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Josh Hawley wants to kill social media [1]

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Date: 2023-02-15  

This month, Senator Josh “Sprinter” Hawley (R-MO) introduced a bill that would require social media websites to require new users to prove they are above age 16. You would have to submit your full legal name and a copy of your idea to create a new account. Ostensibly, this is to keep kids under the age of 16 from using social media at all.

Please note that Hawley comes from a state that lets kids openly carry rifles in public. But lets judge this bill on it’s own merits, shall we?

I’m not a parent, but I used to be a child. In my judgement, there are kids who could get into lots of trouble if they had access to Facebook. But social media can be a tool for learning as well. Maybe a kid might use Facebook to start a campaign to clean up litter in the park. Kids mature and develop at different rates. There are 12 year olds who can be trusted with power tools, and there are 17 year olds who can’t be allowed to have sharp objects. Neither I nor Josh Hawley know what’s best for your kid. You decide if your kid should have access to the Internet, and what they are allowed to use it for.

One common-sense way for kids and adults to protect their identity is to NOT submit their real life info to a website. Hawley’s bill goes against this common sense. He isn’t trying to protect kids with this bill. He hates social media and is working towards killing it off altogether. That doesn’t just include Facebook and Twitter, that includes DailyKos and any website that lets users speak their minds.



Even though this bill stands no chance passing, Hawley is clearly trying to mobilize an anti-social media movement. Nobody is stopping them from logging off altogether or creating their own websites that adhere to their values. But he won’t be satisfied until he ruins a good thing that everyone else enjoys.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/15/2153186/-Josh-Hawley-wants-to-kill-social-media

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