I don’t think the government should be banning kids from using certain parts of the internet because of perceived harm. Kids need to explore the internet for themselves in order to learn first-hand about the dangers. I mean, the same argument for social media can be applied for everything on the internet. Search engine results are full of scams, are be banning search engines too? News sites are full of misleading information, lets ban news sites? So the only source of information is now from schools who can also be biased and in some places are just regurgitating government propaganda. In red states, schools are constantly telling LGBT+ kids that they are commiting “sins” and they are “mentally ill”, and they might have very conservative parents with no sympathy. Are we really gonna stop kids from going online and seek support? If kids can’t even be allowed to explore the digital world, how are we also allowing them to explore the physical world, where there are physical dangers?

In an ideal scenario, kids should be allowed to freely explore the internet, but should have parents that they trust to talk to in case they face any danger or harassment, so the parents can help them deal with it.

Eventually, kids are gonna grow up, and a kid with zero online experience their entire life suddenly gaining free access to all of the internet is a recipe for disaster.

Its like not teaching kids sex ed, then when they get old enough, they’ll end up having unprotected sex.

Edit: Not to mention, social media ban is not very enforcible. Even in China, an authoritarian regime, is unable to stop kids from gaming, they just steal their grandparents IDs and play anyways. Do y’all really want a democratic country to suspend civil rights and start privacy intrusions?