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?