IshKebab | Hacker News

Comment by IshKebab | original | California lawmakers unanimously pass Linux exemption from age-verification law

[−]IshKebab · 2026-08-30 Sun 09:36 UTC · link

I have no problem with that as long as it's not the government controlling the age verification. It should be a parent. And as a parent I want the ability to properly control my children's devices - the fact that Apple, and especially Google pretty much ignored this feature until now is a big part of why we have these dumb laws in the first place.

Think about it - if every phone you got asked you at first config "are you over 18? If not ask a parent to set up this device" then everyone would know about that capability and "think of the children" would be met with "parents can just click a button"...

[−]noir_lord · 2026-08-30 Sun 10:52 UTC · link

> And as a parent I want the ability to properly control my children's devices

    * https://www.apple.com/uk/child-safety/
    * https://families.google/familylink/
    * https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/family-safety

You already have the ability, all parents do, that some (or most) haven't is why this crap gets proposed in the first place and used as a justification for invading everyone's privacy.

If (some) parents actually parented instead of abdicating that role to the state/education system then this tripe would get far less traction - though cynically they'd just switch to the other argument they always trot out.

[−]phoghed · 2026-08-30 Sun 11:11 UTC · link

Yes, if everyone did everything correctly every time in perpetuity, we wouldn’t need laws. Very astute observation.

Unfortunately, things haven’t worked out that way so far.

[−]Plont · 2026-08-30 Sun 12:08 UTC · link

Oh no, some people are terrible at cooking. Better ban cooking without a license. Giving your neighbor a home baked pie is now a crime unless you're a licensed pastry chef.

[−]phoghed · 2026-08-30 Sun 12:28 UTC · link

That’s correct. We only need one law. Restaurant food poisoned you? NAP violation.

Even that might be too much. As you’ve insightfully illustrated, 1 law is a slippery slope to infinite laws. Next thing you know we need a license to toast bread in our own damn toasters.

[−]cyanydeez · 2026-08-30 Sun 13:06 UTC · link

i mean, we know people are terrible at driving, so we give them license.

We know poeople are terrible with guns so we...um..try to protect their freedom to be terrible.

These arguments are about values not control gates.

[−]gblargg · 2026-08-30 Sun 12:22 UTC · link

We don't need most laws.

[−]torginus · 2026-08-30 Sun 14:00 UTC · link

I thank my concerned parents for locking down my computer as a young teen, for giving me motivation to study computer security in detail :)