I can anecdotally tell you growing up as a child and then teen with internet access with little regulation led me (was a minor back then) to having virtual sexual interactions with adults and other minors. I’m sure pictures are stored in a server somewhere still. Lots of emotional damage and shame and regret from those interactions and how much time I wasted and feeling used by adults. And there were a lot of minors my age addicted and having sexual interactions with adults online, and even more nowadays. It took a long time for me to find support and slowly leave my addictions and obsessions, felt imprisoned by my own desires. Luckily, having good friends and company around me and telling some close friends about my struggles and finding support groups online helped me get better. Also found much comfort in religion and spiritual guidance.
Listen, I know my original comment was short, just basically yelling "prove it". The reason is that while I don't doubt your anecdote is true that's not sufficient when making laws that restrict freedoms. You should also know this, thinking that something should be regulated for everyone because of your own personal experience is wrong and scares me that you do that.
The thing is, there are many other children and teens who went through similar experiences like me. And I don’t think any child or teen should be subjected to that level of internet wilderness, not at least until they’ve gotten more sense in their head. Are you willing to support a status quo where some children and teens continue to face these issues?
I don’t see it as a freedom issue, I felt less free being manipulated by adults. I feel more free having more control over what I choose to do with my time instead of coercion via hormones.
Anyways the question is, do we really want to hurt children and teens for the sake of some adults not having to upload their IDs? I understand there are many privacy issues with this, but I’m not sure you’d understand my viewpoint unless you realize the scale of minor sexual activity with adults occurring online.
