Comment by slopinthebag
5 days ago
Consuming social media doesn't have an inescapable negative impact on other people, unlike burning leaded fuel. In the same way that eating junk food doesn't. Should we ban junk food? What else do you want to ban from others just because it has a risk profile you personally don't feel comfortable with?
> Consuming social media doesn't have an inescapable negative impact on other people
You don't think large portions an entire generation(s) getting cooked by social media doesn't have negative externalities that impact society as a whole?
I don't think anybody has the moral authority to regulate such second-order effects.
Should unhealthy food be banned because of the second-order effects of obesity? What about mandatory church / religious service? After all, I judge that atheism has negative second-order effects on the world. Where would I get this moral authority from?
For fuzzy second order effects you have fuzzy second order impacting laws.
You increase disclosure norms, you increase monitoring and you ensure marketing and packaging norms that disclose the potential risks.
You aren’t allowed to put up booze and cigarette stores near schools. These are not new problems that humanity has never encountered before.
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