Let's be clear: this is a first step. The obvious next step is to require proof of age.

This ties in nicely with the international movement to require ID to use social media.

Why is this an international movement? Suddenly, simultaneously, all over the Western world? It's enough to make on believe in conspiracies...

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fruitworks 14 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Why are all of these attempts at controlling the web coinciding at the same time now? I don't think it is a coincidence that this is happening at the same time that the younger generation wakes up to our greatest ally.

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gzread 11 hours ago | parent [-]

Because there's only one internet and it's becoming a problem for every country at the same time because it's the same problem.

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06867457397658 9 hours ago | parent [-]

Free thought and dissent is truly a problem for these regimes.

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gzread 7 hours ago | parent [-]

There's free thought and dissent, and then there's teaching a child from birth that Obama is a lizard person.

	▲	hellojesus 6 hours ago \| parent [-]
		This is where parents come into play...

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azangru 15 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> Why is this an international movement? Suddenly, simultaneously, all over the Western world?

Sometimes kids hurt themselves through the use of the internet. And their parents lash out to blame someone [0]. And mainstream media pick up these stories. And the worry spreads. And more and more adults of voting age say that yeah, it's only reasonable to protect the kids from that internet monster, because kids are trusting and vulnerable, and won't somebody please think of the children. And they do not push back against age restriction campaigns. And so it goes...

As for the Western world, it generally moves in lockstep, doesn't it?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024x58

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wao0uuno 14 hours ago | parent [-]

So where are those big protests and public calls for online age verification? It all seems to be coming from the very top. I have not heard of anyone that actually want any of this. The fact that politicians are to be excluded from European regulations is only a proof that it's all a scheme to kill what remains of privacy and freedom of speech online.

	▲	gzread 11 hours ago \| parent [-]
		First, this isn't age verification. At least the California one isn't. Second, where are the protests to keep kids out of bars?

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3A2D50 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I'll echo what I've already said elsewhere in the comment section. It's about AI! Particularly massive swarms of persuasive AI controlled by an adversary convincing the public to elect bad people with bad policies. Also, companies that rely on ad revenue would love to serve ads only to humans instead of bots.