An Angus Reid survey says three-quarters of more than 4,000 respondents are in favour of a ban like the one in Australia, where youth under 16 are prevented from setting up accounts on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.
An Angus Reid survey says three-quarters of more than 4,000 respondents are in favour of a ban like the one in Australia, where youth under 16 are prevented from setting up accounts on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.
There are a lot of things parents can do on their own, but their mental capacity is limited, and things like this make it easier. Peer pressure exists, this helps level the playing field. It also makes it availible to all parents, regardless of how they get their internet (not always a home router).
I can also always stop my kid from looking at advertisements targeted directly at kids as a parent. But it’s a lot fucking easier in Québec where it’s banned and I didn’t have to deal with cartoons of cereal boxes.
Don’t want to be a parent in the 2000s? Don’t be one.
It is 100% up to the parent(s) to supply and restrict access to the internet and internet connected devices. If that is beyond your capabilities as a parent-aged human in 2026 then you fucking dropped the ball. We are the “digital natives”, we all grew up with an internet connection, some parents have never known a time without smart phones. A failure to learn about and understand how to use modern technology today is incredible.
Limiting what they have access to at home is the easy part. The hard part is making sure they still have access to all the same opportunities as their peers and can integrate well into society as an adult. You can feel as smug as you like about your parenting, but their classmates and future coworkers aren’t going to care about that when your kid is out of the loop on the latest brainrot and ongoing events because they’re not on Facebook to partake in the group chat.
…your argument is,
No, the opposite of that
Just because I do these things does not mean it’s optimal. My concern is that social media exists as a method for furthering monetary, political, and ideological aims. It was promised as great democratization, but has done little of it.
My friend Solomiia has taught her kid to run to to the shelter when the warning goes off even if mom isn’t roght behind. She’s made a fun game of it. It’s great parenting. It would still be easier for her to parent without Shaheds overhead. But hey, I can pat myself on the back because my kid has less screen time.