Birthdays

[Ashley]

My birth date is approximate and I don't particularly want to hide it because aging is something I need to talk about here, not as in I don't think a 12 year old could relate to me or I could relate to a 12 year old, just that I think it's relevant backstory.

Thank you from me too for not locking under sixteens out. The point of the GDPR was to provide transparency and choice about data collection and kids do have to live with their digital footprints longer than we adults do, but turning EVERYTHING into over sixteen spaces seems awfully harsh.

Twelve year olds grew up on the internet. We call their generation "digital natives". If we lock them out of the only social spaces and sources of information they know, that's called "solitary confinement", isn't it?

It's extra work but I wouldn't personally enjoy an adults-only internet. I've gotten some great advice from under-16s and they are often the only people with enough time, energy, and sense of humour to teach us oldsters how to get the most enjoyment out of our tech and avoid making the most obvious online and interpersonal mistakes.