My alternative is not falling head first into a moral panic and destroying the last vestiges of free speech we have because people don't like the idea of other people's kids using the internet.

Even if I was sympathetic to that argument, "let's just let unaccountable companies scan and store your face and sensitive biometrics that they promise they won't lose" is possibly the laziest solution that can be dreamt up and screams ulterior motives to me.