4 ms·

Raising a daughter I cannot help but wonder if a social media ban till 16, 18 or even 21 year old wouldn't be a net positive for society. I am more concerned a

Raising a daughter I cannot help but wonder if a social media ban till 16, 18 or even 21 year old wouldn't be a net positive for society. I am more concerned about my daughter shaping her view of the world through social medias than doing other age-restricted activities like watching porn or drinking beers. It might be impossible to enforce completely but forbidding the platforms to host content made by teenagers would probably help reduce the interest for teenagers and some of its negative psychological impacts. It would probably also motive schools to implement policies to stay "social-media free".

falcolas 4y ago
Why can't you (any parent, really), as her concerned parent, implement such a ban?
- tomjen3 4y ago
  Its a lot easier if they can still communicate with their friends. Sadly that happens a lot more on social media.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- it_citizen 4y ago
  When all of her friends communicate through social medias, she will feel excluded if she is the only one without it. It is the same problem as, when younger, all my friends had a phone and I hadn't. Except much worse because social media really became a big part of the social and cultural life of teenagers. I don't believe a ban would be effective unless it also applies to her social circle too. I know in some rare schools, parents organized themselves to all commit to not let their child use social medias. That might be another lead, but unlike a formal ban, it won't deter platforms to attempt to attract and retain the attention of our kids. I think in the meantime, the best approach is probably trying to limit her time using it, making her internalize the negative consequences, and try to limit the content she posts.
  - falcolas 4y ago
    I think that when the suggested alternative is having the government outlaw social media for everyone (in an arbitrary age group), it'd be better to coordinate with your daughter's friends' parents.
tomjen3 4y ago
Social media is more dangerous than alcohol. 21 is probably the minimum age to permit it.
mrguyorama 4y ago
Just like america's style of "NO BOOZE UNTIL 21" while building a stupidly pro-getting shitfaced culture results in new college kids who have extreme levels of binge drinking, a complete ban with sudden access at a certain age will just leave us with kids suffering from horrible and debilitating addictions to social media right as they leave the home. Maybe educate your kids in media literacy, and engender in them an understanding of high quality media vs low quality media, or how social media should be considered like a giant bucket of ice cream: Tasty but really bad for your health.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
- it_citizen 4y ago
  I come from a place where it is easy to get booze at 14, and where it is legal to drink at 16. Our teenager drinking culture is pretty much the same as in the US, probably worse: binge drinking, people sleeping on the sidewalk, dick swinging of "who can drink more", it is a real source of pride to be drunk from thursday to monday. I don't think bans are the main driver of the alcohol problem. What a well-designed ban might achieve is reducing the attractiveness of the platform by prevent platforms to host content made by other teenagers, which is one of the main reason to be on social medias at that age. But you are right, educating her is the best I can do. And then pray that she will be an easy teenager.
epolanski 4y ago
I too wonder the same, but prohibition generally just accomplishes the opposite.

falcolas 4y ago

Why can't you (any parent, really), as her concerned parent, implement such a ban?

tomjen3 4y ago
Its a lot easier if they can still communicate with their friends. Sadly that happens a lot more on social media.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
it_citizen 4y ago
When all of her friends communicate through social medias, she will feel excluded if she is the only one without it. It is the same problem as, when younger, all my friends had a phone and I hadn't. Except much worse because social media really became a big part of the social and cultural life of teenagers. I don't believe a ban would be effective unless it also applies to her social circle too. I know in some rare schools, parents organized themselves to all commit to not let their child use social medias. That might be another lead, but unlike a formal ban, it won't deter platforms to attempt to attract and retain the attention of our kids. I think in the meantime, the best approach is probably trying to limit her time using it, making her internalize the negative consequences, and try to limit the content she posts.
- falcolas 4y ago
  I think that when the suggested alternative is having the government outlaw social media for everyone (in an arbitrary age group), it'd be better to coordinate with your daughter's friends' parents.

tomjen3 4y ago

Social media is more dangerous than alcohol. 21 is probably the minimum age to permit it.

mrguyorama 4y ago

Just like america's style of "NO BOOZE UNTIL 21" while building a stupidly pro-getting shitfaced culture results in new college kids who have extreme levels of binge drinking, a complete ban with sudden access at a certain age will just leave us with kids suffering from horrible and debilitating addictions to social media right as they leave the home. Maybe educate your kids in media literacy, and engender in them an understanding of high quality media vs low quality media, or how social media should be considered like a giant bucket of ice cream: Tasty but really bad for your health.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
it_citizen 4y ago
I come from a place where it is easy to get booze at 14, and where it is legal to drink at 16. Our teenager drinking culture is pretty much the same as in the US, probably worse: binge drinking, people sleeping on the sidewalk, dick swinging of "who can drink more", it is a real source of pride to be drunk from thursday to monday. I don't think bans are the main driver of the alcohol problem. What a well-designed ban might achieve is reducing the attractiveness of the platform by prevent platforms to host content made by other teenagers, which is one of the main reason to be on social medias at that age. But you are right, educating her is the best I can do. And then pray that she will be an easy teenager.

epolanski 4y ago

I too wonder the same, but prohibition generally just accomplishes the opposite.