5 ms·

Should have been 18.

by rataata_jr 6y ago

profunctor 6y ago
16-18 are also made private but a 17-18 year old can change it.
chmod775 6y ago
Is 18 some magic age where people wisen up? They probably should have made all accounts under 50 private.
- Mysterise 6y ago
  It's the age where the majority of legal systems draw the line on considering a teenager to be an adult, so it isn't unreasonable.
  - josefx 6y ago
    This is the age where the last legal distinction is removed, there tend to be a lot of age related regulations that change over the years before that. 18 is pretty much only reasonable when it directly aligns with a legal requirement. Otherwise it is not the most reasonable, but the most lazy choice.
- mlboss 6y ago
  I think there is some research that maturity kicks in around 25. Something to do with neo frontal cortex development. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051 https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?Con...
  - WindyLakeReturn 6y ago
    Myelination of our brains. In super simplified terms, it is over clocking our brains part by part. It continues until mid to late 20s. >After infancy, the rate of myelination slowed during childhood and adolescence, but exhibited continued growth until the end of the third decade. Specifically, mean MFLD during later adulthood (defined as ≥28 y) was significantly greater than in adolescence and early adulthood (11–23 y; Welch t, P = 0.000059; Mann–Whitney U, P = 0.00016). https://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16480 https://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16480 Our (dorsolateral) prefrontal cortex is one of the last parts to myelinate. >The last areas to myelinate are the anterior cingulate cortex (F#43), the inferior temporal cortex (F#44) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F#45). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelinogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelinogenesis This is the area of the brain that handles things like planning and abstract reasoning (though it isn't the only area involved in such thinking).
- WindyLakeReturn 6y ago
  >Is 18 some magic age where people wisen up? Yes, to the extent we accept it so much we made it into law. Though the law does seem to pick a few different age groups for other things based on a seemingly arbitrary standard. Lower for driving, even though bad driving could kill innocent bystanders. Higher for smoking, even though smoking only kills yourself. You can even sign up and join the military a year before you are able to vote for the politicians who control it.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]
iso1210 6y ago
Age of majority varies between different countries, 15 in Indonesia, 16 in Scotland and Vietname, 17 in Tajikistan, 19 in many Canadian states, 20 in New Zealand and Japan (currently) and Thailand, 21 in Singapore
- Hoboburger 6y ago
  Canada does not have states.
  - Mauricebranagh 6y ago
    I suspect Quebec might be the one that has different rules
    - belval 6y ago
      For once Quebec is part of the majority in Canada with 18. There are only 4 provinces that set the age of majority at 19 which are BC, NS, NB and NFL.
- Cthulhu_ 6y ago
  To latch onto this comment, a lot of countries have slowly increased the age of maturity over time; in my country, the minimum drinking age has gone up to 18 (from 16 for light alcohol), while at the same time the age you can start learning to drive has gone down to 17 or 17,5 (you can practice in simulators at that point iirc). Just to name some examples. Anyway, I'm pretty sure people are allowed to stay children for longer nowadays, instead of being told to marry and work in the coal mines in their early-to-mid teens. More cynically / conspiratorial / on the other hand, people are kept infantilized as well as a means of control by various parties in whose interest it is to keep a population docile and dumb. Can't overthrow the government if you've got scantily clad teens to watch.
  - 2038AD 6y ago
    Fun fact: in my country the drinking ages are 0, 5, 16 and 18. 18 to buy, 16 to drink with a meal in public, 5 to drink in private and 0 if it's a medical emergency.
bb123 6y ago
I think they chose 16 because some of their biggest stars are in the 16 to 18 age range (for better or for worse). For example Charli D'amelio, who has 100 million+ followers and has become a celebrity in her own right. I personally agree that it should be 18, and ditto for Instagram and YouTube etc, but I expect that is the business reasoning behind the decision.
deleted 6y ago
[deleted]
mkaic 6y ago
That would be catastrophic for TikTok from a business perspective, as they'd lose 30% of their content overnight. In my experience, most 16+ year olds are quite capable handling themselves on social media.

