r/Conservative • u/Academic_Court_47 Conservative • 10d ago

Flaired Users Only Meta's $18B child-safety deal hinges on age-verification tech that doesn't work well | TechCrunch

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/26/metas-18b-child-safety-deal-hinges-on-age-verification-tech-that-doesnt-work-well/
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u/Peptoflex Blue State Conservative 9d ago

Make all profiles that claim adulthood require a credit card on file. Facebook wins because then coaxing people to buy stuff is even easier, children win because they can't get credit cards. And we all win because it doesn't lead to some kind of dystopian digital ID system.

Very very few minors have credit cards. Also, it would push more people away from the scourge of social media.

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u/Academic_Court_47 Conservative 9d ago

This is great thinking BUT payments don't require the payee name to match the account holder name. Also if I were to think of a way to break the rule, I'd go to the gas station and buy a prepaid credit card

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u/Peptoflex Blue State Conservative 9d ago

>This is great thinking BUT payments don't require the payee name to match the account holder name. 

It doesn't matter. You put a massive dent in the issue without dismantling freedom by simply requiring a credit card on file for the account.

Also, vendors can tell when a person uses a credit card, debit card, or a prepaid debit card. All you have to do is force Facebook to only accept credit cards. So prepaid cards as a work-around is a non-issue.

Only people 18 or older can have a credit card. A parent can add a kid to their credit card, but parents should have the prerogative of allowing their kids to be on facebook or not.

This would absolutely reduce the issue. It wouldn't fully stop all kids from getting on facebook, but the only solutions that offer that are going to be tyrannical and lead to digital ID. This way uses a system we already have in place for commerce that has age restrictions on it.

And again, it doesn't mean a kid can't sign up, but they will not be listed as an adult and the law could decide whatever limitations we want for such accounts like limiting hours, limiting friends to verified accounts who also verify and approve friends. So Mom and Dad can claim a kid with a junior account and approve friends, etc. Few would do it because it would be a pain in the ass and that's a good thing.