While I dislike social media, this ban is as stupid as Australia's laws enforcing bicycle helmets.
Will this mean I will have to register as my real name on Hacker News? Not a chance
How is a bicycle helmet a bad idea? Many countries have that for minors. And obviously most(?) western countries have seatbelt laws and motorcycle helmet laws.
It's also a natural effect of having publicly funded healthcare I guess.
> Will this mean I will have to register as my real name on Hacker News?
First of all, age verification shouldn't mean the social media provider gets true identities. They shouldn't be trusted with that info. There needs to be services that allows verifying your age against one service, and the media service just getting the receipt of that verification. Whether such a service exists already or not shouldn't matter. The law should be written so that social media companies are restricted in what they can do when they can be sure someone isn't a minor, and when they are sure. For extra safety, perhaps it should say they can't be allowed to see for example physical ID:s. Because otherwise you'd risk privacy issues.
Second, I think it's better to formulate these laws the way the new york draft did: that specific features are restricted for minors. Such as: enless media feeds based on past behavior (such as any video "shorts" feeds in all the major platforms today).
As sibling comments seem to have missed the point: laws mandating helmets reduce the general rates of cycling, as people without helmets don't cycle at all. Cycling is so good for your health that the risks associated with not cycling are actually greater than those that go along with cycling without a helmet.
Enforcing bicycle helmets is a good idea. It's about protecting your health and reducing the burden on the public health system.
I've fallen off a bike before and my helmet definitely saved me from a serious head injury. Would I have worn one if it was not compulsory and drilled into me as a child that's what you do when you ride one? Maybe not.
It saved me that day and I expect it saves many people in this country every day too.
> Would I have worn one if it was not compulsory and drilled into me as a child that's what you do when you ride one?
Yes. Because this is a false dichotomy. The latter does not depend upon the former. I can say that with certainty because I received the message growing up in a country with a cycling proficiency programme in schools instead of mandatory helmet laws.
Everyone should wear a helmet when riding, but criminalising noncompliance is an inefficient, reductive, expensive, heavy-handed, unnecessarily punitive, and ultimately counter-productive approach to achieving it.
In Australia this is not just for minors, you can be fined as an adult for cycling without a helmet which is even more absurd when you look at the lack of cycling infrastructure in Australian cities and the general cultural distain towards cyclists.
alkonaut|1 year ago
> Will this mean I will have to register as my real name on Hacker News?
First of all, age verification shouldn't mean the social media provider gets true identities. They shouldn't be trusted with that info. There needs to be services that allows verifying your age against one service, and the media service just getting the receipt of that verification. Whether such a service exists already or not shouldn't matter. The law should be written so that social media companies are restricted in what they can do when they can be sure someone isn't a minor, and when they are sure. For extra safety, perhaps it should say they can't be allowed to see for example physical ID:s. Because otherwise you'd risk privacy issues.
Second, I think it's better to formulate these laws the way the new york draft did: that specific features are restricted for minors. Such as: enless media feeds based on past behavior (such as any video "shorts" feeds in all the major platforms today).
lm28469|1 year ago
You're damn right, same as the law enforcing seatbelts, cars head and brake lights, ABS, testing of tap water quality, testing of food quality, &c.
I want absolute freedom to get utterly fucked by the first mega corp or dumbass who want to do it !!!
sandbach|1 year ago
phist_mcgee|1 year ago
I've fallen off a bike before and my helmet definitely saved me from a serious head injury. Would I have worn one if it was not compulsory and drilled into me as a child that's what you do when you ride one? Maybe not.
It saved me that day and I expect it saves many people in this country every day too.
inopinatus|1 year ago
Yes. Because this is a false dichotomy. The latter does not depend upon the former. I can say that with certainty because I received the message growing up in a country with a cycling proficiency programme in schools instead of mandatory helmet laws.
Everyone should wear a helmet when riding, but criminalising noncompliance is an inefficient, reductive, expensive, heavy-handed, unnecessarily punitive, and ultimately counter-productive approach to achieving it.
johnisgood|1 year ago
So is controlling what and how much people can eat to prevent or reduce obesity.
From now on, you are only allowed to eat broccoli (I actually love broccoli) to ensure you will not be a burden on the public health system.
LeafItAlone|1 year ago
https://www.iihs.org/topics/pedestrians-and-bicyclists/bicyc...
jamil7|1 year ago