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Comment by netniuq | Hacker News Reader

We regulate the platforms, not the users: We ban (most? all?) targeted advertising. If we still have to go further, we force tech giants to publish their recommendation algorithms and aggregated user data (e.g. statistics about time spent on what types of content on the platform by user cohort) If we still have to go further, we can adapt policy restricting concrete addictive usage-patterns (e.g. the infinite scroll proposal recently discussed here[1])

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48897104

On an unrelated note: yes, I also don't understand how this incident has to do much with social media bans…

> Just because there are adults with full agency that do the wrong thing, doesn't mean we should remove protections on young people. Just because adults with full agency drive recklessly, doesn't mean we should allow 13 year olds the ability to drive.

also agree wholeheartedly.

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We ban targeted ads. Great but then what? My oldest is 17, no targeted ads to him so that means he gets a million political ads. To me, it is just as problematic. I would argue that under 18, there should be zero ads. Yeah I know it will never happen.

You think a 17 years old should be protected from political content? They are pretty much an adult and are able to vote in some places…

I don’t think political ads should be legal. Political information should be freely available to all, including children. But in no way should we be bombarded with the manipulation from whatever political entities have the most cash at hand.

I suspect that political ands anre more about laundering money from campaigns to friends than about actually affecting the election.

That’s a different claim then, you’re against political ads as a whole, not based on age. The fact that your teenager is 17 doesn’t feel relevant for your position

As I responded above, my 17 can't vote in the coming election and my 13 year old gets the same ads.

Sorry, under 18, should be 100% no to political ads. These companies know who is under 18.

He isn't eligible to vote this coming election. So fuck yeah he shouldn't have to sit through that bullshit.

Ban political ads? That one seems like an immediate win anyways.

I'm extremely against ads, so I sympathize greatly with your sentiment. But what does it mean to "ban targeted advertising"?

Will we ban posters along highways that advertise car wreck lawyers? Where do you draw that line?

That's contextual advertising, not targeted as such.

A targeted example for this case would be to switch the digital billboard to tampons because they read your number plates, visually identified the driver is a woman, and your recent texts with a friend mentioned needing some.

> Will we ban posters along highways

Quite a few places around the world have already done so, on the basis that they are an eyesore. Where there's a will there's a way.

That is called contextual advertising, not targeted

How do you "ban targetted ads", every advert is targetted. TV advertising is targetted.

There's a reason you get kids toys during the after-school section, and wills and funeral planning during the day

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