Rex Kerr
Jan 14, 2025

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I don't think the evidence is very good that the kind-of-arbitrary threshold we drew when we were thinking about historical realities aligns well with the challenges of social media. We need to figure out something, but given how poorly age-restricting alcohol or sexual activity goes, I wouldn't expect that "zero, until you're 18, and then unconditional" is the right stance.

Also, we don't unconditional much of anything because people can find pernicious ways to exploit unconditionality. Freedom of movement does not include the freedom to go into someone else's house. Freedom of speech generally has some limits around libel and incitement of panic. Economic freedom doesn't include lying about what your products do, disappearing when caught, and then doing it again and again under different guises.

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Rex Kerr
Rex Kerr

Written by Rex Kerr

One who rejoices when everything is made as simple as possible, but no simpler. Sayer of things that may be wrong, but not so bad that they're not even wrong.

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