I would probably say if I didn’t have children coming of age in the social media shitshow we currently have (group chat bullying, nudes, revenge porn, etc etc).

It kind of seems like everything in UK politics end up doing this

Surely far better for UK Govt to take on board House of Lords recommendations for media literacy initiatives for young and old ? bsky.app/profile/elio...

Like it's straightforwardly obvious at this point that short-form video destroys attention spans, and letting kids in particular center their lives around it is a moral failing on the part of adults because it robs *them* of something. It's not about what their phone does to the rest of us

that would be the same as just banning social media hey wait I think you are on to something!

Not going to dismiss the representations of our educators and SEND specialists as 'vibes'. Like the gambling lobby, there's interests lined up to fight this. Australia will be an interesting test case, will we see less instances of suicide and depression? Will learning outcomes show improvements?

I'll be honest, given the brain rot it's causing in my parents' generation it does _feel_ like a good idea.

Fair enough! I figured that may be a part of it, ha.

He posts on social media.

So we shouldn’t protect under 16’s cause another age group is affected as well. Aye that makes sense. NOT.

I would love to see some of that evidence.

Or did you ignore that recommendation 😜

They are all over 60... most are barely computer literate... and base their opinions on the terrible things they see on facebook... they cannot see any benefits of social media... or possibility to educate people on using it more wisely... You have expressed my thoughts much better than I would...

I'm 60 in May ☹️ but I'm in the Tofu Eating Wokerati, can I get a pass?

Much of our division in this world is due to how easy it is to abuse social networks to push propaganda on people. GenAI makes that even easier these days.

85 on a Wednesday, brain is pudding and only remembers things that happened 36 years ago. But always votes for the same party they did (or their spouse told them to!) for decades, even if it barely resembles what it was or valued. Lunacy!

But they won't have been banned from social media until their birthday, will they?

It's a toss up whether we turn to Stan Cohen (who published his work on moral panics over 50 years ago but it still hasn't aged) or Father Ted (Down with this Sort of Thing!) to best describe the policy.

I work with kids and the damage phones/social media does to their mental health is enormous. Children don’t understand the enormity of putting something online nor how their actions impact others. I see both sides of the argument however I see the consequences of unfettered access to phones.

I’m over 60 and I endorse this message.

Geriatric millennials are the only ones who know how to be online the right way. 😉

Hi James - I'm well over 70 and have yet to experience cyberflashing or grooming attempts...

And no one over 60 in Congress or the Whitehouse or SCOTUS unless they get elected by 70% of the vote. My God we need ranked choice voting.

At 55 you should be forced to have parental locks on your television. If you don't have kids your closest decent neighbor. I'm ready to go around town cutting cablee to Fox & Newsmax

Lord only knows I've had to do some sanity-checking deradicalisation on some oldies I know based on them reading some bollocks on their smartphones.