Maybe you should try parenting???
Also: Little kids aren’t even allowed to use Steam, check the TOS. If parents abandon their responsibilities to their own children, that’s hardly Steam’s fault.
Steam has good parental controls and if you actually parent your children you can notice if it isn’t quite set up correctly.
The gap is parents supervising their children if anything.
Okay so… all the people who are saying “supervise your kid”. Keep in mind that a lot of parents aren’t tech savvy. So often they don’t know the difference from a basic single player no online game and something where you interact with strangers. And the parental controls on every system are different. So it ends up being an all or nothing choice for these parents.
Add to that, kids these days socialize online a lot. My teen plays lots of teamwork games with her irl friends. And that is great for the development of social skills.
I happen to work from home, and in tech, so I am usually in the same room on a computer. Easy supervision. But other parents don’t have it so easy.
It’s fucking 2026. Not tech savvy? That’s on them.
You do realize plenty of them were born and raised without the internet, right? There is a big difference between people raised with the internet and those not. Plus, parental controls are not even an after thought for must companies. They are a “we need something to claim we have parental controls”. Most of them just plain suck. Then you have different controls for different games, and different devices… even the tech savvy struggle. Plus the controls often have easy workarounds.
Again, it is 2026. Who the fuck is having kids now that was born and raised without the internet? Do the math on that.
Um, me. No internet until I got to college. And even then, I was one of the early ones to get into it. It technically existed before that, but it wasn’t much of a thing. If we got stuck on a game on our Commodore 64s we had to buy a magazine or order a hint book. I have two kids who I still need to manage parental controls for. And most of the people I grew up with still have kids at home. Same for the ones I went to college with. And I’m not even 50 yet.
Ah fair enough then, let’s instead have invasive ID checks on every single online thing so nobody can have privacy online.
Id checks don’t do anything. They are a joke to fake. I was just responding to all the people who think it’s so easy to “just supervise” your kids. They probably don’t have kids.
Keep in mind that a lot of parents aren’t tech savvy
This is a choice that they make. Just like they choose to have children, they could choose to educate themselves on how better to supervise them. But they don’t want to, because it’s easier to blame externalities.
Yeah. No. Not everyone has the ability to be tech savvy.
On top of that, the controls are very weak. I’m very tech savvy, and there are things I can’t stop my kids from doing on their devices. Mainly because the device maker isn’t incentivized to make it possible for the control software to stop those things. It always sounds good on paper, but when you try to actually use it, you find out how bad it really is. Plus, each game has it’s own set of controls, and then each device…Maybe not everyone can be tech savvy to the same degree, but everyone can be at least a little more so than they currently are. But it takes effort and willingness to learn. “I’m not good at this stuff” is too often used as an excuse instead of a motivator. Nobody wants to learn how, they just want someone else to fix it for them.
That’s not to say that platforms don’t have any issues, because they do. But supervision is also something that’s severely lacking.
Most parents have a list a mile long of things they have to learn to raise their kids. There is only so much effort to go around. Most of the ones I know have tried to manage these things, but not only are there so many different sets of controls, but they are always changing. And of course what if the kid is at a friends house. Do you expect mom and dad to tag along so they can supervise? And when does the kid learn to be independent. You can’t win as a parent. You are either accused of helicopter parenting or not putting in enough effort. And really, these companies have teams of specialist trying to make their product as addictive and enticing to kids as possible. You expect parents to be able to fight that on hundreds of fronts a day. Kids will find a way no matter what parents do.
Not everyone has the ability to be tech savvy.
This is not true. Everyone has the ability to be tech savvy, except perhaps people with severe learning disabilities. Which, if that is the case, they shouldn’t be having children, thus making them irrelevant to this discussion.
People have to care enough to actually try to learn. Learning tech is not difficult. But too many people don’t care enough to want to even try. Because trying takes effort, and people these days only do whatever is easiest.
I mean, why actually parent your kid when you can sit them down in front of an iPad all day and make the government create laws that make businesses and schools responsible for raising them? Why take on the responsibility of your conscious choice to create a new human when you can just shove it all onto someone else who can take the blame when that inevitably fails? Kids take up your free time; why deal with that when you can drop them into the daycare called Roblox and then do whatever you actually wanted to do without needing to supervise your kid?