Should have been 18.

profunctor 6y ago

16-18 are also made private but a 17-18 year old can change it.

chmod775 6y ago

Is 18 some magic age where people wisen up? They probably should have made all accounts under 50 private.

Mysterise 6y ago
It's the age where the majority of legal systems draw the line on considering a teenager to be an adult, so it isn't unreasonable.
- josefx 6y ago
  This is the age where the last legal distinction is removed, there tend to be a lot of age related regulations that change over the years before that. 18 is pretty much only reasonable when it directly aligns with a legal requirement. Otherwise it is not the most reasonable, but the most lazy choice.
mlboss 6y ago
I think there is some research that maturity kicks in around 25. Something to do with neo frontal cortex development. https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?ContentTypeID=1&ContentID=3051 https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?Con...
- WindyLakeReturn 6y ago
  Myelination of our brains. In super simplified terms, it is over clocking our brains part by part. It continues until mid to late 20s. >After infancy, the rate of myelination slowed during childhood and adolescence, but exhibited continued growth until the end of the third decade. Specifically, mean MFLD during later adulthood (defined as ≥28 y) was significantly greater than in adolescence and early adulthood (11–23 y; Welch t, P = 0.000059; Mann–Whitney U, P = 0.00016). https://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16480 https://www.pnas.org/content/109/41/16480 Our (dorsolateral) prefrontal cortex is one of the last parts to myelinate. >The last areas to myelinate are the anterior cingulate cortex (F#43), the inferior temporal cortex (F#44) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F#45). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelinogenesis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myelinogenesis This is the area of the brain that handles things like planning and abstract reasoning (though it isn't the only area involved in such thinking).
WindyLakeReturn 6y ago
>Is 18 some magic age where people wisen up? Yes, to the extent we accept it so much we made it into law. Though the law does seem to pick a few different age groups for other things based on a seemingly arbitrary standard. Lower for driving, even though bad driving could kill innocent bystanders. Higher for smoking, even though smoking only kills yourself. You can even sign up and join the military a year before you are able to vote for the politicians who control it.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]

iso1210 6y ago

Age of majority varies between different countries, 15 in Indonesia, 16 in Scotland and Vietname, 17 in Tajikistan, 19 in many Canadian states, 20 in New Zealand and Japan (currently) and Thailand, 21 in Singapore

Hoboburger 6y ago
Canada does not have states.
- Mauricebranagh 6y ago
  I suspect Quebec might be the one that has different rules
  - belval 6y ago
    For once Quebec is part of the majority in Canada with 18. There are only 4 provinces that set the age of majority at 19 which are BC, NS, NB and NFL.
Cthulhu_ 6y ago
To latch onto this comment, a lot of countries have slowly increased the age of maturity over time; in my country, the minimum drinking age has gone up to 18 (from 16 for light alcohol), while at the same time the age you can start learning to drive has gone down to 17 or 17,5 (you can practice in simulators at that point iirc). Just to name some examples. Anyway, I'm pretty sure people are allowed to stay children for longer nowadays, instead of being told to marry and work in the coal mines in their early-to-mid teens. More cynically / conspiratorial / on the other hand, people are kept infantilized as well as a means of control by various parties in whose interest it is to keep a population docile and dumb. Can't overthrow the government if you've got scantily clad teens to watch.
- 2038AD 6y ago
  Fun fact: in my country the drinking ages are 0, 5, 16 and 18. 18 to buy, 16 to drink with a meal in public, 5 to drink in private and 0 if it's a medical emergency.

bb123 6y ago

I think they chose 16 because some of their biggest stars are in the 16 to 18 age range (for better or for worse). For example Charli D'amelio, who has 100 million+ followers and has become a celebrity in her own right. I personally agree that it should be 18, and ditto for Instagram and YouTube etc, but I expect that is the business reasoning behind the decision.

deleted 6y ago

[deleted]

mkaic 6y ago

That would be catastrophic for TikTok from a business perspective, as they'd lose 30% of their content overnight. In my experience, most 16+ year olds are quite capable handling themselves on social media.