The UK just banned social media for people under 16. Should we in the U.S. do that too?
The ban takes effect next year and applies to social media sites but not messaging apps. Every user must now verify their age in order to access those sites. That means providing credit card information, government issued ID, or as an alternative, a facial age scan with AI.
Australia has also banned social media for under 16, as have Indonesia, Malaysia, China, and Brazil. A few U.S. states, mainly in the South, have already passed age restrictions or will soon.
So far, the issue seems to cut across party lines both in opposition to and support for, and obviously there are well documented mental health and addiction related concerns.
But what about censorship? Because forcing everyone to verify their age means uploading government issued IDs, credit card info and yes, AI face scans to these sites. How would this affect privacy anonymity? Maybe less posting if it’s immediately tied back to you? What about people who post political content (asking for…me)?
I’d love to know where you stand on this, so please comment with your thoughts.
Ben Sheehan is a political commentator and digital creator. He specializes in civics education, which is showcased in his latest book, What Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy Is Supposed to Work. Check out his Substack, Politics Made Easy.