Additionally, sometimes you can’t have a certain kind of parental control on something, thats true. The solution? Either the kid can use it while the parent actively watches them, or they aren’t allowed to use it at all. Kid is visiting webpages they aren’t supposed to? DNS block those sites. RaspberryPi community might even have something like a PiHole but for blocking outgoing network traffic to certain URLs, or maybe even a PiHole might work for that, IDK. Everything has a work around, but there are ways to make things difficult for someone that isn’t eventually going to end up a computer science major.
Oh I get it, you somehow know what everyone can do. And you get to say who should and shouldn’t have kids. Wait, are you God? No. Okay then, get off your soapbox and live in the real world. Can’t believe you think knowing what DNS is should be a requirement for having kids.
Everyone has the ability to be tech savvy, except perhaps people with severe learning disabilities. Which, if that is the case, they shouldn’t be having children, thus making them irrelevant to this discussion.
oh I see, good old-fashioned eugenics
Agreed on the case that everyone can become more tech savvy. Disagreed regarding the intellect-based eugenics argument.
I dont mean to say something that supports eugenics., because I don’t.
Raising a child is way more complex than learning how to use a comupter. If a person has learning disabilities so severe that they cannot learn how to use a computer, then it would be wildly irresponsible for them to raise a child, because doing so is more complex. I am not saying that people with learning disabilities shouldn’t be allowed have children. That was never an argument.
My whole point was that there is basically no excuse to not be tech savvy these days, except for an extreme case which is exempt from the argument.
Keep in mind that a lot of parents aren’t tech savvy.
not a valid excuse. low-tech solutions can work just as well as high-tech ones.
- sit with your child when they use the PC
- no phone unless you are with them
- explain to them why this is nonnegotiable, just don’t say “because I told you so”
I recently gave my eldest a laptop with steam installed. I was able to set play schedules, time limits, and even shared specific games from my own library. all other access is locked down. except chat, because there weren’t any controls for it (from what I saw). so, I added myself to their list and had a “chat” session with them to show them how it worked.
I then explained to them how dangerous this can be and how some people online might want to hurt them. so the rule is, don’t talk to anyone unless you know them IRL and to come to me if anyone chats with them first.
low-tech solution and it builds trust with minimal risk.
Are you expecting parents ro tag along when their kid geso over to a friends house as a low tech solution?
And you highlighted that chat didn’t have any controls… but now imagine a parent who doesn’t even know what steam is. They likely also don’t know it even has a chat feature.
Then let’s add that many middle schoolers and up are handed a chromebook at school that they get to take home. And it’s protections are pretty weak. But the kid needs it to do homework. So you are saying that parents should be sitting with them every second they are on any device. Sorry son, you can’t do your homework right now because I have to make dinner. That’s unreasonable.
I don’t understand why some of you want to give corporations a pass, and put all the blame on the parents.
Are you expecting parents ro tag along when their kid geso over to a friends house as a low tech solution?
no, I’m expecting their kids will understand what is acceptable behavior and make choices that are expected of them. I’m also expecting parents to talk with other parents and let them know what’s strictly off limits, and if that’s a problem provide alternative solutions like allowing your kids friends to hang out at your home instead.
And you highlighted that chat didn’t have any controls… but now imagine a parent who doesn’t even know what steam is. They likely also don’t know it even has a chat feature.
as a parent do you know how to care for a child that has leukemia? no? then I guess in your opinion children just have to suffer because their guardian doesn’t know what to do. if a parent can learn how to care for a child with cancer, you can learn how chat works.
Then let’s add that many middle schoolers and up are handed a chromebook at school that they get to take home. And it’s protections are pretty weak.
go to a better school. I pen tested my kids Chromebook, it’s pretty rock solid and everything seemed to be controlled directly by the google school account management.
But the kid needs it to do homework. So you are saying that parents should be sitting with them every second they are on any device.
you should be doing this anyway to help guide and teach them. if you can’t even do that then why did you even have children?
