• Powderhorn@beehaw.org
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    7 days ago

    Just going off my experience with stepsons a decade ago – so, before the manosphere bullshit had hit its stride – teens will look things up specifically because it disagrees with their upbringing. This isn’t all bad, as it exposes them to new ideas (something the boys desperately needed after a decade of praise for agreeing with anything mom said), and it’s a logical progression from earlier methods of being rebellious.

    To me, the larger issue is the amount of demand for such content moreso than its existence. People have been saying ignorant shit online since BBSs and likely earlier. The issue is parents aren’t pushing back. Being grounded but retaining one’s phone is just a vacation from parental intrusion.

    We aren’t talking about kids who need phones for 2FA to conduct banking. “But then how will my friends reach me?” “Doesn’t really matter since you’re grounded.” Any parent who relies on their kids having a cell phone to keep tabs on them is a rather lousy parent. Engage with them in person to steer them in the right direction.