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Yes. There is also an inequality issue because not all parents/guardians are equipped to afford the same protections for their children. For example, there are parents out there who would let their children smoke at 8 years old because they don't care. This isn't fair. Such lack of care becomes abuse and parents shouldn't have a right to abuse their children.

It's really on us to figure out how we can have things like the internet without harming children. Now, this is quite annoying, because I have never, and would never, give a child access to the internet in the first place. The internet was never driving around on public streets. I never wanted to force it on anyone.

We all dropped the ball here. We've all accepted and even celebrated more and more of our lives being online. But, more importantly, nobody noticed when children started to get smartphones with internet access. In my mind this is no different than giving children cigarettes or other adult materials. But nobody batted an eye. I'm also not surprised, though. Loads of people here have made tons of money from children having access to the internet.

Unfortunately it's so hard to go back from something like this. So we end up in this stupid situation where people will accept more surveillance because we can't just take phones away from children.

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You are being facetious.
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I really don't believe that they are. Historically, communities raised children, and leaving everything up to parents is an anomaly.
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Historically those communities were quite small and we typically had a feeling of kinship with them trough families, tribes/clans, village life, etc.
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Yes, and now big corporations have inserted themselves into each one. Your community is you, your siblings, your parents, your grandparents, your school, your sports clubs, your workplace, Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple.
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You are talking about leaving "everything" to the parents.

Those are extreme positions.

There are things where you want the government to intervene.

There are things where you don’t want the government to intervene.

What I do in my bedroom should not be monitored by the government.

Me speeding on the road should be monitored by the government.

Conversations I am having online should not be monitored by the government.

It’s my job to teach my kid how to behave when he is bullied at school. The government does not help with that. It is my job to make sure my kid does not become the bully. The government does not help with that.

It is also my job to teach my kid what the internet is, that there are wackos out there, and how to recognize dangerous patterns. That’s life.

If you think this is to save the children…

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