uk [UK] Culture Secretary backs time limits for children using social media

[butler1233]

Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/culture-minister-backs-time-limits-for-children-using-social-media-11283349

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/mar/10/children-social-media-time-culture-secretary-open-rights-group

 

UK Culture secretary Matt Hancock (who on another note entirely has his own social media app, on iOS and Android for some reason) has said that ministers are looking into ways to limit the amount of time children can spend on various social media apps. Mr Hancock suggested varying cut-off times for different ages on services such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

 

He said “I think there is a genuine concern about the amount of screen time young people are clocking up and the negative impact it could have on their lives.”

 

He said there would be a new legal requirement for companies to ensure users were over 13 years old. It's not clear how they intend to enforce this, but there are suggestions of doing some sort of 2 factor registration system, which would work as follows:
 

Quote

(The following is quoted-ish from the TV broadcast but at the time isn't in the written article)

1. Parents register children on some sort of central database using their passports to actually verify their age

2. When registering for a service like Facebook, a verification code from the database is generated to confirm their identity and link the account to the database

3. When the account is in use, the parent or government or someone can set limits which are enforced through the link to the central database.

 

 

Quote

The Government has also announced it will introduce a new code of practice setting out minimum expectations on social media companies to try to make the UK "the safest place in the world to be online".

Overall I think it's probably a good idea. I don't spend a lot of time with kids anymore, but I know this will (if it happens) make differences to a lot of people. I'm fairly sure a decent amount of users here are <18, so in theory it would affect all of you. Something that is concerning is how loose the definition of "social media" is. Does this count as social media?

[Doobeedoo]

The so called "social media" so useless for children and nothing social about it. It sure does have a bad impact on them, they do "grind" them daily than they actually play which is sad how many of such young ages now start using those. 

 

[Brooksie359]

1 hour ago, butler1233 said:

Sky News: https://news.sky.com/story/culture-minister-backs-time-limits-for-children-using-social-media-11283349

The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2018/mar/10/children-social-media-time-culture-secretary-open-rights-group

 

UK Culture secretary Matt Hancock (who on another note entirely has his own social media app, on iOS and Android for some reason) has said that ministers are looking into ways to limit the amount of time children can spend on various social media apps. Mr Hancock suggested varying cut-off times for different ages on services such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

 

He said “I think there is a genuine concern about the amount of screen time young people are clocking up and the negative impact it could have on their lives.”

 

He said there would be a new legal requirement for companies to ensure users were over 13 years old. It's not clear how they intend to enforce this, but there are suggestions of doing some sort of 2 factor registration system, which would work as follows:
 

 

Overall I think it's probably a good idea. I don't spend a lot of time with kids anymore, but I know this will (if it happens) make differences to a lot of people. I'm fairly sure a decent amount of users here are <18, so in theory it would affect all of you. Something that is concerning is how loose the definition of "social media" is. Does this count as social media?

I feel like it isn't the government's job to parent someone's kids. This sounds like an awful idea.

[Brooksie359]

1 hour ago, Doobeedoo said:

The so called "social media" so useless for children and nothing social about it. It sure does have a bad impact on them, they do "grind" them daily than they actually play which is sad how many of such young ages now start using those. 

 

Oh I do think that there is definitely an issue but I don't think it is the government's place to parent people's kids. I mean next thing you know they will put a time limit on video games as well.

[TimeOmnivore]

I'm an adult, don't use social media very often - mainly a few subreddits, this forum, and a Twitter account I just use for current events (i.e. not for interacting) - and I don't live in the UK (currently in the USA), so this doesn't apply to me at all. That being said, I don't think it's a very good idea, at all, to have an online "central database" that you are required to be registered with in order to use online services such as social media. I also think it's a rather terrible idea for governments to try to decide for themselves how kids should be raised, as opposed to leaving that to their parents. Children should not be spending the (from what I've seen in the States) absurd amount of time they currently spend on social media, sure, but trying to legally limit that sets a poor precedent which could have farther reaching consequences than intended once they see they can get away with it.

[Matu20]

We have reached the point where regular parenting is giving children more screen time to get some rest. Government doesn't do that for the concern of the child, but rather their ability to learn and be an useful member of the economy when they grow up. Incentive to cut screen time and focus more on self development is good for the country, not only the child.

 

I think this is a necessary step, cause the future of Wall-E doesn't seem very far fetched without intervention.

[Brooksie359]

1 minute ago, Matu20 said:

We have reached the point where regular parenting is giving children more screen time to get some rest. Government doesn't do that for the concern of the child, but rather their ability to learn and be an useful member of the economy when they grow up. Incentive to cut screen time and focus more on self development is good for the country, not only the child.

 

I think this is a necessary step, cause the future of Wall-E doesn't seem very far fetched without intervention.

Saying the government has the right to make laws that dictate how people should live their lives in order to ensure that people are more productive member of society is a very bad idea. I mean what if they ban video games because they think that it makes people less productive? You are essentially take away people's freedom to ensure a better future but a future where people are told how to live their lives by the government isn't much of a future tbh.

[Matu20]

2 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Saying the government has the right to make laws that dictate how people should live their lives in order to ensure that people are more productive member of society is a very bad idea. I mean what if they ban video games because they think that it makes people less productive? You are essentially take away people's freedom to ensure a better future but a future where people are told how to live their lives by the government isn't much of a future tbh.

They already do that and you're fine with it (mandatory school).

 

Or do you want an anarchy?

[Brooksie359]

3 minutes ago, Matu20 said:

They already do that and you're fine with it (mandatory school).

 

Or do you want an anarchy?

