Grappler Truth Teller Feller wrote on Nov 23
rd, 2024 at 3:15pm:
Now let's just see if any of the idjits here can actually engage in serious discussion over a serious issue that impacts on young lives in so many ways
That's just dripping with good faith isn't it...
Quote:I just love it when you read a thousand word dialogue about how bad I am at discussing fairly - from someone who claims to discuss fairly.... those kinds are clearly products of the modern education system and also of social media impacting on their fragile minds....
Come on in, Monkey Gang.... you can't seriously discuss Aboriginal issues without lapsing into barbarism of insult and personal attack and (ooooh) attacks with harsh language..... (LMAO) ... what have to contribute other than your personal misguided bile?
You've just described your own behaviour.
Quote:I'd certainly like to give it a try because it's a very important issue and there many layers to it from the harm it can do to children and their development to the tools being suggested to help deal with it.
This issue is profound and multifaceted, defying the simplicity of one-liners. While risking accusations of long-winded puffery, I will attempt a genuine, good-faith discussion, even with you, Grap, despite the missteps in your original post.
As someone from the last generation to grow up without the omnipresence of social media, I can’t truly fathom what kids experience today. Their brains are still developing while navigating a world of constant connectivity, a landscape I was fortunate to avoid during my formative years.
I take issue with the term cyberbullying. It’s just bullying. The platform doesn’t redefine the act, but in a hyper-connected world, it does make it inescapable. It used to be that home offered refuge, at least until the next school day. Now, even at the dinner table (in households where tech is permitted), children may endure the relentless drip of abuse via their devices.
This, to me, is more of a bullying issue than a tech issue. The connected world is here to stay, be it social media, messaging apps, or plain old SMS. Targeting just one platform won’t solve the broader problem. Focusing solely on the medium misses the mark. That is assuming of course, that bullying is the only concern with social media, which I don't believe that to be true.
For me, the larger issue with social media affecting all ages, but especially children, is its deliberate design to maximise engagement. It feeds users a tailored, endless stream of content engineered to capture attention, manipulate emotions, and drive interaction. Even as adults, many of us lack defences against these mechanisms. For children, whose neural pathways are still forming, the risks are amplified.
These platforms shape perceptions, reinforce biases, and peddle misinformation. Worse, they tie dopamine rewards to notifications, fostering compulsive behaviour and training the brain to seek constant digital affirmation. This has lifelong implications.
I support school bans on devices, but as with so many well-intentioned plans, implementation has not been perfect. The truth is, I don’t believe social media is appropriate for children or even young teens. The risks far outweigh the rewards. When adults routinely fail to navigate the sea of misinformation online, how can we expect kids to fare better?
So, what about solutions?
Age restrictions on social media platforms are one approach, but enforcing them without creating a privacy nightmare is a monumental challenge. How do we verify someone’s age without exposing everyone else’s identity? And if restrictions are imposed on the big platforms like X, Instagram, and Facebook, should they also extend to messaging services like WhatsApp, Telegram, or even internet forums?
The problem is undeniable, but implementing solutions risks creating new and potentially larger issues. I wish I had a definitive answer, but I’m not sure there even is one. What we do know is that ignoring the problem isn’t an option, it demands thoughtful, collective action.
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