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[calistan]

Strange that they've decided social media is dangerous, when for years world leaders have been using Twitter as their primary means of communicating with the masses. If it's so toxic, set an example from the top.

Let's ban all knifes but certain ceremonial knifes used to murder are
Par for the course.

That's not what happened. Also, go to a Scottish wedding and count the number of blades the crazy skirt-wearing bastards have sticking out of their socks.

Here's the King wearing a ceremonial knife.

 

[Draugoth]

Not sure why people on GAF support this ban when we all made friends and had great moments on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, with both adults, children and teenagers. No one remembers Halo 3 glory days?

The fun of social media is the ability to connect to other people (anonymously or not), the UK government is taking that away from a generation.

 

[AJUMP23]

I'm pro social media ban for kids (brain rot) but for ALL social media, how something like BlueSky (pedo trap) is allowed for some reason?

I think you know why. The Gov see BlueSky as on their team. Just like the BBC or news media. Protecting the children is always the point that is made in order to remove the rights of the individual.

 

[Clear]

Strange that they've decided social media is dangerous, when for years world leaders have been using Twitter as their primary means of communicating with the masses. If it's so toxic, set an example from the top.


That's not what happened. Also, go to a Scottish wedding and count the number of blades the crazy skirt-wearing bastards have sticking out of their socks.

Here's the King wearing a ceremonial knife.

Also, the Sikh community historically hasn't been a knife-crime problem, and the horror of the Henry Nowak case is how readily the police uncritically accepted a claim of racially aggravated violence. '

 

[DeepEnigma]

They did not ban Bluesky

What a coinkydink.

 

[ChuckeRearmed]

So PedoSky is allowed but not others? I see what you did here UK.

 

[Agave]

 

[AJUMP23]

What a coinkydink.

It is like saying we are banning Guns, except for my private security.

 

[DeepEnigma]

It is like saying we are banning Guns, except for my private security.

Why does your private security need guns, if guns are banned?

 

[Agave]

Let's ban all knifes but certain ceremonial knifes used to murder are
Par for the course.

I FINALLY FOUND THE COMIC FOR THIS

 

[Insane Metal]

Interesting choice, but what about the grooming gangs and people getting decapitated on the streets?

 

[AJUMP23]

Why does your private security need guns, if guns are banned?

Well let me tell you, My safety is far more important than your safety. I'm an official.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Let's ban all knifes but certain ceremonial knifes used to murder are
Par for the course.

Can my American culture be honored and respected for my ceremonial portable hole puncher?

Or is it only for brown lands of "Asian" people?

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

Sucks for them

 

[Hideous Snake]

"A full ban is the right choice"

Thats not for you to decide you cunt

 

[Dirk Benedict]

I'm pro social media ban for kids (brain rot) but for ALL social media, how something like BlueSky (pedo trap) is allowed for some reason?

Bluesky was created by the very type of asshole that Starmer is. That's probably why it gets a pass. The platform and Starmer align in morals, values, etc.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Bluesky was created by the very type of asshole that Starmer is. That's probably why it gets a pass. The platform and Starmer align in morals, values, etc.

What morals?

 

[Dirk Benedict]

What morals?

You have to start somewhere.

 

[Dutchy]

Not sure why people on GAF support this ban when we all made friends and had great moments on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, with both adults, children and teenagers. No one remembers Halo 3 glory days?

The fun of social media is the ability to connect to other people (anonymously or not), the UK government is taking that away from a generation.

I don't think you're making a great comparison here.

On paper, social media could be a good tool for the reasons you just described. And maybe at some point it was really just that. But you have to understand how all of these platforms nowadays are specifically built from the ground up to generate exceptionally high profit margins and the only way they can achieve that is through very unhealthy and inorganic means.

Rage-Baiting, Political drivel, AI slop, Bot spam, and overall just very bad actors being able to spread their cancer simply because they bought engagement boosts. Not to mention there's no way to avoid any of it either since the algorithm will just keep you in a constant loop. None of that is happening on Halo 3 text or voice chat, or any other game for that matter (And I'm playing Halo 3 right now .)

Another issue imo: If social media was all about connecting with people you know, used to know, or want to know, then we wouldn't need the ability to share things publicly with the world. A profile picture, name, and basic info would've sufficed. I think the vast majority of people that use social media simply have an unhealthy desire to be seen, heard, validated etc. And though I don't think there's anything inheretly wrong with that, there are just so so many better ways to deal with that. You ironically mentioned it yourself: Video games.