Mandatory school is completely different than this. One is to educate people and is just common sense where as the other is telling people they can't go on social media over a certain amount of time. I mean who is the government to tell people what they can do in their free time. I mean next thing you know they will have a law limiting how much tv and movies people can watch. Or how much fast food people can eat. I for one don't want a future like that and think that this is definitely a step in that direction.

[Matu20]

1 minute ago, Brooksie359 said:

Mandatory school is completely different than this. One is to educate people and is just common sense where as the other is telling people they can't go on social media over a certain amount of time. I mean who is the government to tell people what they can do in their free time. I mean next thing you know they will have a law limiting how much tv and movies people can watch. Or how much fast food people can eat. I for one don't want a future like that and think that this is definitely a step in that direction.

You really seem to have your mind set on this, not going to debate it any further. I hope an anarchist country opens up somewhere for you to live your dream.

[Brooksie359]

1 minute ago, Matu20 said:

You really seem to have your mind set on this, not going to debate it any further. I hope an anarchist country opens up somewhere for you to live your dream.

The fact that you think that letting people use social media as much as they want is anarchy is kinda rediculus. Oh no teenagers are using Facebook to much. It's total anarchy out there XD.

[Matu20]

Just now, Brooksie359 said:

The fact that you think that letting people use social media as much as they want is anarchy is kinda rediculus. Oh no teenagers are using Facebook to much. It's total anarchy out there XD.

I can just see the bigger picture.

[butler1233]

39 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

I mean next thing you know they will have a law limiting how much tv and movies people can watch.

I mean, this whole thing is coming from the guy who from April has decided that porn sites need to verify our ages in better ways than they do now. Mindgeek (Pornhub, Brazzers, RealityKings, etc) have basically been given a golden ticket with their AgeID scheme to track users of the service across the web, and that scheme is likely going to be the defacto way for sites to confirm people's identities - They're offering the scheme for free to all porn sites that are available in the UK, whether they own them or not.

[Zodiark1593]

It's not as though children can't lie their age or name on their sign-up page, right? 

[butler1233]

5 minutes ago, Zodiark1593 said:

It's not as though children can't lie their age or name on their sign-up page, right? 

That's the idea though - children won't be able to sign up without a code from this central database. And if you're an adult, you'll have  a credit/debit card to validate your age. The implementation of it seems farily watertight. It just seems unnessescary in the first place

[Spongy141]

The amount of people glued to their phones today is just disgusting.

[Daegun]

This seems like an awful idea just for the implications of what they're trying to do here. Think beyond the 'but think of the children!' argument they're presenting here and about how set on surveillance the UK is and its worrying. It seems like they're trying to get a foot in the door for removing anonymity from the Internet (at least with the idea of a central database that's required to make an account), and they're doing it in a way that more people will agree with them.

 

On social media negatively impacting children, it negatively impacts everyone. There's studies done that link it to increased cases of depression in adults as well as teens. So this isn't something that if you shield them from it now, they'll be okay later.

[paddy-stone]

This is the whole problem with the UK, from my viewpoint as a UK citizen, and adult.

 

This probably wouldn't affect me being adult, and non-conformist to trends usually. So don'[t spend tons of time on social media, but rather use it for contacting friends and such that I wouldn't usually talk to on the phone. You know quick one liners every so often or a brief chat about something, without having to try and extricate yourself from  the conversation when/if you need to.

 

Anyway, so the problem with the UK government, without getting too "political" about it... is that they think they have to "nanny" everyone. They have now enforced several laws with regards to "terrorism" etc... and they also introduced a "porn opt-out" a few years back, so basically everyone was being filtered, and you had to contact the ISP in some cases I believe to tell them you wanted to opt-out. And on others you could do it yourself online... OK well the problems arising from this were:-

• Stuff got "filtered" that wasn't porn. Either because it wasn't certificated or said "adult" content, but was in fact just for over 18s, NOT porn.
• Some people were obviously embarrassed to contact their ISP, or feared their wives etc would find out they lifted the filter by the ISP contacting them, and then got in shit with them.
• There were so many problems with it, I couldn't possibly list them all.. it was VERY poorly implemented let's say.

OK, so now a few years on, and then they had another go, this time it would be like a great firewall, and they told "adult" companies that they HAD TO implement a block of some kind, that people would have to verify their ages with passports/driving licenses and such... you can imagine the outcry from this right?  people obviously did not want to be uploading their passport/drivers info to do this, and the companies knew this also... but they had to do this if they wanted to operate in the UK.

I think most people just used overseas sites after that debacle, and UK sites suffered basically, but not sure.

 

And... god knows how many millions/billions later, and here we are again with another "plan" - I use that word very loosely, and if you know the UKs reputation with ideas you'll know why.

 

IMO, we are fast becoming the "Joke" nation, that tries to observe everyone's behaviour, limit people's involvement in anything they consider "dirty" or whatever... and making a right cockup of it ion the process and spending billions of taxpayers money.

Parents should police their own kids, there are plenty of "net nanny" progs and such out there, try some... and if you don't know enough, or are scared of computers (seriously I have seen it all).. then pay someone to do it, or god forbid take some pc classes just for the basics, they are free at many UK libraries.

 

I am so god damn fed up with this country. But will restrain my rant in the hopes that this thread doesn't devolve. I hope I kept it on point this time with my views.

[Andreas Lilja]

2 hours ago, Spongy141 said:

The amount of people glued to their phones today is just disgusting.

I miss when people were glued to their newspaper.

[suicidalfranco]

yay for Nani states 

[LordofGangsters]

I'd rather they ban social media outright for everybody. 

[mr moose]

OMG, talk about over thinking the issue.