Have a Good Life

In this episode, Jethro and Frederick discuss the history of radicalization, challenges, and give advice for what parents can do to help their children.

Brief History

• 1978 Invention of Bulletin Boards
• 1979 Neo*Nazi Bulletin Board Set Up in West Virginia; attracted kids from area
• Quickly followed by numerous others
• In the mid*1990s, with the development and growth of the Web, these BBSs moved onto the Internet
• Every online resource, from niche forums to wildly popular platforms like Facebook and YouTube, are used to spread hate speech and groom children
• The problem intensified with the creation of social media in the late 2000s and early 2010s, along with growing child access to mobile devices
• The combination of pandemic and lockdown is intensifying the problem

Some of the radicalizing groups that use technology to target kids

• Neo-Nazis and White Supremacists
• ISIS
• QAnon

Social / Tech Problems

• The cost of distributing speech is virtually “free”. some important social equity issues but also gives a platform for the fringes
• It’s the World Wide Web, which makes it easier for fringe elements to coalesce online
• Algorithms and hyperlinks are radicalizing all of us but especially our children. We’ve invented dark and dangerous rabbit holes
• Stark contrast with books as an information technology
• Overwhelmingly, the Internet is fueled by advertising. Controversy attracts eyeballs and clicks
• Tech speech companies are torn between need to operate in a functioning, decent society and the need to make money

Legal Issues

• Speech, even hate speech, is protected by the First Amendment to the US Constitution, which provides that “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech”
• Corporations are not bound by the First Amendment; it applies only to governments and governmental agents
• Services like Twitter and Facebook look like “public spaces” but they are not; they are private services regulated by terms and conditions.
• Corporations are not required to do business with other companies, even if the primary function of one business is speech (so Amazon can stop hosting Parler
• US law does not apply overseas (8chan, 8kun)
• “Free” speech does not mean “free from consequences”

What can parents do?

• Context, context, context. Many and persistent conversations with children about prejudice and the hate speech it can cause. Common Sense Media “Where Kids Find Hate Online”
• As much as practical, limit unsupervised time spent online. Kids don’t radicalize over night but a lot of radicalization does take place after bedtime!!!
• Particularly for younger children, consider the installation of filtering software. Use every parental control available
• Pay attention to kid behaviors, attitudes, media interests, hobbies, etc. What games are they playing? Are they developing a surprising interest in chemistry or wiring?

Check out this episode!