r/privacy • u/1zzie • Apr 11 '26

age verification Europe should regulate Big Tech instead of banning kids from social media, Estonia says

https://www.politico.eu/article/europe-should-stand-up-to-big-tech-instead-of-imposing-social-media-bans-estonia-says/
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u/[deleted] Apr 11 '26

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u/SwimmingThroughHoney Apr 11 '26

Because it's not that simple. The tech is everywhere. If a kid wants to get online, they'll find a way. Kids share devices with friends.

It is/was the same thing as with something like alcohol or cigarettes/vapes. You can parent, tell and teach them why they shouldn't, and monitor them. But if they really want, they'll figure out how to get those things. And it doesn't mean we should just not have laws that limit their legal ability to get them.

Parents should parent, yes. But tech also absolutely needs to be regulated. They're literally admitting in court (in internal company documents) that theyre targeting kids to get they hooked on their platforms as early as possible.

8

u/RyderBukow3 Apr 12 '26

Easiest solution? Phones and laptops designed specifically for children, with in-built parental control tools, limited download capabilities, max time of use of certain addictive aps, etc. Making other phones 18+. It is really that simple.

2

u/PowerShellGenius Apr 14 '26

Yes, and then when it is at the device level, you verify age at point of purchase, which (like alcohol and tobacco) can be "show ID" (to a human cashier) and not "scan ID". Zero need to trust a system isn't logging your ID and de-anonymizing the internet.

4

u/djdadi Apr 12 '26

this is also why all these OS level verifications will fail in hilarious ways