I'm in my mid-30s. I spent a half-decade of my life knowing that I'm a trans woman but unable to act on it, unable to come out to anyone offline or access the resources I needed. Without support from my online peers, from lesbians and trans people, I would have without a doubt perished.
Social media bans on youth are just going to hurt marginalized youth, especially queer youth, while leaving tech oligarchs and their disinformation, propaganda and harm networks unaccountable.
Social media is not an uncontextualized force of malevolence and evil. It is a commons, a technology that has brought everyone more knowledge, connection and support than they could ever access before. It has been captured and made to serve private commercial interests. That should be the focus.
