Classici Stranieri

Florida is considering a law that would ban people under 16 years old
from making accounts on some sorts of platforms, if they have addictive
design features.

The law says this applies if a social media platform “utilizes addictive,
harmful, or deceptive design features, or any other feature that is
designed to cause an account holder to have an excessive or compulsive
need to use or engage with the social media platform.”

It is going to be hard for courts to decide what sites that law does
or doesn’t apply to.

Such dis-services are unjust, and harmful to people of any age. I
would suggest simply prohibiting such features.

Like many others, I am concerned that this law will result in a requirement
for users to identify themselves, for age verification. There are systems
which make it possible to verify someone’s age without being able to learn
per identity — GNU Taler can be used that way. But we can’t take for granted
that the platforms will implement it that way.