As I was saying, censorship is the thin end of the wedge, the government wants to control anything and everything, they’ll use any excuse to keep control, that is a fact.
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The government can’t have it both ways Boomer, they provide us with a portal (the internet) to access all areas of our private lives to keep us informed with their propaganda and brainwashing, but then moan when we use it to group together and realise that we are being taken for fools and sussed out their agenda.
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The Genie is out of the bottle…and rampant!
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There is a lot in this one sentence.
Removing social media access is not, on its own and in of itself, censorship. If information or messages needs to be shared then there are other mechanisms with which to do that. So its not the message that is being restricted - it is the mechanism of sharing a message. And here it is only being restricted from a certain group (under 16’s).
Unfettered sharing of messages can be good but also be bad. Social media is awash with lies, misinformation, abuse, propaganda and short videos of fluffy kittens. Some of this is harmless and some of this is most definitely harmful. The social media platforms have shown themselves to be unwilling to control the harmful stuff. They completely walk away from any responsibility on sharing harmful content. This is unique in the history of communication. And not good.
Lastly, how does your claim about the government wanting to control anything and everything work when there is a change in government? How does this apparent desire to keep control sit with the misinformation pushed out by other (non-government) agents?
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The media prompted by the establishment don’t like to give the impression that hundreds or thousands of people think the same and band together…Divide and conquer is always the establishments way of removing dissent from the general public, and that’s why they try to limit gatherings on social media or anywhere else.
And the majority of this is actually from the establishment.
Because the government are not the ones running the show Lincs. All governments are ultimately controlled by the people they owe money to. People who can shut down any country that doesn’t follow the agenda. Most governments just do enough to pacify the general public and prevent conflict, it’s called ‘social engineering’
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Surely then, if we follow your logic, social media is the perfect tool for this shadow group (who run the show as you claim). It is the perfect mechanism for identifying people with shared views. It is perfect for manipulation and spreading false information. It excellent for stirring up hatred and suspicion. Perfect for false agents, fake images, outrage and outrageous claims. In fact, as you note, “the majority of this is actually from the establishment” - you are saying that people are right now being duped into their outrage.
Ok. Where does that get us?
Well, it means the concern over people coming to one’s country through irregular means is a fabricated concern.
It means that Reform is not really that popular - just folk are being told it is and now think Reform is something worth voting for.
It means Brexit was never popular until now - when it is no longer a bad idea.
Or do these things avoid the influence of this shadow group controlling everything (err, not everything, of course, everything except the stuff you agree with).
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I couldn’t have described social media better myself…
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But @OldGreyFox … Unless I misunderstood @Lincolnshire means that even your theory is based on what you do and don’t believe to be ‘fake news’ or ‘social engineering’ … so you are as subject to been manipulated and brainwashed as much as the rest of us.
Worse, you are trying to convince the rest of us it is all unreal.
Which it might be … it’s not as ludicrous as it sounds… but by dint of the same argument why should we think your truth is the actual truth?
God, it is times like this I wish I believed in a higher power that only delivered the truth and nothing but the absolute Truth. 
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Ignore that post I just made … I can’t even understand it myself.
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Oh Morty… 
Where do I start…
It’s a forum Morty, and I’m an old’ish bloke writing my opinion and theories, I don’t expect anyone to take them serious, I’m certainly not trying to convince you that what I write is written in stone…Use yer imagination Morty and consider the possibilities…Like what I do.
The stuff I read while filling in an hour or two shuffling around the internet is mostly bollix and with each passing day it gets harder to pick out the truth (if there is such a thing) from AI constructed speeches and unusual things that animals get up to…
Of course I’m as manipulated and brainwashed as the rest of you. Living in the western world and using the same internet and watching the same TV stuff and listening to the same Main Stream Media, how could I not be?
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One question then … do you really believe I am a glamorous, gorgeous pig?
But I know what you mean. Life’s too short isn’t it Foxy. At least it is for us, now.
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Yes I do Morty, one of the reasons why I would never go vegetarian…
I would love to get you between two slices of bread…
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Oh Foxy that’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me … 
, this is why I have to carry a Health Warning, men just can’t resist bacon butties.
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I’m probably going to sound like a bit of an old fogey here but I think it’s actually wonderful that children in Australia will no longer have the internet in their lives.
It troubles me that children are suffering much more from obesity and a lot are troubled by all sorts of anxieties that seem to be born out of having a modern childhood.
There is a newish playground that has been built in our village. It’s been there a few years now and every time we pass it, it’s empty. They have apparatus to play on, a soft surface and basketball hoops and it’s all carefully fenced in so kids can’t run into the road.
I’m sure all of us here recall a childhood of playing outside all day during the holidays and venturing far and wide on our bikes, building dens, exploring… even camping out.
The world has changed and kids don’t seem to be able to live like that anymore.
But more worrying is the online bullying, and the access to violent and unrealistic depictions of a sexual nature on the internet.
I feel it’s nice to remain a kid as long as possible. But very young children have access to violent porn on their phones. It is so sad and is going to affect the way they develop as they grow up. There is one particular murder that comes to mind here in my country by a child, of a child. The murderer had thousands of violent, sexual images on his phone. He’d obviously got his ideas from there. Having said that TV, games and films have a responsibility too. AI is capable of presenting children with even more graphic and unrealistic and dangerous scenarios. This can shape attitudes to others for life.
You can’t put the cork back in the bottle and uninvent the internet which has been in everyone’s homes for nigh on three decades. The summers of my youth where me and my friends set off on our bikes to explore all day cannot be recreated for today’s children.
But the internet, being largely unregulated in many ways, has gone down some very dark paths. There is no harm in keeping our children away and trying to steer them towards a healthier life.
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I agree with you 100%
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Exactly Rane, it’s very much a question of balance. My son learned to use the internet safety and responsibly gaining an awareness of pitfalls and dangers. No way did he totally immerse himself in it. It was simply about encouraging him to get involved in other things, no iron discipline nessecary 
The balance was very much about getting outdoors, fishing, hiking, metal detecting and camping. He really enjoyed taking The Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award.
He’s in his twenties now and is studying art and design. The internet is a great resource for him! 
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You can’t ‘Un-see’ things, they will corrupt a young persons mind forever.
This is such a big issue and at the heart of the problem is the US 1996 Communications Act which contained a clause that specifically removed any platform provider’s liability or responsibility for content shown on that platform. Even though the act pre-dates social media as known today the tech companies have successfully resisted any attempt to change this. So things that are illegal can be shown and shared on social media platforms and they need to nothing at all.
I don’t believe you’re that desperate. 
The government provides a portal?
Yeah, then like they do at MSN, they stop or remove comments that don’t fit the agenda that they’re pushing. The Guardian publishes articles every day on MSN, but they’ve removed the facility to comment on them. Therefore their agenda cannot be contradicted.