"we've all had an encounter with some creep in some random chat room to"

My parents generation survived lead in gasoline and they never wore seatbelts or helmets.

"I think I can do a better job than the government :)"

Is exactly what their parents said about the government telling them they have to get their kids to wear seat belts and helmets.

I don't think this argument works for two reasons:

1) It don't address the materiality of the concern.

If 'creeps in chat rooms' are causing material harm, it's an issue, then youre making the 'anti vaxxer' / 'anti seatbelt' / 'anti helmet' argument.

I'm not saying you are - if 'creeps in chatrooms' really is a 'lesser issue' - then you're not making a bad argument at all.

The real issue is the 'materiality' of these things.

'Creeps in chatrooms' is a harder thing to assess, but it's real, if it is real, we can't just dismiss it.

2) "I think I can do a better job than the government "

If someone wants to protest the governments current age restrictions cigarettes - and also not vaccinate their kids - that's a choice.

But this argument is usually made by people who don't have kids in their life and haven't yet realized that 'the all or nothing internet' is not really a choice, it's chaos.

Lack of very basic regulations means people aren't afforded the opportunity, in a way the government is dictating that 'kids will get guns and porn and that's it'.

The alternative argument - is that we can have age restrictions and parents can then be in a position to actually be parents, and make a choice.

'Slippery slope notwithstanding' ... because it's a complciated issue