4 ms·

This view seems a bit rosy and willfully ignorant of the actual current state of the internet. I think it will spoil most of the batch but the lucky few will co

This view seems a bit rosy and willfully ignorant of the actual current state of the internet. I think it will spoil most of the batch but the lucky few will come out better for it. Those kids that do have a desire for encyclopedic knowledge may be well served by a smart phone. However, most kids do not have that desire to begin with, and even those that do face problems. Unlike a traditional library, the internet is an ocean full of some information of so-so quality and much of abysmally low quality. A local library will not typically house the latest unedited, unhinged screed of the resident neo-nazi, and if it did, a well-educated librarian could help put it in appropriate context and help reaffirm the community's values. Learning from the internet outside of maybe learning about tech itself (and even the info quality there is in rapid decline imo) is mostly like learning from an encyclopedia authored by conspiracy theorists and village idiots.

briga 3y ago
I’m not putting forth any particular prediction. I don’t know how this will turn out (and neither does anyone else). I’m more just resigned to the fact that kids can and will have access to this technology. If their parents don’t let them their friends will
- voidhorse 3y ago
  True. Honestly, probably the best thing you could do is to start drilling solid information literacy habits, skepticism, and critical reasoning skills into kids sooner rather than later.
sillysaurusx 3y ago
I was watching gore videos when I was 13. I bet lots of others were too. I turned out ok. Survivorship bias isn’t a great way to make an argument, but I’m skeptical of the view that the internet is so much worse now. There isn’t even a liveleak anymore. A family friend was groomed at 9yo. She was pressured into sending nude pics of herself to a 15yo. That kind of thing seems like the real danger for unsuspecting kids, and teaching them from a young age to guard themselves is the strategy I’ll be trying.
- voidhorse 3y ago
  13 /= 5 (numeral cited in the parent comment). I stated in another comment that I think 8th grade (aka 13) is the appropriate time for internet exposure precisely because it's when I think kids can possibly be exposed to this sort of thing and have it have less of a chance of it being damaging. I think the fact that you cited some of the more severe dangers a younger friend at 9yr faced further illustrates the point. Kids should not have access to the internet until they have access to sufficient information literacy and critical reasoning skills.
- bobsmooth 3y ago
  >I turned out ok. You sure? I was also a young child on the internet and I think it made me an antisocial shut in that wasn't able to relate to his peers.
  - hammyhavoc 3y ago
    Have you been screened for autism et al? I used to believe this until I found out I was autistic, which went unnoticed as a kid due to being very wordy, and instead only had my ADHD diagnosed.
    - bobsmooth 3y ago
      I'm not one to blame external factors on my shortcomings.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]

briga 3y ago

I’m not putting forth any particular prediction. I don’t know how this will turn out (and neither does anyone else). I’m more just resigned to the fact that kids can and will have access to this technology. If their parents don’t let them their friends will

voidhorse 3y ago
True. Honestly, probably the best thing you could do is to start drilling solid information literacy habits, skepticism, and critical reasoning skills into kids sooner rather than later.

sillysaurusx 3y ago

I was watching gore videos when I was 13. I bet lots of others were too. I turned out ok. Survivorship bias isn’t a great way to make an argument, but I’m skeptical of the view that the internet is so much worse now. There isn’t even a liveleak anymore. A family friend was groomed at 9yo. She was pressured into sending nude pics of herself to a 15yo. That kind of thing seems like the real danger for unsuspecting kids, and teaching them from a young age to guard themselves is the strategy I’ll be trying.

voidhorse 3y ago
13 /= 5 (numeral cited in the parent comment). I stated in another comment that I think 8th grade (aka 13) is the appropriate time for internet exposure precisely because it's when I think kids can possibly be exposed to this sort of thing and have it have less of a chance of it being damaging. I think the fact that you cited some of the more severe dangers a younger friend at 9yr faced further illustrates the point. Kids should not have access to the internet until they have access to sufficient information literacy and critical reasoning skills.
bobsmooth 3y ago
>I turned out ok. You sure? I was also a young child on the internet and I think it made me an antisocial shut in that wasn't able to relate to his peers.
- hammyhavoc 3y ago
  Have you been screened for autism et al? I used to believe this until I found out I was autistic, which went unnoticed as a kid due to being very wordy, and instead only had my ADHD diagnosed.
  - bobsmooth 3y ago
    I'm not one to blame external factors on my shortcomings.
- deleted 3y ago
  [deleted]