topic: role of Internet and youth rights evolution
I believe two way communication that extends beyond one’s own local area, has been one of the biggest helps for the evolution of youth rights.
I believe the 1940s through 70s, they had the existence of something called party lines where a group of people could talk at the same time on the telephone. that could extend local area a little, but because they had area codes, youth were still restricted in locality.
but with modems and BBS’s and the internet, 1980s and 1990s allowed for more and more used to communicate outside of their schools and local towns.
but the adult world saw this as a danger. Youth online were seen as hackers and miscreants, or potential victims of some mustache guy with a wood panel basement.
A bunch of legislation tried to be passed to restrict new activities. The 1996 telecommunications act was actually designed to restrict youth, but was so cut into pieces that all was left over was the idea that telecommunication companies wouldn’t be responsible for what people post.
even though every country had their own Internet laws, at the time, the ones for the United States ended up affecting more of the world than just the US.
more and more youth got online, no longer just nerds and hackers, but everyday youth too, and they were able to coalesce via their common interests whatever they were.
The advent of YouTube in 2005 allowed everybody with a webcam to become a broadcaster.
smartphones made it portable.
New service is popped up, apps on phones, social networks etc
thanks to the odd 1998 COPPA, one of the few youth related laws to actually pass federally in the USA at the time for the Internet, social networks generally became 13+
13+ was not ideal for youth rights but it certainly would be an improvement from 18+ – or 16+ etc.
and so “13” remain the unofficial age of general adulthood on the Internet.
but legislation over the past few years have been eroding, even that.
[responsivevoice_button voice="US English Male"]