mekka okereke Mar 3, 2023

🤡Oh we're uploading charts about why teens are unhappy? And saying it's "the phones" or "the apps?"

Well, let me upload my charts!

Showing that:
* Black kids are online *much more* than white kids.
* Black kids have seen *much less* increase in depression since 2011.

🙂🙃

Show threadmekka okereke Mar 3, 2023

If you ask older conservative adjacent dudes what's making teens depressed, they'll confidently tell you "smartphones and apps!"

But if you ask teens what's making them depressed, they'll tell you "older conservative adjacent dudes."

The racist people that used to target Black teens online, in real life, at school, at the doctor's office...

...have now started targeting white teens, online, in real life, at school, and at the doctor's office.

Like we said they would. 🤷🏿‍♂️

Show threadmekka okereke Mar 3, 2023

Picture a white teenage girl posting the following on Instagram:

"Feeling blessed! I just voted for Katie Porter, because she supports reproductive rights and gun control and anti-racism! I personally don't plan to have kids. I can't afford it! And I care about the environment."

Show threadmekka okereke Mar 3, 2023

There's a good chance that she could wind up the target of several different F*x News segments or attacks by sitting politicians.

I count at least 6 issues she could be attacked for, and receive online threats of violence for.

Yeah, that might make her unhappy.

Show threadmekka okereke Mar 3, 2023

That's before we even get to the unhappiness from unhealthy comparison to others.

If your solution for increasing her happiness is "Just don't be online!" Then I don't know what to tell you. I can't even argue with that. We're too far apart to even have a meaningful conversation.

Show threadmekka okereke Mar 3, 2023

Yes, a Black teen girl posting that same thing to Instagram would receive the same abuse. Worse actually.

But your racist F*x News watching relatives have been dishing this abuse out to Black folk since forever. It's not new to us.

What's new is that the hate has now come for your kids.

Show threadsecretslothMar 3, 2023
@mekkaokereke exactly this. My kid has been getting pro-Nazi ads on YouTube for years - and cannot report them, or stop them, even though their account is listed as underage, *because it is being done via paid advertisement.* They aren't really on social media, but do watch videos made by friends or recommended by friends - YouTube is literally trying to recruit my kid, and yours, to be a literal Nazi, and good luck doing a damn thing about it. Poor kid has been so upset by this.
Show threadmarkMar 3, 2023
@secretsloth @mekkaokereke give us money or we will turn your kid into a nazi is one hell of a business plan
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKMar 3, 2023

@ATLeagle @secretsloth @mekkaokereke

I have all the ads fully blocked, but since 2018 when I finally decided to learn to drive and got my licence in 2019, I've been constantly getting right wing conspiracy videos in amongst anything car-related. What concerns me is although I was older when this started (late 40s), my viewing profile would exactly match a younger lad in their teens who is interested in cars and driving, and that lad would be more vulnerable to the propaganda..

Show threadsecretsloth
@vfrmedia @ATLeagle @mekkaokereke yeah that's what upsets my kid also, they mostly watch gaming videos their friends post, and what's worse, some of it happens *on the school accounts,* the ones the high school created that the parents have no control over (i.e., no way to anonymize any data, the kids' real names and birthdays are directly connected), during breaks at school. It's truly disturbing, and it absolutely should not be happening.
Mar 3, 2023 at 5:12pmWeb
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKMar 3, 2023

@secretsloth @ATLeagle @mekkaokereke

this is increasingly classed as a safeguarding concern in UK/Europe, although I'm not sure what is currently being done about it, and I fear that the govts (both UK and EU) will swing to the opposite extreme and start regulating online content hard, to the point that USA corps (having lost ad revenue) doesn't just take its ball home but pours petrol into the entire playground and lights up the lot (denying the kids the positive aspects of social media) >>

Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKMar 3, 2023

@secretsloth @ATLeagle @mekkaokereke

its already the case I cannot view half the USA news website links my mutuals post as the companies have made a commercial decision to block Europeans due to GDPR preventing them using the same adtech software common in America, I only expect this to become more widespread as laws regarding what is acceptable online diverge between nations...

Show threadsecretslothMar 3, 2023
@vfrmedia ohhhhhh I see what you mean there. Internationally, it's possible, but I suspect more companies will fill in those gaps. Truthfully, I don't think big tech is as invincible as it thinks - it's big, but LOTS of people have already left, my kid doesn't want anything to do with the big companies, their friends don't either, because of all the spying they do. It might take some time, but I think it will end up with the US isolated, more than anything. Our laws are crap.
Show threadsecretslothMar 3, 2023
@vfrmedia @ATLeagle @mekkaokereke I don't think that will work, I'm not sure if you have kids, but... I honestly think the time to try to restrict kids' access in ANY way whatsoever for their own protection has passed. However, I don't think the corps will do that, since the younger set is still a large part of their audience, more likely they'll make some claims to be fixing it, and attempt to mask the problem, that's their usual tactic.