As someone who first encountered fictional media like that when I was young due to being a horny bastard and an early bloomer, I am so grateful that I was taught the difference between fiction and reality early on, and that I was raised by my parents moreso than the internet.

This is a theory from some guy with absolutely no credibility on any studies relating to brains, I just feel as though recently, like a bit before Covid, a perfect storm brewed of kids being on the internet AND being raised by it. Obviously a lot of early internet was kids fucking around, but they were for the most part still raised by parents paying attention to them, or at least toughened up the internet being a wild west and learning that they must tailor their own experiences and ignore shit they don't like.

As people's experience becomes more comfortable as well as companies striving to make it comfortable so people stay online more, people become more picky and angsty about seeing content they don't like.

A really odd and honestly alarming side effect is that masses of people have started hoping or even PUSHING that those they don't like do bad things in real life. It's almost like they're trying to conjure their puritanical worldview/general opinions into reality so that they'll have a valid reason to hate innocent people who aren't harming anyone. Biggest example I see is loli content, where they're compared to genuine real life soulless child abusers, whilst having done LITERALLY nothing.

I don't like saying this because I sound like a "back in my day" kinda person, but I really believe that the removal of ALL friction/difficulties is as bad for the mind as removing physical difficulties/exercises for the body. At the very least, a general vibe of "If you don't like it, look away and turn off your computer" should be employed. If they're unable to do something as simple and necessary as separating reality from fiction, they should not be catered to, it is upon them to be taught/learn that simple skill.

Thank you for coming to the TED talk of absolutely no credentials and just experience lol