Sorry son, you can’t do your homework right now because I have to make dinner. That’s unreasonable.
as a parent it’s your responsibility to make the time for them. if you can’t do that it doesn’t make you a bad parent necessarily, but it does make you an asshole.
I don’t understand why some of you want to give corporations a pass, and put all the blame on the parents.
because a corporation is about as responsible as a methed out drug dealer that just got out of prison. would you trust your child with that kind of person or are you just too stupid to understand why it’s a poor choice?
from your tone you’re either a child yourself or just a really shitty person who didn’t understand the level of responsibility required to have children.
be better.
You must be a bot. Only a bot could deliver those contradictions in one message.
For anyone that doesn’t know, currently because of stuff like this, people in Australia can’t even access their Steam games that they’ve already bought unless they have a credit card, which I’ve learned most people over there don’t. Valve isn’t allowing the third-party ‘steal your data’ options like face scan and government ID, so Australian folk without a CC are out of luck.
Australians, please fight back against these anti-privacy laws. If these are successful, they’ll come to other countries.
You are completely wrong.
Credit cards are very common here. Also, I don’t have a credit card and I haven’t lost access to any of my steam games.
I’ve played games like Wuthering Waves and VPN’d to America and the game has asked me to verify my age then I’ve disabled the VPN and started the game again and magically it’s not now.
I don’t know what to tell you, I got my information from an Australian, and everything I’ve seen online confirms this.
I’m an Australian
I don’t know an adult Australian who doesn’t at least have a Visa debit card, which more or less functions as the same.
Many use EFTPOS (and quite frankly our government should move that to a credit payment facility so we can ditch the American ones) but what that Aussie told you is not correct; in fact most of the larger retailers are pushing for cashless transactions.
Thank you for some further explanation.
Regardless of this, I believe these changes should be protested. None of this is ever looking out for children, and I’m sure if stuff like this succeeds over there, it’ll just be a matter of time before we’ve got the same thing in the Americas.
I will say, as is alluded by discussion further on, there is a big lean from many toward Visa debit because it uses existing funds. Most I know who are working and even a few not working maintain credit cards however.
Or BNPL; I actually prefer it because there’s no maintaining credit fees and I can maintain it well enough.
It really depends on which Australia you qualify in. I’m in the B team so credit offerings aren’t something I’m really a part of, aside from BNPL. Many Aussies who ‘own’ homes run most of their lives through credit cards and home loan equity.
I’d wager this person who spoke about it to me is on the younger side - probably early 20s, so some more of this is making sense.
I also believe Steam doesn’t allow Visa Debit - at least, it doesn’t here, so perhaps it’s the same over there.
I believe it does, in fact I can find out for sure because my son is on Steam I believe, and runs Visa debit
I’ll go ask him
Edit: yes he does and yes he adds funds to his Steam account using his Visa debit card
Glad I could help here ay, most of the time I’m fairly useless
But a debit card explicitly isn’t a credit card, which is what’s being talked about here
It uses the same function and the point stands…most Australians use a credit card or BNPL which is essentially the same.
Not when it’s being used for age verification…
Who uses these for age verification?
Are you sure that a Visa debit card is a credit card? I ask because in Canada we also have those (I have one) and it is specifically not a credit card. Rather, it is a debit card that is sometimes accepted by systems that ask for a credit card.
I’ll chime in to say that I’m an Australian and on the flipside I don’t know anyone with an actual credit card (not debit). So yeah you’re also making a sweeping generalisation.
Also none of my debit cards work around the steam requirements, it depends on which bank you’re with.
Total tangent here… austrailians don’t have credit cards? Tell me more, I am very curious.
Credit cards are mostly a US thing. Most other places you just use debit cards.
Credit cards are of course used worldwide but most people don’t own one and those who do use it rarely, since why would you borrow money to pay for something unless it’s an emergency or some big / long term thing (at which point an actual loan is probably better, so again CC not needed).
Debit cards make sense. Though I would expect those to be usable as CCs for the verification part.