If everyone switched from social media to video games that'd be fun as fuck dude.

 

[thefool]

 

[Sybrix]

It's a good first move.

Social media is a disease that needs to be eradicated.

If the cost of eleminating social media is the destruction of WhatsApp and fourms such as NeoGaf then so be it.

The negatives vastly out weigh the positives.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

It's a good first move.

Social media is a disease that needs to be eradicated.

If the cost of eleminating social media is the destruction of WhatsApp and fourms such as NeoGaf then so be it.

The negatives vastly out weigh the positives.

So Bluesky isn't social media?

 

[Sybrix]

So Bluesky isn't social media?

All of it, get rid of Blue Sky et al

 

[Draugoth]

I don't think you're making a great comparison here.

On paper, social media could be a good tool for the reasons you just described. And maybe at some point it was really just that. But you have to understand how all of these platforms nowadays are specifically built from the ground up to generate exceptionally high profit margins and the only way they can achieve that is through very unhealthy and inorganic means.

Rage-Baiting, Political drivel, AI slop, Bot spam, and overall just very bad actors being able to spread their cancer simply because they bought engagement boosts. Not to mention there's no way to avoid any of it either since the algorithm will just keep you in a constant loop. None of that is happening on Halo 3 text or voice chat, or any other game for that matter (And I'm playing Halo 3 right now .)

Another issue imo: If social media was all about connecting with people you know, used to know, or want to know, then we wouldn't need the ability to share things publicly with the world. A profile picture, name, and basic info would've sufficed. I think the vast majority of people that use social media simply have an unhealthy desire to be seen, heard, validated etc. And though I don't think there's anything inheretly wrong with that, there are just so so many better ways to deal with that. You ironically mentioned it yourself: Video games.

If everyone switched from social media to video games that'd be fun as fuck dude.

It's no different than knifes. People will kill each other with knifes -the same way people will use knifes to cook dishes. The problem is not really the platform, it's the bad actors (sadly Zuckerberg is one of the bad actors lmao)

Yeah, Reform UK is winning. No doubt about that.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

All of it, get rid of Blue Sky et al

Man, no. The government shouldn't get involved in this because they like making everything about politics, and not about actually helping kids. Mandate a "kids mode" on social media or something, but this banning shit is always going to be about who fucking over the common people.

 

[Grildon Tundy]

Are they banning Discord? Seems like that's where many kids spend time and hang out with their friends online.

 

[Trunx81]

Elon could do a funny with Bluesky now

 

[Banjo64]

I'd personally ban it all, its cancerous

Without X the mainstream media would not have reported on the attempted beheading of a disabled man in Northern Ireland last week.

Say whatever you want about social media, but its absence is how authoritarian regimes thrive.

 

[LordCBH]

Hello digital ID's.

 

[near]

User-to-user services with either algorithms that recommend content and users posting content themselves... so in Australia, things like Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, meta, Facebook are all in scope of the ban.

GAF is free from tyranny!

If the Starmer regime read my posts here I'd be fucked.

To be fair, I think the internet is far worse today than its ever been. I've been online since the late 90s, and the stuff I was exposed to back then was nowhere near as influential or accessible as it is now. I don't think banning access for under 16s is entirely a bad idea, but I do think that's a decision that should be parental, not a government one.

 

[Magic Carpet]

They banned some media but not others?

Europe has a weird way of doing things.

I recently shopped around for a new Norelco shaver. Just learned that body hygiene products are exempt from that USB C charger thing.

Whats with the bluesky exemption?

 

[moogman]

They banned some media but not others?

Europe has a weird way of doing things.

I recently shopped around for a new Norelco shaver. Just learned that body hygiene products are exempt from that USB C charger thing.

Whats with the bluesky exemption?

They haven't announced the sites yet as it has to go through parliament to be made into law, but the wording suggests Bluesky will be banned - it uses a few examples with the word "like" to highlight the type of sites and it would fall under the wording.

The government plans to use the same model for a social media ban as Australia. This would capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material, alongside algorithms. The ban will therefore include platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X. We do not intend for messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal to be included in the social media ban.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/...ernment-move-to-givekids-their-childhood-back

 

[YCoCg]

Labour has been doing every move possible to make both Reform and Restore look great, it's like they are handing voters over to them

 

[poppabk]

You realise that this forum is social media? Your group WhatsApp is social media, ICQ and Messenger, etc… was social media…

You know you are right. We should ban kids from Neogaf.

