Discussion
If the UK government does proceed with a ban on children under 16 using online shopping sites like eBay - which might entail age verification for everyone in the UK for eBay - then those who feared that UK online safety policy was the start of a slippery slope would seem to be correct.
I can't imagine anyone proposing, with a straight face, that children should be banned from markets, car boot sales, or second hand shops.
Assuming that, however this ban is formulated, it does not also apply to Gumtree?
@neil Yep - which could be a possibility because IIRC gumtree doesn't have user-to-user instant messaging (you can message sellers, but it's email or phone).
Ah, interesting!
@neil Have they banned them from email yet?
@raymierussell @neil I don't think you need a card to sign up for things like ebay or vinted.
@neil
Is this not a bit moot.
Banks have special accounts for under 16's. If they disable the ability to use debit cards for those accounts online then that means no one else needs to verify anything.
The card issuers have to take the action.
@neil couple with all the third spaces being removed, streets and parks being unsafe, social media ban... Now a gateway to hobbies and collectables banned.
Children in 2030 are to be expected to sit alone, in their room, in silence, for every hour of the day they are not asleep or at school, thinking about how great Lisa Nandy is at her job.
@neil well, they’ve already been banned from the newsagents, lest they peer towards the top shelf.
@neil what harm, exactly, are they protecting "the children" from on eBay, other than stuff being delivered by Evri?
@ahnlak @neil I _think_ the logic is you can send messages, and that may be a vector for grooming or something. If I squint I can kinda see an argument that this is somehow the same argument as "social media".
I can also squint and see an argument that buying stuff necessitates revealing personal details like name and address so there may be an argument around safeguarding?
But also, I think this is not really a problem that is solved by banning people based on age.
@neil I’ll just cut back my buying even more. The economy isn’t my problem to solve! 🙄
@neil The irony is, it'll push those children to something like Gumtree instead.
So, rather than buying online and receiving an order through the post, they'll instead end up on solutions which encourage in-person pickups. No danger there...
I know that's a slightly ridiculous argument, but it's no less ridiculous than suggesting kids should be banned from the tat bazaar