The Aussie law does allow WhatsApp and Messenger Kids, among others. I agree we need nuance for these types of laws. We also need the realistic acknowledgement

The Aussie law does allow WhatsApp and Messenger Kids, among others. I agree we need nuance for these types of laws. We also need the realistic acknowledgement that kids are usually more savvy than their parents and any law that is too strict will just drive kids to find alternatives that have less transparency, less moderation and less accountability. And though I know the age limits on these things are necessarily arbitrary, I do wish we would accept that 16-year-olds are not kids. Many of them are driving, working part-time jobs, having sex and relationships, experimenting with drugs, engaging with religion and philosophy, caring about politics... the list goes on. They may not be adults, but if we have to have an arbitrary cutoff for the walled-off "kids world" we want to pretend we can create, it can't extend all the way to 16-year-olds.