Comment by phicoh
6 days ago
There is a huge attack surface for this. For example, kid manages to buy an old phone. Resets the phone and creates an account. Kid buys something like a Pi 3 manages to get a regular phone to become an access point. Etc. If a laptop is not completely locked down, a kid might boot a live USB stick.
Barriers like that for accessing 18+ sites would be so much better than nothing.
And cheat devices can be taken away as soon as the parent notices them.
The problem is that these laws tend to escalate. Once a government starts regulating, it doesn't stop.
It is also the wrong model. Instead of creating child-safe devices, just like there is a difference between toys and power tools, this regulation pretends that all devices are child safe and parents have to figure out which ones really aren't.
Well basically nobody is making child safe computers for ages over 7. Sitting around hoping that changes isn't useful.
So trying to force a very very basic child safe mode makes sense.
And I don't think this regulation pretends all devices are child safe.