When you buy wifi, they already make sure you're an adult. They ask for proof of residence, you sign a contract. Children cannot buy wifi. Go ahead and try - no ISP is going to write a contract with a child.
Wifi, like tobacco and alcohol, is already age restricted.
The problem is the adults buying it then turn around and just... Hand it to children. That's not the fault of the law or society.
Like, okay the store clerk might make sure when I buy a pack of menthols I'm of age. But if I just go home and hand my kid the pack of menthols, all bets are off. That's not the store clerks problem, he can't and won't get in trouble for that.
Parents and establishments are being stupid here. Same applies for public wifi. Don't want kids to use it? Okay, give it a password, only tell the password to adults. Easy peasy.
The law can't stop parents from being stupid.
But it is society's problem, and within society's capacity to attempt to manage.
https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/you-your-body/drugs... says it's illegal to give a child cigarettes, and the cops can confiscate them if you're 16 or below.
> The law can't stop parents from being stupid.
Sure, but reality also often means smart, caring parents still can't stop kids from... being kids. I've lived in places where half a dozen public wifi hotspots were available; even if I didn't, chances are I'd have to let my kids on wifi for homework, on computers I don't have admin rights to because they come from the school.
They can't go sign up for a new internet plan, but that's hardly required.
Sure, to an extent, but not really: we give parents a lot of freedom here.
> Sure, but reality also often means smart, caring parents still can't stop kids from... being kids. I've lived in places where half a dozen public wifi hotspots were available; even if I didn't, chances are I'd have to let my kids on wifi for homework, on computers I don't have admin rights to because they come from the school.
Okay, then lock down those networks. We don't need to lockdown the Internet as a whole.
In reality, most of those networks already are locked down.
Try searching up porn on, say, hotel wifi, it won't work.
We already have the solution.