I’m not sure the reason, but my guess is that a child can own a debit card, but can’t own a credit card.
At least in my corner of the world, debit cards can be used anywhere online that requires credit cards, but at least some banks disable it by default so you have to enable online payments. 15 -20 years ago it was different and you HAD to have a credit card to buy shit off Amazon or Steam so most kids couldn’t get shit.
what ? im Aussie and im 60 I’ve been using credit cards as an Aussie for 35 years or so.
I don’t know anyone who doesn’t have a credit card, i have 3 with a $0 balance that are paid off automatically monthly (I use 1 exclusively and the others are backups). I earn a extra month of income in a HISA and get JB HiFi and Woolies/Coles gift cards as rewards. I also have 5 debit cards because they give them out like candy every time you open an account somewhere and never use any of them at all, aside from one occasionally at the ATM.
I’m not an expert, I’m just being told this from an Australian. They do have credit cards, but it’s not as much a necessity to do things as it is in North America. So, from what I’m told, a lot of adults don’t have one.
Not in the same sense as North America. We have debit cards tied to bank accounts with a similar functionality as a credit card, but they often don’t work at a negative balance. No one I know has a debit card that functions the same as a North American credit card. (I’m a Canadian living in Australia.)
I have a MasterCard debit card, but it doesn’t work as an age verification for Steam.
Australians absolutely have credit cards. The previous poster seems to be getting their information from a single Aussie.
I couldn’t find numbers specifically for the percentage of people who have at least one card, but the total number of CC accounts indicates that it’s likely that the majority of working adults have one. That being said, credit card usage is low compared to other countries, I suspect because the government made the banks get together and create a universal electronic payment network in the 1980s, and we’ve all been used to paying virtually anywhere with our regular ATM cards, direct from our normal bank accounts, for decades. Credit cards are primarily used for, y’know, credit, and not just everyday transactions.
And for all the talk of the credit card companies, my personal experience with online payment processors has been that they often won’t accept Cirrus or VISA Debit cards, or at least not cards issued outside their own country. So online shopping can be difficult without a credit card.
Side note: I live overseas from where I grew up, and I frequently run into fellow (usually young) immigrants who will confidently tell the locals the most amazing (and untrue) things based on their limited experience with the world.
I just want to be clear, what my post meant to say is that it’s (apparently) not as common to use a credit card like you would in North America (basically a necessity if you want to get a car, apartment house, etc).
This person that I got the information from was very up in arms about this.
My whole point wasn’t even about the credit cards. It’s about the anti-privacy laws.
People will do anything these days to avoid actually parenting.
The audience for this isn’t even really parents of young children, it is mostly grandparents who vote as large blocs and are rather receptive to the ‘save the kids’ message in order to support whatever restrictions on technology they don’t understand anyway.
If people care so much about their children they should probably focus on actual problems that are threatening their entire futures…
I cared so much about my kids’ futures I didn’t even have any. It was the only way to ensure their happiness and safety.
Online spaces can be a threat to a child. You’d probably better understand if you were a parent.
Shit dawg. Sounds like you probably shouldn’t let your kids online then.
“don’t go online” isn’t the consequence of what I said
I fear this may be some of the same thinking that got us mandates for manufacturers to put warnings not to suffocate yourself on plastic bags.
I mean, child mortality from plastic bag suffocation dropped after they started printing those warnings so I’m not sure why that’d be something to fear.
I hope, for the sake of our species, that the statistic you’re citing was a spurious correlation. It’s just this side of “water is wet”.
It’s easy to look back at history and say “what a bunch of idiots”, but it’s important to remember that there was once a time when having plastic bags all around your home wasn’t such a ubiquitous thing like it is today. The things that seem obvious to us now were still new and untested at one time. The rise in plastic film suffocation started around the rise of dry-cleaning; until that point, there wasn’t much disposable plastic film in people’s lives, at all. Society had no prior experience to learn from, in this sense.
What we’re seeing here isn’t too dissimilar in this regard. Up until fairly recently, the concept of a globally-connected, unmoderated network that was accessible by children and predators alike just didn’t exist. That network existing in literally everybody’s pockets 24 hours a day is an even newer idea. And it’s not even just one network, it’s in almost every facet of kids’ lives these days.
