European parliament – Children should be at least 16 to access social media (opens in new tab)

Thousands of new regulations promulgated every year, many of them deeply invasive into aspects of life that were previously considered the prerogative of individuals or families to decide (in this case, what children are and aren’t allowed to do).

And after two decades of watching this authoritarian and paternalistic process unfold, I’m still unable to point to a single aspect of society that has been improved by it in any way.

Social media is the modern smoking, harming not the arteries but brain circuits. And the governments are taking measures.

I am extremely in favor of blocking young people from social media. It’s just so toxic.

I would make an exception for basic protocols not associated with a single company or revenue stream, like IRC, though for educational reasons.