"From TikTok's infinite scroll to chatbots like xAI's Grok that can spin up uncensored answers to almost any question in seconds, addictive and inappropriate online options leave legislators and regulators worried. The result is a new kind of arms race: Lawmakers, often spooked by headlines about mental health, extremism, or sexual exploitation, are turning to age gates, usage caps, and outright bans as solutions to social media's problems."
""Right now, the regulatory debate seems to exclusively focus on how certain internet services are net negatives, and banning access to minors to such services," says Catalina Goanta, associate professor in private law and technology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. That black-and-white approach is easy for politicians to parse, but doesn't necessarily [communicate] the nuance involved in tech and its potential for good."
Governments, platforms, and campaigners are promoting policies to reduce children's online time and require companies to verify users' ages. Addictive features like TikTok's infinite scroll and powerful chatbots such as xAI's Grok raise concerns about exposure to inappropriate or uncensored content. Lawmakers respond with age gates, usage caps, bans, and other restrictions aimed at protecting minors from mental-health risks, extremism, and sexual exploitation. The regulatory debate often frames certain services as net negatives and focuses on barring minors' access, but scientific evidence indicates harm depends on many contextual factors beyond device possession. Some proposed laws, including age-verification and parental-consent measures, have faced legal or political pushback.
Read at Fast Company
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