Frankly, how can we possibly expect children to navigate the digital world we’ve created for them without putting some serious safeguards in place? It just seems like we've let things get completely out of hand, hoping for the best when it comes to what our young people are exposed to online. It’s simply not good enough.
We need a clear, mandatory age verification system for all social media platforms. Not something easily bypassed, but a robust system that uses proper identification and is overseen by an independent body with the power to impose truly significant fines on companies that fail to comply. These platforms have made vast sums of money, and they should be held accountable for the safety of their youngest users.
And it’s not just the platforms.
Discussion (4)
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It seems to me that setting up an independent body to oversee this will require significant investment and resources, I read somewhere that a similar system in another country cost millions to establish, so we need to think about the practicalities of how this will work.
I just worry it'll be another thing that sounds good on paper but ends up costing us a fortune and doesn't actually protect anyone. Remember that 'national digital identity' scheme they were banging on about a few years back? Total waste of money.