Seat belts and bike helmets probably do work, but making laws to enforce their use? I don't think so. I'm reminded of a conversation on my bike journey (passing through Humptulips, Washington) where we filled up our bottles from a garden hose, saying: "We're from the in-between generation that drinks from the hose but wears helmets."
Even imagining a law that would try to keep me from drinking from the hose makes me chuckle. - Though here in Mexico there have been such efforts to discourage people from drinking municipal tap water in favor of buying bottled water. Of course in the name of our well being!
I thought Australia had pretty strict gun laws already. But clearly, that doesn't keep people from getting one if they really want to. Or if they do, people will find another way to cause massive harm, such as driving a motor vehicle into a crowd. It has happened...
Will we have to give our ID to Facebook to prove we are 18? If that happens, it just goes to show that it has never been about the children's health and safety.
So how do I think parents should effectively protect their kids online? I suggest teaching them to identify the venom on the internet, become aware of what it does, calling it out for what it is, and staying away from it. Of course this is a long and ongoing process, which requires ideally more than two parents. But I'm sure friends, neighbors, and interested families can get together to do this. Kinda like how kids are collectively taught not to play with poisonous snakes and spiders (honestly, something I can only imagine, but supposedly is part of the Australian reality - please verify or correct me otherwise).
In Australia we are in the unique position of having had the law for so long we don't even think about it and just do it. It's almost instinctual. I wouldn't dream of not putting my belt on. I mean, I suppose the fine would suck but I also don't want to go through the windscreen. I'm glad they enforced these things. I'm not sure I would have been so consistent if it wasn't law.
I get the hosepipe thing, and I get we need to exercise our own freedoms and make our own choices, but sometimes a blanket law is worth it if it makes a difference. It's over regulation that frustrates me.
that doesn't keep people from getting one if they really want to.
Absolutely !! We do have strict laws unlike America access to assault rifles is hard. Those guys had shot guns. Imagine the carnage if they had assault rifles. And yep they totally can find other ways. But we also don't walk around with guns on our hips and in our bags. I definitely don't think guns are the problem here though. More increasing hate and division in the world and ASIO having one of them on a watch list but not checking he had six guns? Whatever Albanese does will be knee jerk but we also don't want to end up like the US.
I could not agree more. But they don't. As @tarazkp says in his comment above, parents are busy, teenagers don't do what they're told, parents don't really understand what is our there in digital spaces at all. "I wish I'd known, I wish he talked to me' from the kid who suicides from being bullied online. Parents don't know half of what kids do and the battle to keep kids from being under covers with their phone til 2 am? I mean I turned off the wifi at 10 every night and made Jarrah out his tech in the loungeroom. You bet that's a hell battle in most households. And honestly there's a lot of people out there who aren't great parents and / or are hopeless at setting limits. So I'm thinking the ban will make parenting a little easier.
Oh no we all have poisonous spiders as pets. Mine was called Sally and she helped with my homework. We wear snakes as scarves in winter and the help keep away other predators like crocodiles, unless you use one to ride to school but that's only up north.
Snakes and spiders: 😅 😂 🤣
But honestly, what a beautiful example you provided for an ideal setting, just begging to be applied to the context of Inernet dangers. One where kids know exactly about bullying, body-shaming, and cyber-violence, AND know how to react to it. They'd use it to exemplify the undesirable, and stick together to keep each other from becoming victims to it. They were probably shown by their parents, aunts, neighbors, teachers, friends' parents, etc. until they have become so good at it that they teach their younger peers. Oh, what a lovely ideal setting.
Back to reality, I have to agree with @tarazkp that most parents are too busy and unaware. And yes, I take his word for it, after reading several of his post where he discusses the challenges of parenting, even in a socially friendly place, like the one he lives in. Not being a parent myself, I can only respect this.
Still, the idea of surrendering to some ginormous entity far away just rubs me the wrong way, no matter if it's the government or a tech company.
I totally agree with you. I'm always about balance so can definitely see both sides... I think someone has to do away with the power tech companies have, and I don't think kids should be online the way they are... So I also think this really isn't a bad rule especially coz we don't allow kids to drink etc. idk. We will see.
This may drift into another topic but after writing my comment yesterday, I kept thinking about how the biggest problem mentioned is that parents have no time for their kids. And then there is the question being raised a lot these days, as to how people would spend their time if IA took all our jobs? Well, teaching our children seems like an obvious answer. And here I would probably even include each other's children, as well as grown adults, who may need some nice care and attention.