By Ria Mirchandani
Ria is a high school student and member of the ConnectSafely Youth Advisory Council.
Editor’s Note: Inspired by the conversation at ConnectSafely’s January Youth Advisory Council meeting, Ria reflects on some of the topics discussed at the meeting by her fellow council members.
Age Verification
In January, Roblox implemented a new AI-powered age-verification system that estimates users’ age from a face scan. This feature is intended to protect Roblox’s younger audience and prevent harmful relationships from forming during gameplay. However, many of Roblox’s most popular games involve communicating with other players to build out storylines or strategize. Another concern about the verification is their use of Biometric Data. The items that they ask for, a photograph of an ID and a selfie, could be extremely detrimental if leaked to the wrong individuals. Roblox ensures that their service provider, Persona, will permanently erase Biometric Data within 30 days of collection. This promise, though reassuring in the long run, does not entirely guarantee safety against hackers. As this feature continues to be rolled out and implemented across Roblox games, the question arises of whether or not its benefits will outweigh its harms.
Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban
In a similar vein, Australia has made significant steps in a worldwide movement to protect young people from dangerous exposure on social media. In a landmark policy, the Australian government has banned children under 16 from 10 social media platforms. Other countries are following the ban extremely closely, as it may set a precedent for their own decision-making.
As a 17-year-old, I have mixed feelings about this ban. On one hand, social media has made it a lot easier to stay in touch with friends from middle school and connect with my friends over common interests. At the same time, it often feels exhausting to constantly keep up with posts and trends from my peers online.
I believe that Australian legislators have good intentions and genuinely want to provide a solution to the anxiety that occurs amongst young people as a result of their social media use. However, moving forward, I would urge policymakers to consult youth in their decision-making. With issues that directly impact teens, such as this one, I believe it is essential to take the thoughts and ideas of young people into consideration.
AI Impacting our Jobs
In these past few months, artificial intelligence has become even more integrated into our everyday lives. Though many of us try to avoid it as much as we can, AI appears on nearly every website and is seemingly unavoidable.
In its latest form, generative AI can analyze documents, summarize data, and create content, in many cases, more effectively than a human. As a result of AI’s rapid advances, there is growing concern that AI will replace jobs in future generations. There is some truth in this, but the situation is nuanced. According to researchers at MIT’s Sloan School of Management, AI has mainly displaced routine and middle-skill jobs, such as “clerical work and basic bookkeeping,” while more lucrative roles, such as management analysts and architectural jobs, have shrunk considerably less. Still, this issue will continue to change and develop as we become more reliant on AI— or as more countries pass policies that limit the use of AI in the workplace.
Reverting to Analog
Point-and-shoot digital cameras, record players, CDs, and film cameras have taken the internet by storm. Scrolling on my Instagram feed, I am bound to see at least two or three posts with the signature glow and quality of a digital camera photo. Throughout this past year, digital cameras (affectionately known online as “digi-cams”) have had a massive resurgence as an alternative to phone camera apps. In fact, many of my peers are paying over $1,000 to buy a digital camera, such as the viral and sold-out Canon G7 Mark III. I believe this turn away from our phones is part of a larger movement to return to analog or traditional mediums.
With the amount of information accessible on our phones that is one click away, the influx of information can easily become overwhelming. Also, the urge to return to music technology from the 1980s, like vinyl records and cassette tapes, signifies that people crave simpler, more straightforward ways of interacting with technology.
Another analog-related device that has been repeatedly showing up on my social media pages is the Brick. Created by two Gen-Zers who grew up with smartphones, the Brick aims to block distractions on phones in a physical way. Although there are many apps that digitally block social media and games, the Brick is different because it is a magnet that you tap your phone against. For some people, this might help combat the reliance that we have on our phones and return to the “real world.” Personally, I am interested in seeing how this experiment plays out in real time, but instead of using this, I will try to build long-term strategies to minimize my social media use.
I think there is a unique pleasure in placing the needle on a vinyl record and listening to it spin, one that streaming apps do not provide. I hope to see more people turn to physical mediums like digital cameras and records, but at the same time, develop healthier relationships with their phone and productive ways to balance the online and physical worlds.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and some other members of ConnectSafely’s Youth Advisory Council. They do not necessarily represent the views of the Council as a whole or ConnectSafely.