I first became active on web forums at the age of 10 and didn’t keep my age secret at the time. Not once (!) did I encounter anyone who appeared to be a child predator or anything like that. So forgive me if I don’t see a lot wrong with “kids talking to strangers online” although it certainly depends on the kid’s age and maturity level and also what kind of online space it is.
Oh my god, are you still on the “stranger danger” moral panic? That was like… 28 moral panics ago!
Kids are at significantly higher risk of being abused by someone they know than by strangers. The risk to kids from strangers online is hugely overblown.
Kids are also more at risk of abuse if they’re vulnerable in some way, don’t have many trusted adults to share concerns with, and are lonely/isolated. Banning social media for kids just pushes them into more niche platforms.
So, yes, I want kids to have the freedom to talk to whoever they want to.
because they made friends through social media and have no other communication channels with those friends?
Or are keeping in touch after a move. That would.have made a big diffrence in my life
So you want kids to be talking to strangers online? Bruh.
I first became active on web forums at the age of 10 and didn’t keep my age secret at the time. Not once (!) did I encounter anyone who appeared to be a child predator or anything like that. So forgive me if I don’t see a lot wrong with “kids talking to strangers online” although it certainly depends on the kid’s age and maturity level and also what kind of online space it is.
You just didn’t realize you were talking to pedophiles…
If you told me your age online and you were ten years old, i’d nope out of there pretty quick.
People who want to continue talking to little kids on the internet when they’re in their 40s aren’t doing it bcz 10 year olds are interesting.
Oh my god, are you still on the “stranger danger” moral panic? That was like… 28 moral panics ago!
Kids are at significantly higher risk of being abused by someone they know than by strangers. The risk to kids from strangers online is hugely overblown.
Kids are also more at risk of abuse if they’re vulnerable in some way, don’t have many trusted adults to share concerns with, and are lonely/isolated. Banning social media for kids just pushes them into more niche platforms.
So, yes, I want kids to have the freedom to talk to whoever they want to.