~SNIP~
But how can parents be careful in the digital age when the sign up is just pushing a few buttons, using some fake data to register and deposit some cryptocurrency to gamble? This isn't only a problem of gambling, but porn as well. If a ten year old with a mobile phone wants to watch hardcore porn, it takes only a few moments to get there. The supervision that parents are often asked to do properly is impossible unless you install all kinds of blocks and limits on the phones I guess. But even apps like Tiktok are dangerous because I can't even remember how often I read some headline that a kid died from copying some shit from Tiktok.
We can talk about the legal age per country and what would make sense until when young people should refrain from gambling, but it all comes down to a case by case basis. There are some 18 year old who should not be allowed to drive. I remember when some got their licenses and I thought holy shit. But then there are others who are very careful and respecting traffic rules, so why not let them drive. It is the same with gambling. Some can handle the temptation very well or they don't even feel any temptation to exaggerate their gambling habits, while others develop an addiction.
I do understand your worry, trust me. The internet has both positive and negative aspects. It's a treasure trove of information one minute and a Pandora's box of adult material the next. That's a bitter truth, but one that we must accept.
Setting up parental controls is a good beginning step, but it won't solve the problem entirely. In today's modern world, children have become rather tech savvy. Kids will figure out a method to get past any problem. A cat-and-mouse game, to be sure!
The safest option? Free exchanges of ideas! Do we hear something simple? And maybe a little giddy, but it does the trick! Discuss your past actions, even if they were unsuccessful. Justify the harm and inappropriateness of some actions. Remind them that the repercussions for acting out in real life are much more severe than in a TikTok video. Keeping your eyes open is the first step.
I agree and this is why I believe that all these minimum age discussions aren't very productive. It doesn't matter whether you slap a sticker on something which is telling the people when they are allowed to use it, do it, consume it, or whatever. As you said, the best way is to get across the message that no action goes without consequences. But we all have been young and we all know that too often the only way to find out is try something out yourself. Access and availability are a big problem and could only be effectively countered with education and, to some degree, strict controls.
The overall trend to everything becoming mobile makes it infinitely harder to enforce effective controls. We talk about minimum age for gambling, but all those gambling platforms are represented on the jerseys that all the kids can buy even at kindergarten age. Instead of taking about a minimum age for gambling, it might be more effective to limit the huge number of contact with gambling platforms. Youtube ads, any ads on the Internet, all the clubs now being sponsored by gambling platforms, it's everywhere.