Social Media Ban

Teenagers of the world rejoice! The Government’s announcement today of a proposed social media ban will not lead to a big increase in VPN use, widespread surveillance and associated privacy disasters, with mass evasion rendering the whole thing a little bit pointless. Oh no. This is hard-hitting, well-calibrated, evidence-led policymaking. Naysayers who think this smacks of vibe-based policy founded on shaky research that only affects those who don’t vote…wind your neck in. You can already hear the sound of children lacing up their shoes, ready to throw off the shackles of their smartphone and rediscover climbing trees, cycling to the park, scrumping apples, and whatever else teenagers might have been doing in 1950s America before Mark Zuckerberg ruined it all. Never mind the fact that when the Online Safety Act’s age checks went live last July, Proton VPN’s UK sign-ups jumped more than 1,400% within minutes. Half the top-ten apps in the UK App Store that day were VPNs or verification…