We can all sit around and say “wow what a bunch of bad parents for allowing this to happen”, but many of those parents didn’t grow up in a world where this was a reality. While many of them grew up in a time where online predators existed, they didn’t grow up in a time when those predators could interact with children directly at any time and any location. They grew up in a time when you had a PC in your room, which you didn’t take with you, and that your parents could physically access; kids these days take their phone everywhere at all times, parental controls today are more useless than when we were kids, and it’s trivially easy for kids to hide their online presence from their parents now. Today’s parents, by and large, just simply do not have the experience needed to address this on a large scale.
The morbid reality is that the only reason it seems obvious not to let children play with plastic bags is because nearly every single plastic bag you’ve ever seen in your entire life says “this bag is not a toy”. You grew up in a world where that problem had already been solved, and at the cost of dozens of dead children. This is not yet a solved problem.
Look, I get it. Warning labels prevent avoidable deaths, and rules like the ones mandating the labeling on the bags are written in someone’s blood.
That said, there are billions of us at this point, and there were over a billion at the time of the example we’re using. While it may sound callous, a number like dozens against that backdrop is so statistically insignificant that we may want to see how many people might have died as a result of creating and placing millions of liters of warning ink on billions of bags and make sure that didnt have even more lethality.
The point I’m making is that some warnings and protections can be more onerous than they are helpful, and while a child dying or being harmed is tragic, reactionary response worsening conditions for everyone that is still alive can be, too. It is important to carefully measure safety and security against the harms it may cause, or you’ll end up with widespread safety bans and everyone rolling around in impermeable bubbles.
I dont know the fine details in Australia’s particular case beyond this article and maybe some others I vaguely remember, but it is wise to be very wary of villains wrapping themselves in the “save the children” flag while they strip away people’s privacy and security. I have 4 Flock cameras in my neighborhood to “protect the kids”, but they’re also protecting the brutal social hierarchy, which kills tons of kids.
I bet she used the internet as a girl when it was 100x less ‘safe.’
Now wants to pull the ladder up behind her.
Look at her picture, based on her apparent age i doubt that’s correct
EDIT
Yeah i looked her up on Wikipedia, and while it doesn’t say her age explicitly, the pic there makes it clear that she didn’t use the internet when she was a kid
The article also says:
After graduating from university in the early 1990s
Yeah. Out of touch old person not getting how important the Internet is for young people and their happiness and social development. Can we get people like that out of positions of power finally please?
they’re not wrong, but cutting kids from the internet will do nothing to prevent their abuse, quite the contrary, because it will force kids to be even more dependent on the people who are most statistically likely to abuse them…
FUCKING
SUPERVISE
YOUR OWN
CHILDREN
The infamous nanny state.
Boooo
Its an American cunt parroting this. Take a hike.
They want the government to raise their children. Not parents. Goodness me, that would be silly.
Agreed! The solution is so very simple. All Australia needs to do is assign one jack booted thug to each child in the country, with orders to hold the kid’s head underwater for a few seconds if the thug thinks the kid is visiting Steam or Roblox. If the parents object, hold their heads underwater too. As a bonus, the kids will learn to fear opposing the Australian government. It couldn’t be easier.
…well if we’re going to legislate something out of gaming ‘fOr tHe kIDs’ let’s start with the slot machine bullshit and other gambling mechanics seem in things like loot boxes.
At the very least, the presence of that stuff should be an automatic Adult rating. With less predatory (but still predatory) things like subscriptions being rated as Mature.
Guessing that’s not what the dickhead in the article is talking about, but I’m not gonna bother reading another rant from some pearl-clutching cunt imagining a bunch of fake problems caused by video games.
Not wrong. But the payment provider literally already has the age. Just force them to tell the shop whether the potential buyer is an adult or not. The solution is literally legally and technically trivial with basically no privacy impact.
So yeah, this is probably yet another case of not actually being about child safety at all.
But then how would we spy on people? Think man, think!
