We moderate consumption of alcohol, sugar, gambling, and tobacco with taxes and laws. We have regulations on what you can show on TV or films. It is complete misuse of the term to claim a law prohibiting sale of alcohol for minors is ‘moral panic’. It is not some individual decision and we need those regulations to have a functioning society.
Likewise in few generations we hopefully find a way to transfer the cost in medical bills of mental health caused by these companies to be paid by those companies in taxes, like we did with tobacco. At this point using these apps is hopefully seen to be as lame as smoking is today.
Only over the air TV is regulated by the FCC. Films and non broadcast TV are only regulated if they contain obscene content. If anything there was more regulation of film production in the past. Hayes Code etc.
Of course, and not just in US. I don’t think any sane person thinks we should not limit cousins getting married, non-consensual sexual acts, pedophilia, etc. In many places in Europe sex work is perfectly legal and taxed like any other business.
In the past there has been stupid regulations on what consenting adults (of the same sex for instance) could do together. This created a system where group A could get married and were lauded, while the group B went to jail. I am not saying all laws and regulations are good, but we absolutely do need them, and we need to make them just and good. For instance, today we protect the group B’s rights to marry and love with laws.
Likewise in few generations we hopefully find a way to transfer the cost in medical bills of mental health caused by these companies to be paid by those companies in taxes, like we did with tobacco. At this point using these apps is hopefully seen to be as lame as smoking is today.