I suspect you and I (and probably most people on HN) have similar views on these issues. We skew liberal and we skew technically literate. My point is that "normal" people don't necessarily perceive the same dangers that we do in measures like the ones proposed here. On the other hand "making our children safer online" is something any decent person can get behind as long as you conveniently ignore all the nuance and practical details.

Given who the government here currently are it's hardly surprising that they resort to attention-grabbing soundbites. With a bit of luck the Tories will boot Boris before too long and that'll take many of his current Cabinet out of the picture as well since they were seemingly chosen more for their expected loyalty to Boris than any particular expertise or competence. Then at the very least there is a mini-reset in government and some of the more headline-grabbing but questionable policies of the Johnson administration might be quietly sidelined while whoever takes over desperately tries to steady the ship before the next general election. Although of course they quietly passed legislation earlier this year that pushed the latest possible date for that election all the way back to January 2025...