 

[Panajev2001a]

You know you are right. We should ban kids from Neogaf.

That is not what it means, it means everyone must present valid ID forms to NeoGAF or their trusted partner to verify who the adults are.

You do not ban the kids, you get the adult's papers / require them to digitally add a link (secure link, but you know… data leaks…) between the real you and the service you use and all the use your Username does. This is what you are asking.

 

[Banjo64]

They banned some media but not others?

Europe has a weird way of doing things.

I recently shopped around for a new Norelco shaver. Just learned that body hygiene products are exempt from that USB C charger thing.

Whats with the bluesky exemption?

It's a pedo left wing echo chamber - why would Labour ban that?

 

[GnomeChimpsky]

It isn't often I'm 50/50 on an issue these days but in this case I am. On one hand social media is brainrot and should be kept away from kids at almost any cost. And it isn't just about legally preventing them from having access, it's also to properly label it the trash drug that it is to help change public perception.

On the other hand Keir Starmer doesn't give two shits about anyone but himself and the timing of this is just ridiculous. Everyone knows they will use ID checks to suppress dissidents, and then one of these sites get hacked spreading your post history everywhere. Yeah...

On the third hand I don't see these kinds of power grabs ever working and in the long run people growing up without social media will spark a rapid return to common sense which will be disastrous for the loony leftists.

 

[Idleyes]

Banning something doesn't automatically eliminate demand for it. I suspect a lot of under-16s will move toward workarounds, VPNs, alternative platforms, and services that are harder to regulate and potentially more dangerous. Instead of trying to ban them off social media, I'd rather see governments, schools, and private companies compete for their attention. Create incentives. Reward good grades with opportunities to spend a day with content creators, game developers, athletes, musicians, or professionals in industries they actually care about.

Give them something more interesting to do than sit around endlessly swiping and tapping on a phone screen. People are a lot easier to steer toward something better than they are to force away from something they enjoy. Maybe that says more about the curriculum than the kids if they'd rather watch a raccoon steal catalytic converters than sit through another class.

All these government officials, all this taxpayer money, all the potential tax incentives they could create, and this is the best idea they could come up with?

 

[Putonahappyface]

It's clearly part of their political agenda to influence the youth to vote left, considering the only sites not part of the ban (Bluesky and Discord) consist mainly far-left users while platforms perceived as less aligned with those views face increasing restrictions and scrutiny.

In addition to Bluesky shockingly not being banned, it also contains a scary amount of "minor attracted" people ;-;

"I am a minor attracted person".

 

[poppabk]

That is not what it means, it means everyone must present valid ID forms to NeoGAF or their trusted partner to verify who the adults are.

You do not ban the kids, you get the adult's papers / require them to digitally add a link (secure link, but you know… data leaks…) between the real you and the service you use and all the use your Username does. This is what you are asking.

A steam account should suffice. And done.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Are they banning Discord? Seems like that's where many kids spend time and hang out with their friends online.

Nope, Discord and Bluesky aren't banned. I wonder why

 

[Laptop1991]

I don't support this ban, they are saying it's for under 16's, but it's more control in the background, i also don't think it will work in the end, too much 1984 in Britain, England should leave it and gain back it's freedoms.

 

[cormack12]

Apparently because discord and bluesky dont use algorithms to push content they are exempt?

 

[AJUMP23]

Is this parliamentary law or did they just sign an executive order?

 

[near]

 

[Panajev2001a]

A steam account should suffice. And done.

Nope, Steam is not an accepted Age ID verification service… try again .

 

[cormack12]

Is this parliamentary law or did they just sign an executive order?

Nah, its just a bill at the moment.

Its unclear whether they can bolt it onto the online safety act but all talk points to a new act. So

New legislation will be drawn up
Will bounce between the Commons and Lords for any amendments
Be brought before parliament in time for Christmas for voting

The vote is expected to pass as Labour have a majority but also because other parties broadly support the underlying premise (e.g. tories)

 

[Tams]

Gaf, we are so cooked.

Care packages would be much appreciated.

 

[Bojji]

Gaf, we are so cooked.

Care packages would be much appreciated.

I think UK people need to download some VPNs before they are banned (like in China, you literally can't get them).

 

[dalyr95]

It's bullshit. By saying it's for kids protection everyone in the UK will have to provide ID to tie them to their online presence. Every router, OS, phone and phone network these days has parental controls, but the plebs are so so stupid "da government needs to do something". FFS, if you're that worried just unplug the router at bedtime.