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ck2

There is a very simple alternative to age verification

WHO IS PROVIDING INTERNET TO A CHILD

they are liable

there's no such thing as free open access internet without someone paying the bill

unless it can be demonstrated the child stole internet somehow, hacking, etc.

then the person providing the internet is liable for the child's activity

Same if you aren't going to supervise your child and they come home for hours after school and watch porn on the TV

They don't age verify to get cable TV

If you have a credit card, you are an adult

Someone is paying the bill, they are the adult, they are responsible

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What a nice vanilla view of the world. It's way to simple as an answer and lacking links to reality.

If not before but with high school kids will need access to a computer and also the internet in many schools and countries.

I get that parents are responsible but parents have limited resources. Even the best parenthood will not keep kids from wanting to engage with peers. Even the best filter or block by parents will not cover the www and their millions of websites and services.

What if the parent is not responsible?

Should society help the child, by making it more difficult for them to access harmful material, in the same way we age verify alcohol?

What if the parent is responsible, but finds themselves in a situation where they don't have the time/ability to either educate or set up robust controls? Should we make their responsibilities easier?

With this line of reasoning you can just take away any agency from individuals and put it into the hands of the state, which leads to totalitarianism.

Public policy seems tricky if we must take every line of reasoning to its extreme.

The idea that the state should decide which way of parenting is responsible is extreme.

Instead of controlling the children, we should control the source. Perhaps we should ban harmful content from the internet. Not the government. But we, as users, need content to be reviewed by moderators. People should decide what is harmful. I’m sure we all know what is harmful, not just for children. Psychology shows us what goes on in an adult’s brain, it is exactly the same as what goes on in a child’s brain.

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