Instagram introduces a number of new rules for minors. That sounds noble, but we should finally put the control of social media in the hands of the government. That will prevent or reduce a lot of problems.
From now on, underage Instagram users will face stricter rules. For example, they can only receive messages from people they are friends with and they will not receive notifications between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Furthermore, foul language will be filtered out and they will no longer see sensitive content. Think of people fighting or accounts promoting cosmetic surgery. If teenagers want to change these settings, they need permission from a parent or guardian.
That sounds noble, and to a certain extent it may be. Instagram does at least put up some barriers that try to take the edge off the danger. However, it doesn’t make the service itself any less addictive. Moreover, I think there are quite a few snags in the way Instagram wants to check the age of its young users.
This can be done, for example, with a video selfie, after which AI estimates how old a person is. But who guarantees that the lovely teenager will not lend his smartphone to an older brother or friend? And are these videos then properly deleted, as Instagram promises?
Time for change
It is time for change. Just as we do not let the tobacco industry decide who they can sell their product to, social media should also be regulated by the government. After all, these are addictive services that can seriously damage (mental) health. Instagram, TikTok and the like have a negative impact on the self-image of young users in particular.
In addition, they easily come into contact with fake news, which can seriously distort their view of the world. This has major social consequences.
The government could consider only allowing users to create an account on social media using DigiD. This has a number of advantages. Your date of birth and other personal data are automatically linked to a DigiD. This means that no check is required using (commercial) AI companies. This makes it easier to set the minimum age at, for example, 16 or 18 years.
If you automatically transfer the name of the DigiD to the account on social media, you also put an end to the terror of anonymous users. Those who are known with their real name and address details are probably less likely to be guilty of ‘trolling’ others. After all, you can easily be called to account.
This will undoubtedly cause resistance in some people. Should we now ban, control or restrict everything? Isn’t this a form of Big Brother? In my opinion, the disadvantages of ‘free’ social media outweigh the disadvantages of government interference. Simply put: the government has an interest in (mentally) healthy citizens, social media has an interest in as many users as possible and as much screen time as possible. The two are incompatible.
There are no guarantees
Is the described DigiD system watertight? No, certainly not. As long as there are countries where you can create an account without such verification, it can be circumvented using a VPN. It does make it a bit more difficult, because a good VPN costs money. You can also intervene if there is any doubt. After all, someone who lives in Dubai will not often shop in Schiedam, to name but one thing.
Also, just because teens can get their hands on hyper-addictive blueberry-flavored vapes online doesn’t mean you should just legally put them in stores. The harder it is to access a service or product, the less people will use it.
One last point: do parents play no role in protecting their children from the dangers of social media? Yes, in an ideal world, of course. But given the large number of adults who are themselves totally addicted to fake news, reels in doom scrollingwe really need guidance from above.
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Source: www.androidplanet.nl
