Sure, the culture is the content and human drive behind it, but the technology has made it so that we cannot avoid it and cannot easily practice good hygiene when it comes to social engagement. Or another metaphor, food, imagine if you had candy/sugar laying around everywhere and that was placed in front of whole foods everywhere you looked, such that you technically could choose a better option, but you were always fighting your human instincts to prioritize fast/cheap energy. As an adult, you know that you need to override these base instincts, and have evidence from your childhood where you encountered the structure of choosing healthy options even when you probably wanted something more sugary/fatty. The argument is that kids are not getting the opportunity to develop this healthy digital content diet because their parents either do not have the technical ability nor the actual functional ability to do anything about it.
I see your point, but I dont agree with your metaphors at all.
Governments around thwe world have had to tax sugary products to save people from themselves. You make it sound like there isnt currently an obesity epidemic because adults know enough to not eat too much sugary foods. In reality the vast majority eat way too much even though they know its not good for them, just like social media use. Its the same as alcohol and drug abuse etc. Humans are terrible at restricting themselves when it comes to stuff that makes them feel good. Tiktok scrolling is just an extension of that, not the cause.
I actually think I communicated my point incorrectly, I also agree with you, I meant more that at least if you had some guidance as a child and your environment wasn't so antagonistic, you might have a fighting chance, not even that you will definitely succeed. We see it now with food deserts, etc. It's a challenging environment to navigate when you have all of this "freedom". :p
There's a reason why most teenagers are on tiktok, but believe that they would be better off if it never existed. [1] https://fortune.com/well/article/nearly-half-of-gen-zers-wis...