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Mobile phones aren't just another time waster, they have actively replaced things like television and SMS. There is immense social pressure to be on these platf

Mobile phones aren't just another time waster, they have actively replaced things like television and SMS. There is immense social pressure to be on these platforms, so I'd rather it was done in a safe way than forcing everyone onto some shadier platform (likely full of adults and without the barriers that Messenger Kids has).

freeflight 5y ago
> There is immense social pressure to be on these platforms And the way to fix that is to give in to said pressure, which are just network effects, until everybody and all their kids are on FB or one of their platforms? > I'd rather it was done in a safe way than forcing everyone onto some shadier platform I wonder how most of us here managed to grow up for decades on a "not safe for children" web before we had companies like Facebook "tackle" a problem they created themselves? As hyperbolic as that might sound, this is a discussion that needs to be had properly and doesn't just stop at the emotional appeal of "Think about the children!" but also involves what role Social Media is actually supposed to hold in society and if children should have access to it at all. Yes, that sounds radical, but we are also living in times that present a radical shift to how societies used to function, maybe radical shifts need radical solutions.
- iamstupidsimple 5y ago
  > And the way to fix that is to give in to said pressure, which are just network effects, until everybody and all their kids are on FB or one of their platforms? The solution is to balance your kid being ostracized while also educating them on how to be safe online. That can only come from exposure. Unless you seriously expect other kids and teenagers to not latch onto their lack of social media/phone/anything trendy and turn it into a bullying vector? > ... Every time a "think of the children" argument comes up, the default opinion of government is to usher in sweeping, authoritarian changes to the whole internet, e.g. ID cards required, criminalising misinformation, etc... Messenger Kids is literally a free market solution to give parents another choice and avoid authoritarian overreach in the process. The standard NSFW web is still available for those parents who trust their kids are able to handle it. And others can totally pull their kid off if that's also preferred. None of these options are perfect, but it's important there is the space to choose. And at least with Messenger Kids you're giving the kid balanced privacy from their parents and safety from strangers.

freeflight 5y ago

> There is immense social pressure to be on these platforms And the way to fix that is to give in to said pressure, which are just network effects, until everybody and all their kids are on FB or one of their platforms? > I'd rather it was done in a safe way than forcing everyone onto some shadier platform I wonder how most of us here managed to grow up for decades on a "not safe for children" web before we had companies like Facebook "tackle" a problem they created themselves? As hyperbolic as that might sound, this is a discussion that needs to be had properly and doesn't just stop at the emotional appeal of "Think about the children!" but also involves what role Social Media is actually supposed to hold in society and if children should have access to it at all. Yes, that sounds radical, but we are also living in times that present a radical shift to how societies used to function, maybe radical shifts need radical solutions.

iamstupidsimple 5y ago
> And the way to fix that is to give in to said pressure, which are just network effects, until everybody and all their kids are on FB or one of their platforms? The solution is to balance your kid being ostracized while also educating them on how to be safe online. That can only come from exposure. Unless you seriously expect other kids and teenagers to not latch onto their lack of social media/phone/anything trendy and turn it into a bullying vector? > ... Every time a "think of the children" argument comes up, the default opinion of government is to usher in sweeping, authoritarian changes to the whole internet, e.g. ID cards required, criminalising misinformation, etc... Messenger Kids is literally a free market solution to give parents another choice and avoid authoritarian overreach in the process. The standard NSFW web is still available for those parents who trust their kids are able to handle it. And others can totally pull their kid off if that's also preferred. None of these options are perfect, but it's important there is the space to choose. And at least with Messenger Kids you're giving the kid balanced privacy from their parents and safety from strangers.