> I'm thankful this kind of stuff didnt exist when I grew up.
If I had a nickel for every time I've heard an adult say this phrase lately, I'd be rich! Did adults used to say this phrase 30 years ago? What are we doing to ourselves and our kids?
I'm sure every generation says it - but working in tech and being a staunch advocate of privacy I can't help but think it really is different this time.
If my thoughts as a kid had been subject to outside scrutiny I don't know if I would have made it this far in life. Maybe I would've been better at hiding, but I think that is extremely detrimental to long term mental health.
It's kinda crazy. We say this - but I suspect we are a minority.
Simply because "we" (some of us - not I) are parents of kids in these systems, but there are other parents of our age with kids in these systems who like them just fine - and I suspect there's more of them.
Otherwise - why would "we" let these systems exist, if "we" are glad they didn't exist back when "we" were in school?
I also suspect that those parents of our age who do support this today would also side with our views as well - if they were presented back when "we" were kids.
But for some reason - I don't know how, why, or when or... - but people seem to somehow forget their past as children. I don't know if this is deliberate (in some cases it might be, possibly for valid or at least rational reasons - such as abuse or whatnot) - or if something else is going on...?
Why is it that "we" (here on HN or elsewhere) can self-introspect and say "wow, I wouldn't have liked this as a kid - so why would I think my kid would like it, or their friends; heck I wouldn't like it myself as an adult" - but a larger majority (it seems) of adults seem to be unable to place themselves back in the shoes of their younger selves?
Are we the strange ones? If it's all about numbers alone, we might be...
Are we the strange ones? If it's all about numbers alone, we might be...
A lot of it is ignorance, I think, not in a derogatory sense but simply not understanding the nature of the technologies now being used, the potential consequences if they are abused or defective, and the other possibilities that might improve the situation. Not everyone is or wants to be a technical expert. Unfortunately, that includes the politicians and lawyers and regulators who are generally charged with helping average people to avoid complex threats they don't understand and can't effectively defend against themselves.
The problem is that in this case, there are also strong motivations for some powerful groups that do understand these technologies to exploit them, from making more profit for big tech businesses to increasing the powers of state intelligence agencies to intrude into ordinary people's lives. Rather ironically, these data-gathering organisations also tend to be unable to see the bigger picture, and without any similarly powerful organisations to challenge aspects of the technology that might be less desirable, politicians just hear about economic growth or better security or whatever other headline benefit, while the steady erosion of everyone's basic rights and freedoms continues.
> It's kinda crazy. We say this - but I suspect we are a minority.
I'm not sure I agree there. For example, I've heard stories where parents don't really want their children to use Instagram... however, they also don't want their kids to be excluded. If all other kids are on Instagram, the parents don't want their child to be excluded. It's kind of a trap if all parents feel this way.
I've heard stories of those parents getting together and collectively agreeing that they will all simultaneously ban their children from using Instagram so that no one feels excluded.
So in your example of "we"... it could be that "we" all feel this way, but we need to raise our voices together instead of as individuals.
My parents lamented the lack of outside-school responsibilities (such as having to raise animals on a farm, both did so) as much as anything else. I think that is a far cry from "limited freedom to leave the house on my own", "digital bullying" (the personal bullying was sufficient, I'm grateful it didn't extend to my time at home), and "authoritative surveillance".
The scope of changes between pre-tech childhood and post-tech is simply huge. Quite possibly unprecedented in history.
My instinctive reaction whenever I hear the phrase "think of the children" these days is along the lines of "I am thinking of the children, and I don't want them to have to grow up in the world you are trying to create, which is why I disagree with what you're doing".
Chipping in my nickel here... I believe that my life as a kid was easier than what my own kids have now. It was less cutthroat, more forgiving, more free in terms of having chances to learn and explore things on my own. Some of the reasons are inflicted by society and technology, some doubtlessly by their parents (including me).
Stats on things like depression and suicide might reflect this, don't know enough of the details to say for sure.
