lachlanjc’s avatarlachlanjc’s Twitter Archive—№ 8,996

  1. If I didn’t have my own private internet as a teenager, I’d still be in the closet, depressed, & never have built a career or found my communities & friends. Surveillance of kids, esp for LGBTQ+ kids, is detrimental & an invasion of basic rights. 1/6 @amndasuthwrth/1189593212370833408
    1. …in reply to @lachlanjc
      Being watched while using computers means you can’t explore or experiment with your identity. I doubt I’d ever have stumbled into the HTML/CSS tutorial that turned into my 6 years of coding, design, advocacy, & hackathon-organizing. Or all the friends & impact along the way. 2/6
      1. …in reply to @lachlanjc
        The agency the internet brings is unparalleled. It’s a superpower for young people, especially in rural areas. It lets us educate ourselves & develop our own identities. We should be using it to build amazing communities like @hackclub, not for locking kids out. 3/6
        1. …in reply to @lachlanjc
          Is there bad stuff on the internet? Sure is. Schools should teach sex ed (incl. LGBTQ+ basics & about grooming/abuse), show why white supremacism is bad, teach communication skills, provide better counselor support, etc—not build a fake bubble around us. 4/6
          1. …in reply to @lachlanjc
            Identifying crisis only at moments of desperation through 24/7 surveillance is a pathetic commentary on our support for young people’s mental health. We need to build systems of support to avoid crises instead. 5/6
            1. …in reply to @lachlanjc
              Another day, another clear case that tech is *never* politically neutral. The responsibility for the tech we create lies with us. Our decisions can be enormously culturally influential. Let’s use that power to make a happier & healthier world. 6/6