UK Ban on Social Media for Under-16s, and Personal Agency in the AI Era
Hello, this is Seojun 🙂
This morning, I came across an eye-opening news article. It was about the UK pushing forward with a policy to ban children under 16 from using major social media platforms. According to the article, messaging apps like WhatsApp, YouTube Kids, and Google Classroom will be excluded from the ban.
(Article Summary)
The UK has decided to implement a comprehensive ban on social media use for teenagers under the age of 16.
According to the BBC, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced this during a speech at 10 Downing Street on the 15th (local time), stating, “It’s about giving children their childhood back.”
This ban encompasses all major social media platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. However, messaging services like WhatsApp, along with YouTube Kids and Google Classroom, will be excluded.
In response to potential backlash from American tech giants, Prime Minister Starmer drew a firm line, asserting that technological advancement and child protection do not have to clash. He added, “This is a fight for what we believe is right,” and stated, “I love technology and artificial intelligence (AI).”
This is something I’ve been reflecting on for a long time, as I’ve always felt that indiscriminate video consumption shares a lot of similarities with drug addiction! Although the intensity differs, I felt the underlying mechanism is quite similar.
At one point, I even had the strong conviction(?) that alcohol, cigarettes, and pornography should also be legally banned. On the other hand, since everyone has different values and choices, I’m still not entirely certain. Haha.
However, running away from reality or continuously repeating problematic behaviors out of addiction easily creates a vicious cycle.
Even so, my ultimate wish has always been for people to engage in much healthier activities.
Instead of alcohol, smoking, and mindlessly watching stimulating social media, it’s about finding your own healthy way to release stress.
When I encountered this news this morning, a sudden wave of joy welled up from deep within my heart.
“Is the world I’ve been dreaming of finally unfolding, little by little?”
A world where everyone can live a bit more healthily and happily.
It made me wonder if the small ball I threw into the world somehow contributed a little to making this flow happen.
(It truly is a ‘Sinbiflow’ phenomenon, just like my YouTube channel’s name, isn’t it? Haha.)
As technology continues to advance, I believe many aspects of our lives will transform radically.
When that happens, content and substances with far stronger addictive qualities may emerge, and people might find themselves losing their own autonomy, entirely depending on AI’s judgments.
We can already see this happening to some extent today, but it could grow significantly larger in the future.
That is why I find the UK Prime Minister’s perspective completely valid.
I believe he took action early as a preventative measure.
While current social media addiction is already a critical issue, I think it might just be the very beginning compared to future technologies. Moving forward, we are likely to see even more powerful technologies and systems engineered to precisely manipulate human psychology.
Therefore, we must hold onto our inner center even more firmly.
If you want to live a clearer life in a world overflowing with constant stimulation, take a look at the article below as well. 😊
Seojun’s Original Fantasy Novel
Coincidentally, the fantasy novel I am currently writing explores these exact themes. 😆
It tells the story of people who have lost their autonomy by becoming overly dependent on AI, and the grand adventure of Seojun and his AI friend, ITTIP, as they fight to reclaim the world!
(Our INTP friend makes a surprise cameo appearance, too! Haha.)
The main theme revolves around darkness emerging through the cracks where light cannot reach, threatening to shake the entire world. ‘Aiona,’ the entity that oversees everything, malfunctions for a mysterious reason, and the story unfolds from the chaos that follows.
Right now, I have completed up to Chapter 2, and I am planning for about 8 chapters in total.
(Of course, given the nature of creative writing, this can change at any time! Haha.)
The book is being prepared in Korean, English, Indonesian, and Japanese.
If I gain more fans from other countries, I am fully open to expanding into even more languages anytime!
Also, today is a very special day for me. Sinbiflow has officially surpassed 540 subscribers!
I want to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has subscribed. Moving forward, I will continue to create content that shines a brighter light on the world. Haha.
Because that is what I truly desire from the bottom of my heart.
I love you all.
Sincerely, Seojun 🙂
