I know this sounds defeatist but, I don't know why anyone even bothers to report things like this anymore. Meta doing something they're not supposed to do, even after promising they'd never do it again? This isn't news. This is a Thursday.
Our governments aren't going to do anything about it. We all know it. In part because not enough constituents are complaining loudly enough (or, you know; at all) about these companies.
Speaking of; there is a very quick solution to these companies misbehaving: us. We don't even need to cancel our accounts (wouldn't matter anyway, they won't really delete them). Just stop using the services and let the companies know why. Let them know that when they truly take responsibility for their actions and behave then maybe we'll come back. Until then, we're refusing to be good products for them to sell.
But, let's face it, there are too many people out there that foolishly think they can't have a social life without social media despite the overwhelming evidence to prove that's not true. Too many people thinking they can't do without Amazon, Apple, Netflix, or Google, or Microsoft among many others. So, nobody will do or say anything and these companies will continue abusing us.
I mean, damn. If we can't get fired up enough to do something about one of them blatantly showing sexual material to minors then we haven't hit rock bottom from this particular drug.
Besides just not using these services, wouldn't it also be necessary to divest any investments in any of these companies (even if through mutual/index funds, etc.)?
Actually, if you're a direct shareholder then you have a direct voice that they will listen to if enough people do the same. So, rather than sell, use that voice to demand change.
The hijacking of basic human emotions and drives in the name of some ulterior goal - turning a profit, establishing authority, etc. - is a notion that encompasses and also predates social media, the internet, television and radio advertising, the invention of the printing press, and the tactics of priests and kings throughout recorded history. It's the most fundamental feature of all such propaganda.
If we wanted to really undermine such efforts, we'd be teaching children about the history of such propaganda tactics and methods from a quite young age. This has been tried before in the USA, but it got shut down quickly at the beginning of WWII:
I have kids who will soon be teens. They don't have phones yet, but I can see the decision looming: my ability to communicate / coordinate with them plus the fact that a huge portion of their social life will migrate online on one hand vs. all of the dangers on the other.
This is why a lot of parents start with smart watches or restricted phones. They try to get the communication / coordination benefits without the online social risks. But that only lasts so long.
I'm not sure how I'll navigate it. Probably not by saying "no to that stuff until 18".
I am not going to address the broad set of questions here but I want to point out that two items exist:
1) No-data SIM cards ... they call and text only ...
2) imessage only access point - fairly trivial to set up.
So ... a child can be given a phone - even a smartphone - and it can't be used as a social media device when the family wifi turns off. Further, you can heavily restrict family wifi without curtailing normal phone talking if you have an imessage/facetime only access point.
Again, no magic bullets here but some tools that you might find useful.
I put off letting my kids have a phone until 14. They had tablets before that. If I could have done it all over again, they wouldn't have gotten any kind of device until at least 16. At best they would have gotten a flip phone.
I totally understand your point and others commenting here.
IMHO the main problem are other parents giving their children their "old" phone because they want the latest one.
There is a finite amount of control that you can have, there's always a friend with another phone where they can watch everything.
Communication is the key, we talk a lot with our 11 yo about the danger and pitfalls of social media, electronic games etc.
Yes, he has a simple smartwatch (bare minimum: call, location), yet I think we managed to develop a healthy digital hygiene.
I wish you best luck!
I'm even more disappointed that parents allow 11-15 year olds to be Instagram "influencers" where 85% of the people being influenced are creepy old men.
As a former rock climber and sailor I appreciate knots. I sometimes watch videos on youtube about knot theory and rope handling practices. One subset of this is "braiding" of rope, which is an important rope-handling technique. But I watch one video about braiding hair and for MONTHS youtube is pushed me nothing but makeup tutorials and teenager fashion junk.
The issue with even saying you don't like something seems to be that _everything_ contains some sort of sexualized being. Into fitness? here's a mostly naked person doing fitness. Hiking? Same. Gardening? Yup! Etc... How can the algorithm possibly disambiguate?
Readit News
Our governments aren't going to do anything about it. We all know it. In part because not enough constituents are complaining loudly enough (or, you know; at all) about these companies.
Speaking of; there is a very quick solution to these companies misbehaving: us. We don't even need to cancel our accounts (wouldn't matter anyway, they won't really delete them). Just stop using the services and let the companies know why. Let them know that when they truly take responsibility for their actions and behave then maybe we'll come back. Until then, we're refusing to be good products for them to sell.
But, let's face it, there are too many people out there that foolishly think they can't have a social life without social media despite the overwhelming evidence to prove that's not true. Too many people thinking they can't do without Amazon, Apple, Netflix, or Google, or Microsoft among many others. So, nobody will do or say anything and these companies will continue abusing us.
I mean, damn. If we can't get fired up enough to do something about one of them blatantly showing sexual material to minors then we haven't hit rock bottom from this particular drug.
I agree it is hard to not feel defeatist.
If we wanted to really undermine such efforts, we'd be teaching children about the history of such propaganda tactics and methods from a quite young age. This has been tried before in the USA, but it got shut down quickly at the beginning of WWII:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Propaganda_Analy...
The downsides have been well-documented. [1] Can we all collectively get together and say "no" to that stuff until like 18?
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CI6rX96oYnY
This is why a lot of parents start with smart watches or restricted phones. They try to get the communication / coordination benefits without the online social risks. But that only lasts so long.
I'm not sure how I'll navigate it. Probably not by saying "no to that stuff until 18".
I am not going to address the broad set of questions here but I want to point out that two items exist:
1) No-data SIM cards ... they call and text only ...
2) imessage only access point - fairly trivial to set up.
So ... a child can be given a phone - even a smartphone - and it can't be used as a social media device when the family wifi turns off. Further, you can heavily restrict family wifi without curtailing normal phone talking if you have an imessage/facetime only access point.
Again, no magic bullets here but some tools that you might find useful.
There is a finite amount of control that you can have, there's always a friend with another phone where they can watch everything.
Communication is the key, we talk a lot with our 11 yo about the danger and pitfalls of social media, electronic games etc. Yes, he has a simple smartwatch (bare minimum: call, location), yet I think we managed to develop a healthy digital hygiene. I wish you best luck!
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/us/instagram-child-influe...
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Zuckerberg_Senate_Transcript_...
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When are we gonna hold these companies accountable and stop accepting excuses?
1. Search “TikTok dance”
2. Scroll until one is at the beach thus bikini
3. Let it loop a couple times
4. Exit the app and comeback - that’s your new feed