I'm going to take it as a given that we all agree that ID-gating the internet is harmful to society at large, to the rights of free expression & association, anomymous speech, privacy, etc.

That's not the topic I want to address.

2/N

Rather, I want to address the objection of "yes, ID-gating is harmful, but so is exposing kids to the Bad Stuff on the internet, so we have to do something about it, right?"

Because this seems to be what a number of people who see themselves as reasonable actually believe, or purport to believe.

3/N

First, if you're going to take this position, you have to be clear about what actual "threat" you're trying to mitigate.

Is it kids accidentally stumbling across porn and being traumatized, or just given unrealistic and harmful perspectives on what sex is, by it? 🙄 Or it is kids seeking it out when you don't want them to?

Because these are vastly different problems, and as soon as you start to break it down to considering them separately, the idea of ID-gating as a solution starts to sound rather sus.

4/N

In particular, if the problem you want to solve is "oh noes they're gonna accidentally stumble across pr0n!!" then all you need is confirmation of intent. A click-through that you understand what's on the site you're about to visit and that it's appropriate for you. Same thing reputable sites have always done.

And if the problem is that you're trying to stop a kid who's trying to find porn, all you're going to do is teach them about circumvention methods.

5/N

But here's where I want to challenge the assumptions at a deeper level:

Yes, most porn is likely harmful for kids to see. Especially in the context of not already having a comprehensive sex ed background, way beyond the level that's politically feasible to offer. It often ignores consent, normalizes entitlement to women's attention and bodies, portrays completely backwards gender power dynamics, normalizes gendered (and often also racialized) violence as part of sex, etc.

But guess what?

So does every fucking piece of incel-pop played on the radio while you're driving your kids to school, as background when you take them shopping, etc. etc. etc.

6/N